Coniferous Forest Biome
Logan Terrill 3P
Coniferous Forest
Named after the kind of trees in the forest (Conifers). Conifers have needles instead of broad leaves. The Coniferous Forest is in Canada, Europe, Asia, and the United States. The forest covers 15% of Earth, it's the largest terestrial (land) habitat on Earth.
Animals in the Coniferous Forest
The most common animals in the forest are birds, insects, and mammals. There are different animals in the different countries.
Top Predators of the Forest
Brown Bear
Feed on elk and moose calves, most of their diet consists of vegatation though.
Snow Leopard
They eat sheep, gazelle, and hares.
Red-Tailed Hawk
The hawks eat small mammals such as mice, they also eat birds and reptiles.
Weather and Climate
The temperature is moderate. Climate is also the same. The Forest has 300-900 mm per year. In some areas it recieves 2,000 mm per year.
Landforms
Trees are tall and narrow. The forest are normally on the sides of mountains. The forest does not occupy any islands. The Grand Canyon is also in the Coniferous Forest.
Adaptations
Plants and Animals
The trees have developed needle-like leaves instead of broad leaves. They are tall and narrow also so snow will slide off without breaking the branches. All trees in the coniferous forest grow close together the protect themselves from the wind. Also the trees are evergreens (keep their leaves all year around so they don't have to use more energy to reproduce new leaves every year). The animals have adapted themselves to where they will hibernate and have thicker fur. Some animals migrate South to find warmer places.
Predator-Prey Relationships
Examples
- Owl catching a mouse
- A cougar hunting a deer
- Wolf eating small rodents, raccons, and moose
Competition Relationships
Trees compete with each other for resources like nutrients, space, and sunlight. Specific types of animals that eat the same food compete to get that food.
Limiting Factors
Abiotic
- Floods, snowstorms, and other natural disasters
- Soil (types of minerals and humus content)
- Light (intensity and duration)
- Temperature extremes (hot and cold)
Biotic
- Disease or fungi killing a population or plant species
Ecological Concerns and Issues
- Forest fires
- Insects and fungi that attack trees are spreading into new territories where trees do not have defenses against the attackers
- Logging
- Acid rain
Works Cited
- earthobservatory.nasa.gov › Experiments › Biome
- inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/coniferous/c_forest.htm
- rrms-biomes.tripod.com/id3.html
- wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/.../coniferous_forests/