CiCi Miller
Period 1
March 4, 2007
Extra Credit
Biomes
Tropical Rain Forest::
Tropical rain forests are located closest to te equator. They play a big role in the nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen cycles. Here in the tropical rain forest it is always humid and hot. It gets up to 200-450 cm of rain per year. It is known for a wide variety of plants and animals. It has more species of plants than any other biome, the same area of tropical rain forest may contain more than 100 species.
Temperate Forest::
Temperate Forests are found in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. They have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity, and moderate temperatures. The forest floor is covered with lush ferns. Evergreen trees that are 90 m tall dominate the forest. Trees such as western hemlock, pacific silver fir, and red-wood, also can be found in temperate rain forests. The temperate forest maintains a moderate temperate year-round. Rainfall keeps the temperate rain forest cool and moist.
Temperate Deciduous Forests::
These forests once dominated vast regions of the Earth. These areas include parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. Temperate deciduous forests today are located between 30 degrees and 50 degrees north latitude. Summer temperatures usually are somewhere around 35 degrees Celsius. Winter temperatures often fall below freezing, so little water is available for plants. The temperatures differ due to the change of seasons. In the temperate deciduous forest it is moist. They receive 75 to 125 cm of precipitation annually.
Taiga::
The taiga is the northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the Northern Hemisphere just below the Artic Circle. The winters here usually last 6-10 months and have average temperatures that are below freezing and that often fall -20 degrees Celsius. In the taiga, the forest floor is dark and has little vegetation. Plant growth is moist abundant during the summer months...