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Grassland Tundra Coniferous Forest Broadleaf Juliana F., Maria R., Jacob F. Emma S. Grassland Focusing on the North American Plains and Prairies About Grasslands • Temperature ranges from around -40°F in the winter and 70°F in the summer • Annual rainfall is about 20-35in and usually happens in late spring or early summer • Latitude: Ranges between 55°N and 30°S due to the diversity of grasslands Description Grasslands have many names, including prairie, plain, veldts, steppes, and pampas. They consist of different types of grasses with deep root systems. The soil is very rich and held together well. Many large animals inhabit the grasslands, as well as many small burrowing animals. There are few, if any trees. Plant Species • Buffalo Grass: A hardy, heat- and coldresistant species well-adapted to the warm summers and cold, windy winters on the prairie. Once supplied food for huge herds of buffalo • Wild Oats: A weedy plant that prefers moist soil and cool temperatures. Found primarily on the plains or in open spaces where seeds can be carried by wind Animal Species • Bumble Bee: Native to Iowa, active in cooler temperatures than honey bees, lives in open areas and burrows underground, important with pollination of early spring flowers • Prairie Dog: Native to North American plains, lives in burrows, prefer being able to see far distances so they chew down tall weeds (small saplings), much like mere cats and squirrels Characteristic Factors • Mountains block the coastal climates, isolating the grasslands and creating a unique microclimate. Mainly hardy species survive the harsh windy grassland climate • Has two seasons, a moist season and a wet season. Most plants grow during the wet and are dormant during dry. They have very complex root systems that keep them alive even after grazing Ecological Disturbance Fires are common to the grasslands. They remove any invasive species and also kill off any tree and shrub saplings that have taken root. The grasses survive because of their deep root system. Their point of growth is also very close to the ground, allowing the top, leafy part of the plant to be removed without killing it. Therefore, natural selection has chosen these low-centered plants to rule the grasslands. Fires also remove the buildup of dead grass, allowing more native plants to emerge and flower. Sources • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/prairie.ht m • http://www.buzzle.com/articles/grasslandbiome-animals-and-plants.html • http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/bio mes/grasslands.php • http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/we eds/fab19s00.html • TEMRPERATURE RANGE • The short summer lasts only 6 to 10 weeks. It never gets any warmer than 45 or 50ー F.Winter temperatures don't reach above 20ー F and average -20ー to 30ーF. ANNUAL PRECIPITATION • Tundra receives as little precipitation as some of the world's driest deserts, only about 6 to 10 inches per year, including melted snow. This is almost as little as the world's driest deserts. LATITUDE • The latitude range for the tundra is from the arctic circle to 60ー to 70ー latitude north. DESCRIPTION • The tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Vegetation is very scarce and there痴 almost to none trees. During the long winters it is extremely cold and windy. Also, the sun barely rises, so its dark almost all day. During the short summers the sun never leaves, but not even that can warm up the cold temperature and frozen landscapes. 2 PLANT SPECIES • Caribou Moss( litchen) • It grows on the ground and on rocks. Lichen can make food when the temperature gets very low and there is little light. The tissues of lichens aren't easily damaged by frost. This makes it a great plant for the tundra.Lichen can survive for long periods of time without water. They just dry out and go dormant when there is little water or light. They can begin to grow again even after very long periods of dormancy. • Pasque Flower • The Pasque flower, like all tundra plants, grows low to the ground to keep out of the cold climate. It is also covered in fine silky hairs, which help insulate it. 2 ANIMAL SPECIES • Arctic fox • The arctic fox is a scavenger so it usually finds things to eat. They sometimes even follow polar bears or other predators and eat the remains of their preys. They are covered with white hair during the winter and grey or blue hair during summers which helps them keep warm and hide prom predators. • Snowy Owl • The snowy owl , like other arctic animals, has white feathers that help them camouflage with the landscape. They also have huge eyes and really sensitive hearing that helps them see their preys from really far away and a pair of long wings that allows them to fly close to the ground in order to catch them. The snowy owls feed on arctic fox, rabbits, lemmings, voles, and various seabirds • ABIOTIC FACTORS • Strong Winds: The tundra biome is characterized by its strong winds, which add to the extremely cold temperatures and doesn’t allow trees or any other tall plants to grow. • Little precipitation: There’s about 6 - 10 inches of rainfall every year .During the summer, the permafrost thaws just enough to let plants grow and reproduce, but because the ground below this is frozen, the water cannot sink any lower, and so the water forms the lakes and marshes found during the summer months. Fire in the Tundra: • Burning the Tundra can release incredible amounts of carbon dioxide that are stored in its plants and soil. This could make the greenhouse effect even worse, affecting the climate pattern. It would take a long time to recover in vegetation because the soin is very dry in nutrients. Lichens and moss would grow first, then grasses and other small plants, since there can be no tall trees in the tundra. Coniferous Forest • The coniferous forest biome is characterized by its cone-shaped trees that are adapted to heavy snowfall. Temperature Range • Averages 57.2˚F in the summer • 14.0˚F in the winter Precipitation • 14-30 inches of rainfall per year Taiga vs. Temperate • The northern region of the biome is called the taiga. The taiga ranges from 50 to 70 degrees north. • The more southerly coniferous forests occur in coastal regions with rainfall. The giant redwood forests of western North America. Plant Species • Pine trees are very prevalent in coniferous forests. The waxy needleshaped leaves preserve water, while the conical shape of the tree is sloped so that snow slides off of the branches. • Giant sequoias are prevalent in temperate forests in California. They are the largest trees in the world. Animal Species • Lynx are wildcats adapted to the cold climate of northern coniferous forests. Their large feet serve as snowshoes and allow them to walk on snow easily and their thick coats allow them to survive in cold weather. They specialize in hunting snowshoe hares, and the correlation between the snowshoe hare population and the lynx population is a textbook example of the sinusoidal patterns of population density. Animal Species Cont’d • The crossbill is a quintessential example of a species adapting to its environment. The bird’s crossed bill allows it to pry open pinecones, giving the crossbill access to a source of food that other birds cannot eat. This evolutionary advantage give the crossbills a special niche in the coniferous forest biome. Abiotic Factors • Snowfall plays a large factor in many of the northern pine forests, where many of the trees are shaped so that snow slides off of them and many animals have large feet so that they can walk on the snow. Additionally, the soil in many of these forests is acidic, impeding the growth of shrubs and other small plants, limiting the undergrowth in these forests. Effect of Ecological Disturbances • Fire is a necessary disturbance in many coniferous forest biomes. Without fire to clear away plants growing in the shade of sequoias, the sequoia cones have no access to sunlight and therefore cannot grow. Fire is therefore necessary for the growth of many tree species. Temperate Broadleaf Biome General Information • The temperature range is from 30 to -30 degrees Celsius (86 to -22 farenheit) • The annual precipitation is 75 to 150 cm a year (29.5 to 59 in) • Temperate Broad-Leaf biomes are found at mid-latitude, between the north pole and the tropics, generally from 23 to 38 degrees north. Description • We live in a temperate broadleaf biome. This biome houses many species of plants and animals, including maple and oak trees, white-tailed deer, squirrels and chipmunks. • There are four distinct seasons. These are autumn, when leaves change color, winter, when they fall off, spring, when they begin to grow back, and summer.b Plant Species • American Beech: The American Beech has shallow roots and produces seeds in the form of nuts. It grows well in this biome because its shallow roots mean that water and nutrients have to be available near the surface of the soil. The rich soil in this biome is perfect for it, and the animals like chipmunks and squirrels that eat nuts bury and forget the beech’s seeds, allowing it to grow. • The Shagbark Hickory: This tree has deep roots and does best in the well-drained soil found in the temperate broadleaf biome. It also produces seeds in the form of nuts, also relying on squirrels and chipmunks to spread them throughout the area. Animal Species • The White Tailed Deer: The White Tailed Deer is a species of deer living in the majority of the North America, and they are abundant. They are grey in the winter, but become red in the spring and summer, coloring that is good camouflage in the temperate broadleaf biome. They also eat twigs and the buds of some trees, as well as green plants and acorns in the summer. These foods are abundant in this biome. Their predators are humans, coyotes and wolves, and they are herbivores. They live mostly in the temperate zones, where their climate and food needs are best suited. Animal Species Con’t • Coyote: The coyote can be 15 to 44 lbs, and it is grayish tan. Coyotes are omnivores, eating small mammals like rabbits, mice, etc. If attacking a big animal, the coyotes form a group. Their coloring gives them good camouflage in the temperate broadleaf biome, and the foods they eat are abundant there. They do live in some other biomes, but their needs are best suited by the temperate grassland and broadleaf biomes. Abiotic Factors • The soil is very fertile, allowing for a lot of vegetation. • The climate, warm summers and cold, snowy winters, dictate four distinct seasons in which trees’ leaves change color, fall off and grow back cyclically. Ecological Disturbances • If there was a fire in the temperate broadleaf zone, the first to grow back would be the birch trees and the smaller shrub, which both need a lot of sun (like the White Pine). After them, other trees would begin to grow as their seeds would be brought in by the wind. Next would be insects. When food was available, the smaller animals, like rabbits, birds and squirrels, would return, followed by their predators, like coyotes and wolves. Eventually smaller trees would grow under the birch, and when they fell, these trees would shoot up. Bibliography • http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Bi ome/biotemperate.php • http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/f orests.php#temperate • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_ani mal_page.htm • http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/deciduous_ani mal_page.htm • http://www1.broward.edu/~arodrigu/Environment al/Berg_Visualizing/biomes_summary.pdf