8.4 - Taiga Forests

Question 1

What are some examples of how taiga forests are interdependent ecosystems?

Answer 1

• Herbivores like reindeer that rely on plants like mosses to survive must migrate to areas where plants are able to grow to find food. Carnivores like wolves must follow them
• Plants gain nutrients from soil and provide nutrients to animals that eat them, which in turn spread seeds through their dung which helps them reproduce

Question 2

What is the structure of taiga forests?

Answer 2

Lots of tall trees growing quite close to each other. Not many plants on the forest floor due to poor soil and little light getting through the dense canopy. Mosses and litchens survive

Question 3

How are conifers adapted for the cold, dry climate of the taiga?

Answer 3

• They are evergreen so they can make the best use of available light
• They have needles rather than flat leaves reducing water loss from winds by reducing surface area
• They are cone shaped so heavy winter snowfall can slide straight off the branches without breaking them. Branches are bendy

Question 4

How are animals adapted for the taiga forest?

Answer 4

• Many larger mammals are migratory, move long distances through forest to find food
• Many animals are well insulated against cold (thick fur)
• Some animals hibernate to conserve energy in winter
• Some animals have white coats in winter so are camouflaged against snow (snowshoe hair)

Question 5

Order biomass, soil and litter in order of most nutrients to least for the taiga?

Answer 5

Litter, biomass, soil

Question 6

What are the nutrient transfers for the taiga like?

Answer 6

Few nutrients are added through precipitation or weathering, and quite a lot that are added are lost by (still low levels of) runoff and leeching

Question 7

What does the cold climate mean for nutrient cycling in the taiga?

Answer 7

• It takes a long time for litter to be broken down and added to soil since conditions are too harsh for many decomposers and so the soil is not very fertile
• It also means plants grow slowly so the rate of nutrient transfer from soil to plants is slow

Question 8

Why do taiga forests have such a low biodiversity? (Many areas contain just 1 type of tree)

Answer 8

1) The land was much colder and covered in ice 15000 years ago so species had little time to adapt
2) The simple structure means there are not many different habitats
3) Taiga forests are much less productive than tropical rainforests and nutrients take longer to be returned to soil and there is a small growing season > not much food
4) Some groups of animals are under represented e.g. reptiles or amphibians