Biomes

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The Biomes and Their Connection

Tundra

Temperate Deciduous Forest

Savanna

Poaching, overgrazing, and clearing of the land for crops are the main threats. About 16 percent of tropical grasslands have been converted for agriculture or urban development. Desertification is also a significant threat. Fires are common in this biome, although many plants have adapted to it. However, the introduction of vehicles, humans, and their pollutants to such an environment can be very hazardous to both the plants and animals that live in such areas. That is turn can result in overgrazing which makes it harder for the grasses to be replenished. It can also lead to many animals starving to death instead of the natural balance being part of what keeps the numbers regulated.

Rainforest

Grassland

Desert

Chaparral or Mediterranea

Ecological Threats

Natural Resources

Abotic

Biotic

Location

Boreal or Taiga Forest

Ecological Threats; Climate change is known to be the most growing and damaging threat to nature today. Along with climate change, the top four ecological threats due to industrial activity to the boreal forest include mining, oil and gas, logging, and hydro. Mining was done in the boreal forest in hopes of capturing rich minerals, although many of these mines were constructed with little to no environmental oversight or with the long-term health of the forest in mind. Due to so much mining, today more than 7,000 abandoned mines can be found scattered throughout the forest, with more than 3,000 of them within 1 kilometer of a lake, river, or stream causing leakage into the water streams. The oil sands of Alberta are directly in the boreal forest. More than 66% of the 140,000-km2 region has been leased to companies for extraction. While there are many active wells, there are also many abandonded ones. The western boreal has been hardest hit, with expansive regions in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and Saskatchewan already experiencing heavy drilling with more wells planned for the future. Logging is known as the cutting down of trees which will continue to happen due to the growth of the human population. 46 million acres of forest were harvested in Canada during 1990-2008. Today there are laws and agreements set to manage the amount of harvesting done in the forest. The most common threat due to hydro is the blockage of areas for creatures in the water, decreasage of water flow which leads to increases in the distance of saltwater into river mouths as well as slumping and erosion of river banks downstream. Areas above dams can flood with water and remove large areas of habitat for a wide range of species.

Natural Resources; The boreal forest holds the power of providing the world with many useful elements. Not only does the forest stores carbon, purifiy the air and water, and regulates the climate, it also provides jobs to Canadians. Even more importantly, we have the available of timber and non-timber products, mineral and energy resources, and hydroelectric potential of regional rivers. The boreal forest provides food and renewable raw materials to Canadians. The boreal forest also holds the availability of tourism within it, communities, and of course the natural beauty.

Human Population

Characteristics

The nonliving characteristics that can be found in the boreal forest of course include sunlight, percipitation, and temperature. These three abitoic elements are extreamly relevant in the ecosytem and relationship to make the boreal forest what it is. Without sunlight, the changing temperatures during seasons, and rainfall, the tall trees, green leafs, bodies of water, naturally occuring food, etc would not beable to strive. The biotic elements in the forest wouldnt beable to strive without these essential factors. Sunlight in the boreal forests change based on the time of the year as they are found in the northern regions, some areas may receive up to 20 hours of sunlight per day in the summer, while during the winter daylight is limited to just a few short hours. This means that the growing in the areas of the forest change depending on the sunlight they recieve. The boreal forests receives between 20 and 200 centimeters (8 to 79 inches) of precipitation per year. The forest is found very northern which means that often this percipitation is snowfall.

The boreal forest is known for its wildlife. Many animals call the boreal forest their habitat. Some of the most popular mammals that are located in the region include moose, caribou, black bear, wolf, beaver, muskrat, varying hare, red squirrel, deer mouse, and red-backed vole. The environment also makes place for 425 different birds, some including Canada goose, common loon, great blue heron, numerous hawks, owls and ducks, ruffed and spruce grouse, belted kingfisher, gray jay, robin and other thrushes, black-capped and boreal chickadees, several nuthatches, vireos and grosbeaks, as well as many species of warblers and sparrows. Some biotic characters that add to the ecosystem include insects such as mosquitos, flies, etc, and of course the green plants!

Subtopic

The Boreal forest, also known as Taiga, is located in broad bands from North America to Eurasia. Canada's Boreal forest comprises about one third of the circumpolar boreal forest that rings the Northern Hemisphere. The forest extrends from Yukon to northern BC to western BC. "The boreal forest is Canada’s largest vegetation zone, making up 55 per cent of the country’s land mass"(Historica Canada, Cameron Hills). The forest does also include some areas of wet land and terrain, but it is made up of mainly trees and its diverse range of wildlife.