z The Taiga Boreal Forest By: Charlie Lichauer, Harrison Simons, and Hunter Williams
Purpose We chose to do the Taiga Boreal biome because we believe it is the optimal host to excite the viewers. The taiga is a cold climate found in northern parts of the world. It is also called a coniferous forest, due to its abundance of Evergreen trees and other trees that bear needles and cones.
Map The Taiga Boreal Forest is located in the Northern parts of the world as shown on the map.
The Climate in the Taiga The Climate in the Taiga climate is typically cold weather year round. Winters here typically last about 5-7 months. The summers are usually very rainy with 12-33 inches per year. The average temperature here is around -32 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures in the summers are 20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit and winters -65 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit.
Environment The Taiga has a cold climate which can be found in the northern parts of the world. It is also called a coniferous forest due to the trees that have needles and produce cones. It has cold and bitter winters with temperatures that drop below zero consistently with mild summers. Summers are short, and in the winter there is very little daylight. Despite these harsh conditions, wildlife has adapted to the environment and is home to many species of birds and other animals.
Common Animals of the Taiga Boreal Forest 1. Snowshoe Hare: Found in North America, known for its snowshoe hindleg paw that helps it to traverse snow and its seasonal coats (summer coat a brown/camo like color, and winter coat a pure white color) that allow it to better camouflage itself in depending on the season. 2. Gray Wolf: Found in North America, also known as Timber Wolves, normally travel in packs which make these wolves apex predators when hunting with their pack. Their thick fur and high metabolism help them stay warm, downside they need to eat more often during winter. 3. Long-eared Owl: Found in both North America and Northern Asia, this nocturnal owl is a stealth predator with the ability of silent flight and superb hearing great enough to identify prey, locate, and navigate to the prey in complete darkness. 4. Red Fox: Found in North America and Northern Europe, this intelligent fox is a mostly nocturnal stalker that preys on small game and catches them with it s keen sense of hearing and its ability to dig extremely well.
Common Animals of the Taiga Boreal Forest (continued) 5. River Otter: Found in North America near fresh water usually consisting of dense vegetation, this slim mammal has two types of fur on its body a fluffy layer that pads down when it is wet to increase aquatic mobility and a dense layer that helps it retain heat during the harsher months. Its equipped with sensitive whiskers that allow it to sense vibrations under water that help it find its pray and sharp dagger like teeth and claws to hunt. 6. Stoat: Also known as Ermines are found in North America and Eurasia. This little mammal has a different way of hunting that works extremely well surprisingly. By using its great eye sight and hearing it will find prey that it will lure in by spasming it body to hypnotize its prey and when the prey is close enough it strikers with razor sharp teeth and hooked canines. After it is hooked into the animal it will not let go until the other animal tires out then the stoat will finish off its prey. It survives harsh winters by digging burrows in which they nest in.
Common Animals of the Taiga Boreal Forest (continued)
Simple Taiga Boreal Food Web
Common Plants of the Taiga Boreal Forest There are very few plants in this area due to the harsh conditions in the Taiga. However, there are a few types of berries in the biome, some of which can be poisonous. Lichens and some types of moss can also grow in the area. There are also coniferous trees in this biome, some of which include spruce, fir, and pine. All of the trees in this area can be classified as Evergreens.
Threats in this biome Other than the cold taking us down, basically any animal that is a predator who is big enough and is outfitted to take on medium to large game like us humans could be a threat to our well being. Depending on what is attacking us whether it be a bear or wolves, we always hear that a fire is one of the best defenses. This is true but there are other ways to defend yourself without putting your source of heat in danger of going out. Some examples are: 1. If a bear is coming close you want to avoid all confrontation if possible, make plenty of noise and make yourself look as big as possible. If a cub is with the bear make no noise and make yourself looks as non-threatening as possible by going into a fetal position with your back facing to the sky. 2. When dealing with wolves get any food you need and climb the closest tree and sleep the night there by hanging your food in a place where the wolves can get it and get comfy on a sturdy tree limb and tie yourself to the trunk of the tree. Wolves usually take a common path for hunting and if wolves come to near your camp sight, the next day pack up and move out so you may have a chance of being out of the hunting path.
Our Solution to Shelter in the Taiga Depending on what time of year it is the possibilities and resources are limited. In winter you may want to build a snow trench, a snow trench is a dug out cavity of snow large enough you can lay in, then you acquire pinecones or small sticks to lay on. To cover yourself from the elements get large limbs and lay them parallel across the trench and cover it up with branches (preferably branches with leaves). A snow trench is a risky but quick way to get shelter for yourself. In summer a tipi setup with a oxygen canal for a fire is a quick and easy way to protect yourself from the elements.
Survival items needed About 30ft of Manila rope Duck tape (for obvious reasons) Filet knife for skinning and fileting meat Spool of heavy duty salt water fishing line Multitool (essential on multitool is a knife and wire cutters) Emergency blanket Flint and magnesium (magnesium instead of steel or iron because it is lighter) Tarp Spare rip cloth
How would the survivors survive in this biome? The survivors will have to bring Heavy clothes to the Taiga to be able to withstand the severe cold. In addition to bringing heavy clothes, the survivors will need to have knowledge about certain types of poisonous berries, and what animals could be a major threat to them. Also, the survivors will need to be able to set up some sort of trap to be able to catch small game, for example a dead fall trap or a snare of some sort.
How the Survivors Will not Destroy the Environment The survivors will not harm the animals unless they need to eat them The survivors will be limited on how many trees they will be able to cut down We will also regulate the fires and other things that they do that could cause destruction that can not be controlled
Conclusion The cold winter temperatures will provide a huge challenge as the survivors will have to find a heat source fast. Food will be hard to find because there are few plants and berries there. The survivors will be tested on their knowledge of which berries are poisonous and which are not, creating an even bigger struggle for the survivors. Also, there is heavy snowfall in the winter, and they would have to find shelter fast. As well as very little plants and berries, there are many predators, such as wolves, boars, wolverines, lynx, and bears. The animals would make a very good food source if the survivors can manage to kill them.
Bibliography https://php.radford.edu/~swoodwar/biomes/?page_id=92 http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taigap.html https://sites.google.com/site/taigabiomeproject15/weather http://www.bioexpedition.com/taiga-biome/ http://www.offthegridnews.com http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/taiga.htm