Where are the Coniferous Forests located?

The Earth's large forests of conifers extend mostly over the Northern Hemisphere, across North America, Europe and Asia. Coniferous forests are located south of the Tundra, but north of the Temperate Deciduous forests and Temperate Grasslands.

Introduction The Earth has many different environments, varying in temperature, moisture, light, and many other factors. Each of these habitats has distinct life forms living in it, forming complex communities of interdependent organisms. A complex community of plants and animals in a region and a climate is called a biome. Some of the biomes on Earth include:

Desert - very dry, either hot or cold Tundra - cool, treeless, and dry Chaparral or scrub - coastal area with hot, dry summers and mild, cool, rainy winters Taiga or Coniferous Forest - cool and dry, with coniferous trees Temperate Deciduous Forest - cool and rainy, with deciduous trees Grassland - Windy, partly dry sea of grass with few trees, including tropical savanna, prairie, steppe, pampas, etc. Mountain biomes: there are a lot of different mountainous biomes, from grasslands at low altitudes, taiga (coniferous forests) below the treeline, and alpine (the same as tundra) Temperate Rain Forest - cool and wet Tropical Rain Forest - warm and very wet Land Cave - cool and dark Wetlands - there are many types of wetlands, including swamps, marshes, moors, bogs, fens, sloughs, etc. Freshwater Marsh - a wetland located near creeks, streams, rivers and lakes Temperate ponds Marine (ocean or sea) - including o euphotic (sunlit) zone littoral or intertidal zones coral reef (warm shallow salt-water environments based on coral formations) estuarine biomes (where rivers meet oceans) pelagic biomes (open seas near the surface) o disphotic (twilight) zone o midnight (aphotic) zone benthic biomes (bottom) sea trenches sea Caves

The Seven Biomes of the World The 7 biomes of the earth are: Desert, Tundra, Taiga, Savanna, Grassland, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Tropical Rainforest Desert Location The desert is located in the dry plains on the Earth. Specific locations include the United States, Africa, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc

Climate Precipitation in the desert is very scarce. It rains below 25 cm per year. Since the desert is located in plains it gets up to 38C in the daytime and 0C at night. Clothing and Special Equipment The desert is very dry and hot so I would recommend bringing shorts, t-shirts, sandals. At night it gets cold so I would also bring thick pants, sweaters, jackets, and shirts. Its dry there in the desert so bring lots of water.

Things to Do You may think there is nothing to do in the desert because all it has is hills and sand. People that live in the desert created a fun way to gain speed going down large hills... Sand Sledding! Its similar to sledding but on sand. Plant Adaption Cactuses store water inside of themselves to replenish water when they are thirsty. They also have spikes to keep predators that want to steal their water from them to survive.

During dry spells many plants die and don't return until there is more moisture. The Ocotillo loses it's leaves during a dry spell so it uses less water and get hit by less light.

Animal Adaptations Desert animals prevent water leaving their bodies many of different ways. Some, like kangaroo rats and lizards, live inburrows which do not get too hot or too cold and have more humid air inside. These animals stay in their burrows during daytime and come out at night to eat. Other animals have bodies that save water. Scorpions and wolf spiders have a thick outer layering which decreases moisture loss. Enviromental Issues A big unexpected one for desert is Global Warming. Global Warming has changed the temperature making it hard for animals to live there and have to leave. Global warming changes temperatures up and down. Another big factor is strip mining. In search of rare stones, strip mining almost destroys the desert's underground. Once the stones are removed they cant be made for millions of years. The mining makes the soil of the desert even more frail and weak than is was before. Tundra Location The tundra is located in the Artic Zone. Some countries include United States, Alaska, Greenland and others. Climate Precipitation is 25 cm falling year round in form of snow. Summers are around 15C. Winters would be around -40C. Clothing and Special Equipment

Going to the tundra you would pack clothes to warm you up such as: thick sweaters, jackets, sweat pants, jeans, boots, socks, sun glasses, hats and beanies. Things to do In the tundra there is a lot of snow so you could play fun sports for snow days. Snowboarding, skiing, sledding and iceskating are fun sports for a cold day. Also making snowmen is fun as long as you have a carrot and some coal. Plant Adaptations Artic Willow is a bush that is a delicacy to bugs. To stop the bugs from eating it, it creates a pesticide that if the bugs were to eat it they would die. The Arctic Moss doesn't need soil to live. It adapted so it can live on water. This makes it easier to live in the tundra during winter when the soil is frozen. Animal Adaptation Polar Bears have very thick skin to keep it warm in the tundra. They also have white skin enabling them to blend in with their surroundings when hunting for prey. The Artic Fox cannot stand the cold of a tundra night. It burrows itself and the soil protects it from the cold. The Artic Fox comes back out when the sun is out.

Environmental Issue Global Warming is impacting the tundra very much. The higher temperature is melting away iceburgs and snow. The change in weather and environment affects animals living in the tundra and kills them. Global Warming will soon cause the tundra to convert into a taiga biome. Poaching of Animals is very big in Tundras. Poaching animals is unnecessary in modern day. Poaching animals is causing animals in the tundra to become endangered. Taiga Location Taiga is located in the Sub-Artic Zone. Some countries include Russia, Canada, ans Scandinavia... Climate Precipitation is around 50-75 cm of snow per year. The temperature is around 30c in the summer and 20C in the winter. Clothing and Special Equipment Since the taiga gets pretty cold it would be good to bring jackets and long pants to keep warm. Hats would be good to bring to keep your body warma dn sunglasses in case its bright out. Things to Do In the taiga there are many evergreen trees. The Taiga includes mountains to be able to go hiking and camping.

Plant Adaptation The Paper Birch has waxy pine needles. These help it in many ways. It retains water, it insulates them, it even keeps certain bugs away.

Nutrients are gathered by their long roots. Roots go far from the tree. This helps the tree when it is too cold out to gather many nutrients from a small area. Animal Adaptations The Gray wolf and the Bobcat both have thick fur to keep themselves warm. The Bobcat has the skill to be fast so it can hunt. The Gray Wolf's color allows it to blend in to its surroundings which helps its hunting skills. Environmental Issue Deforestation is destroying the tundra. It's cutting down trees. Poaching animals is another enviromental issue. By poaching animals animals are becoming endangered. Temperate Deciduous Forest Location The Temperate Deciduous Forest is located in the temperate zone at mid-latitiude of the earth. Countries include Eastern United States, Western Europe, and Japan. Climate The Temperate Deciduous Forest has four seasons. The precipitaion is 75-150 cm of rain year round. The temperature is around 30C in the summer and -20C in the winter. Clothing and Special Equipment In the Temperate Deciduous Forest it it best to wear casual shorts, sweaters, jeans, t-shirts, bathing suit, tennis shoes, hats and sandals. Things to Do In the Temperate Deciduous Forest some of my favorite places you can go to are the beach, city or mountain. At the beach you can swim, surf, and sun-bathe. In the city you can go to museums, go shopping, and walk through parks. In the mountains you can ride horses, mountain bike, and camp. Plant Adaptations Deciduous trees like Oak, Maple, and Beech shed their leaves in the season fall. Those leaves fall on the forest floor and is broken down into nutrients by decomposers. The nutrients stay in the ground making it very rich. Animal Adaptation Some animals such as squirrels, chipmunks and blue jays store food when it is plentiful, using hollows of trees as storehouses for nuts and seeds. In winter this store of food keeps them fed.

Environmental Issues A big environmental issue in the Temperate Deciduous Forest is deforestation. Deforestation is cutting down many trees and killing animals homes. The animals homeless are forced to live their trees and burrows because of the disturbance of the machines that cut down the trees. Rainforest Location The location of the Rainforest is in the tropics. The tropics is before the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. Tropical means near the eqautor. Some countries include Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama etc... Usually found in Southern Asia, South America and Africa.

Climate

The precipitation level in the Rainforest is very high. Precipitation falls in form of snow from 200-900 cm falling year round. Its around 20-30C year round. Clothing and Special Equipment In the rainforest it tends to rain whenever so I would recommend bringing rain coats, jackets and boots. There in the rainforest many birds fly from tree to tree and if you are interested in seeing them i would bring binoculars. Also the Rainforest is filled with bugs so bring bug repellent. Things to do In the rainforest there are many birds so bird watching could be fun. In the rainforest you may ride on horses and observe the beautiful views the rainforest displays. Plant Adaptaions The Bengal Bamboo has large roots that collect water and allow them to reproduce very fast. That is very important because there is limited room in the Rainforest. Bougainvillea has hooks on it. The hooks attach to other plants. That allows it to have more room to grow and prosper. Animal Adaptations Linne's Sloth, a very light weight mammal, hangs from branches to avoid predators. Most predators in the rainforest cannot get to an animal that is hanging from a branch that high. Most likely, the branch would break if an animal pounced on it. Environmental Issue Deforestation is the biggest problem in the Rainforest. The rainforest produces a grand amount of oxygen to earth and is the home to over 50% of the worlds animals. Cuttin the Rainforest down i causing Global Warming and change in temperature around the world. Savanna Location Savannas are usually found throughout middle India, Africa, Northern Australia, and bits of Brazil. Climate Precipitation in the savanna is around 75-150 cm a year. The weather is around 20-30C year round. Clothing and Special Equipment In the savanna you would pack a tent, water, shorts, t-shirts, sandals and a hat. At night you would need a light blanket to keep you warm. Camping is good in the Savanna so i would bring camping materials. Things to do Camping in the wide areas of the Savanna could be a lot of fun. Also in the savanna safaris are fun. Seeing all the animals could be very cool. Plant Adaptations The Jarrah has a lignotuber. A lignotuber is an underground sack that contains nutrients in case of an emergency such as the tree being cut down. The lightnotuber helps it grow back fast. The baobab tree has adapted to the savanna biome by only producing leaves in the wet season. When leaves grow, they are tiny clusters of leaves. The size of leaf helps shorten the water loss. This trees also can store water in cases of a drought. Jarrah the tree Baobab Tree

Animal Adaptation Giraffes are well adapted to a life in a savannah. They drink water when it is available but can go weeks without it, Their very long necks are an adaption to feeding at high levels in the treetops. Their physical adaption, a long neck, does not only help them to graze but also helps them keep track of predators and it enables visual communication with other giraffe over several miles away. By eating in the trees it causes less competition for grazing animals.

Squirrel Monkeys move through the trees by leaping. They have small back legs, they do not come down from the trees because of predators. Envirometnal Issue Poaching animals is definently an environmental issue. Animals in the savanna are being killed off. Those animals that serve in the food chain are throwing off the balance. The animals should be allowed to stay in their homeland. Wildfires is another environmental issue in the savanna. The savanna is very dry in the winter and wildfires begin. Wildfires are killing plants and animals and is making the soil less rich. If there was not any wildfires the savanna would be a different biome. Grassland Location Grasslands can be found throughout The United States. You can also see it in Russia, Africa, South America, and China. Climate Grasslands receive 25-60 inches of precipitation per year. In Winter tempperature can be as low as -40 F and during the summer they can be as high as 70 F. Plant Adaptations Plants have adaptations to help them survive (live and grow) in different areas. Adaptations are special features that allow a plant or animal to live in a particular place or habitat. These adaptations might make it very difficult for the plant to survive in a different place. This explains why certain plants are found in one area, but not in another. For example, you wouldn't see a cactus living in the Arctic. Nor would you see lots of really tall trees living in grasslands. Click on the different biomes or areas below to learn about them and some of the adaptations plants have to live there:

Desert

Grassland

Tropical Rain Forest

Temperate Rain Forest

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Taiga

Tundra

In Water