With its fairytale landscapes and its incredible biodiversity, the boreal forest, also called “Taiga”, extends from North America to Siberia, and represents one of the most important biomes on Earth. But what will the main features be?
Spectacular and evocative landscapes, “drunk” trees, only two seasons and thousands of different animal and plant species: the boreal foresto Taigais a biome that hides a thousand surprises and curiosities, a world to discover and learn about. If there is one thing we know well, it is that our Planet represents a true cornucopia of extraordinary beauties. Among these, the Taiga certainly deserves a place of honor.
This term in fact indicates one of the most evocative and main biomes of the terrestrial spherea large portion of Earth that mainly covers the boreal regions (hence the name “boreal forest”) of Europe, Asia and North America.
In this article we will discover where the boreal forest is located, what the climate of this “Region” is and what surprises are hidden among the trees of the taiga. First of all, therefore, let’s see where is this biome located.
Where is the boreal forest located?
The taiga essentially covers the northern circumpolar belt of the hemisphereand makes up almost a third of the planet’s forests. It extends from Canada to Siberiapassing through some Northern European countries, such as Norway, Sweden and Finland.
As you can see in the image, going further north, the taiga borders the tundrawhile on its southern edges it is limited by the temperate forest. If, therefore, you are wondering what the boreal forest between Scandinavia and Siberia is called, it is precisely the “taiga”, another name that indicates this extraordinary biome.
Boreal forest: characteristics
One of the main characteristics of the taiga is already summarized in its very name: the word “taiga“, in fact, derives from the Russian “taiga”, and means “coniferous forest”. As we will see, this biome is in fact mostly characterized by trees belonging to this botanical family.
Il boreal forest climate it is essentially cold, harsh and dry, but it is also very diverse depending on the time of year. In fact, very cold seasons alternate with short periods in which temperatures tend to rise by several degrees.
The taiga presents very long winters and rigid, lasting 8-10 months a year, usually ranging from September to May. In the cold season, temperatures fluctuate from -9°C to -45/50°C.
Summers, on the other hand, are very short (usually lasting about 2 months), and quite cool. The mercury usually reads between 6°C and 14°C during the summer period.
The precipitation in the “region” they are rather scarce, and usually occur in the form of snow. The days are short and, due to the low temperatures, the ground is often covered in ice and permafrost.
The flora of the boreal forest
The characteristics of the North American taiga and those of the European and Asian taiga are mostly similar, both in terms of landscape and from the point of view of fauna and flora. In these woods, the evergreen conifers and, more generally, the evergreen conifers dominate trees that resist the cold boreal climate. Pines, firs, larches and sequoias therefore stand out, while in a smaller percentage it is possible to admire deciduous trees such as poplars and birches.
Il undergrowth of the boreal forest it is very dark and cold, which is why there are not many varieties of herbaceous plants or bushes. However, this land is the home of numerous varieties of bushes (such as willows, blueberries, honeysuckles), mushrooms, lichens, and a rich variety of mosses, which form a soft green carpet on the ground, trunks and rocks.
The taiga preserves and even gives life to some beautiful floral plantsfirst of all the orchids. The climate is also ideal for the development of aquatic plantssuch as duckweed or Potamogeton.
The Taiga Drunk Forest
A curiosity about the taiga: while exploring this particular environment, you may come across the so-called “drunk” forestswhose trees stand in completely unnatural and bizarre positions.
In reality, the phenomenon is linked to the particular terrain of the taiga, composed mostly of permafrost. Due to rising temperatures, plant roots begin to change, and trees end up taking over a strange inclinationa bit as if they were reeling under the influence of alcohol.
What are the animals of the boreal forest?
The fauna of the boreal forest it’s really fascinating. A bit like plants, the thousands of animals that populate this biome have also learned to adapt to the intense cold.
Among the animals of the taiga are found migratory or semi-migratory birdsmammals and other creatures. Wildlife includes mostly huge moose, wolves, bears, wood bison, snowshoe hares, reindeer, flying squirrels and Siberian tigerwhich lives in the Eastern Siberian taiga.
They also count themselves birdsboth terrestrial and aquatic or even coastal, such as woodpeckers, thrushes, ducks, finches, owls, flycatchers, blackcaps and numerous other animal species, such as reptiles, fish, insects and amphibians.
A biome in danger
Like many other biomes, Taiga is also currently considered an ecosystem in danger. What jeopardizes the delicate balance are the human activitiescausing damage both directly and indirectly.
The deforestation of entire areas is leading to the disappearance of enormous natural habitats, home to many animal and plant species. Even the hunting foxes, bears, moose and many other animals are putting the very existence of many animal species to the test.
In addition, climate change, exacerbated by human activities, is causing repercussions on all terrestrial biomesincluding the boreal forest, where ever-increasing temperatures cause permafrost to melt and lead to variation in climate and habitatsthus disrupting the lives of many native animals and alien and invasive species.
What are Earth’s biomes?
Here on GreenStyle we have often explored and talked about the different biomes, from the hot ones of the Mediterranean scrub to the desert biome, from the subtropical and tropical ones of the Savannah to the cool biome of the Boreal Forest. But what will the others be? terrestrial biomes?
First of all, let’s remember that the term “biome” refers to a portion of the biosphere in which they are recorded dominant characteristics in relation to type of vegetation, soil, climate and wildlife; areas located at certain latitudes, which develop over vast portions of the earth’s surface.
Based on what has been said, they are counted 5 main types of biomes:
- Aquatic biomes
- Grasslands
- Forests
- Deserts
- Tundra.
In turn, these biomes can be divided into subgroupssuch as fresh/marine aquatic biome, savannah, temperate forests, tropical forests and taiga (or boreal forest).
How many biomes are there in Italy?
Thinking about our country, its incredible biodiversity and climatic characteristics, we cannot help but wonder which and how many biomes characterize it.
Mostly, what emerges is undoubtedly the mediterranean biomestraddling the temperate and tropical belts. However, in the regions further north and in the Alps the climate differs quite a bit from the Mediterranean one, taking on more of the characteristics of typical temperate coniferous forests.
Sources
Source: www.greenstyle.it
