TAIGA ECOSYSTEM

1. Taiga ecosystems are famous for their very cold weather. The winter season lasts a long time, and the weather is icy cold. There are usually severe storms which cause biting cold winds. Summers never get very warm, and the summer season is exceptionally short. The winter is very long but still there isn’t much precipitation in a taiga ecosystem. When moisture falls, snow usually comes in the form of a dry, powder. A special kind of organism is necessary for living in the extreme conditions of a taiga ecosystem. Some common animals you could find in the area are moose, wolves and deer. Each of these animals can adapt to the severe conditions.

2. Short, stubby grass and shrubs grow in taiga regions, but they are better known for their beautiful evergreen trees. All the trees you think of when you imagine kinds of Christmas trees are at home in the taiga. Pines, firs, and spruce trees are common. The thin, waxy leaves (sometimes called needles) of evergreen trees are in season all year long. They also do not freeze easily, even when the temperatures fall under -30°C. Like all green plants, the trees of the taiga region are an important source of oxygen for our planet. When they go through the process of photosynthesis to make their food, green plants “breathe” out oxygen into the air. Because taiga ecosystems have so many trees, they help produce oxygen for areas with less vegetation, like the desert.

3. Taiga ecosystems cover large areas of North America, Europe, and Asia. The state of Alaska is a good example of a taiga ecosystem in the United States. People living and working in taiga regions often ruin the natural balance because activities such as hunting, trapping and fishing affect the animal populations in a negative way. This sometimes decreases animals` numbers so much that they become endangered. Mining for oil and gas and cutting trees does irreparable damage destroying animal habitats and destroying the Earth’s most important oxygen sources. Even tourism can be damaging, as many tourists do not respect wildlife and plants, using these forests to build developed fun areas. Of course, people have the right to use natural resources, but they must do it in a way that makes resources renewable and does not harm the environment.