Terrestrial Biomes: Northern Regions - Online Tutor, Practice Problems & Exam Prep

Northern coniferous forests, or boreal forests, are the largest terrestrial biome, characterized by conifer trees with needle-like leaves that minimize water loss. These forests experience low temperatures and precipitation, resulting in low biomass and limited biodiversity. Tundras, found in Arctic regions and high elevations, also exhibit low productivity and biomass due to extreme cold and permafrost, which restricts vegetation to mosses and grasses. Both biomes highlight adaptations to harsh climates, emphasizing the importance of ecological balance and biodiversity in sustaining life.

Northern Coniferous Forests (Boreal Forests/Taiga)

This video, we're going to talk about northern coniferous forests, which are also sometimes referred to as boreal forests or taiga. And this is actually Earth's largest terrestrial biome, as it spreads across most northern regions across the globe. As its name implies with the term coniferous, these forests are dominated by trees known as conifers. These conifers have several key adaptations, including having needle-like leaves that reduce water loss and having conical tree shapes or cone-shaped trees that prevent snow accumulation and allow for more photosynthesis to occur. Now, these northern coniferous forests are known for having very low biomass, so there's not a lot of life out there, and they also have very low temperatures because of how far north they are.

They also have low precipitation as well. We can see that in this climate graph down below that the temperatures are quite low and the precipitation is low as well. So that concludes this video, and I'll see you in our next one.

Tundras

In this video, we're going to talk about tundras. Now, tundras are either located in the far north of the Earth, which we call Arctic Tundras, as you can see indicated over here on this world map, or tundras can be located at high elevations like mountain tops at all latitudes on earth, which we call alpine tundras. Now all tundras are going to be characterized by having low productivity and low biomass, so not a lot of vegetation and not a lot of life. And this is in part due to the extreme conditions, like extremely cold temperatures and low precipitation throughout the year, as you can see in this climate graph down below. Now the temperatures are so cold that the soil is actually frozen solid and referred to as permafrost, and that permafrost prevents significant tree growth, creating these treeless landscapes and often limits the vegetation to things such as mosses, grasses, and forbs, a type of plant.

So that concludes this video, and I'll see you all in our next one.

Terrestrial Biomes: Northern Regions Example 1

So here we have an example problem that wants us to appropriately match each labeled region on the climograph down below to its corresponding biome that's listed over here on the left. Notice that in this climograph, on the x-axis, we have the annual mean precipitation in units of millimeters, and on the y-axis, we have the annual mean temperature in units of degrees Celsius. We've got these 6 different colored regions labeled a, b, c, d, e, and f that we need to appropriately match with these 6 biomes listed on the left. The first biome listed on the left is desert, and recall from our previous lesson videos that there are hot deserts and cold deserts that vary quite drastically in their average temperatures throughout the year. However, all of these deserts are characterized by having extremely low annual precipitation, lower than any other terrestrial biome that we looked at.

When trying to identify the region that corresponds with the desert, we want to focus on the annual mean precipitation and look for the lowest annual mean precipitation. Notice that this region here in yellow has the lowest annual mean precipitation because it doesn't stretch that much horizontally on the x-axis and it's found on the far left of the x-axis. This region here in yellow is labeled as region a, so that region is going to correspond with the desert, and we can put 'a' here in this blank.

The next region we have here is the tundra. Recall that tundras are characterized by their extremely harsh conditions, which include extremely cold temperatures and relatively low precipitation throughout the year. These tundras are found in the far north, farther north than any of the other terrestrial biomes that we cover. They have the coldest annual temperature throughout the year. We want to focus on the annual mean temperature and find the coldest region, which is this region that you can see here in this dark purplish or bluish color, and it also has relatively low annual precipitation as well. This region labeled as region F is going to correspond with the tundra. So, we can go ahead and put 'F' here for the tundra.

The next biome is the tropical rainforest. Recall from our previous lesson videos that these are found near or along the equator, and therefore, it's going to receive consistently warm temperatures throughout the year. As its name implies with the term 'rain', it's going to receive the highest annual rainfall of any other terrestrial biome. We want to look on the x-axis at the annual mean precipitation. Notice that this green region here has the highest annual precipitation of them all, so this green region labeled as region C will correspond with the tropical rainforest, and we can label it as 'C'.

The next three regions are going to be a little bit more difficult to figure out, but we can do it by recalling important information from our previous lesson videos. The temperate broadleaf or deciduous forests are found at lower latitudes compared to the northern coniferous or boreal forests, sometimes also referred to as taiga, which are found at higher latitudes towards the north. Therefore, these northern coniferous forests are going to have colder annual temperatures compared to these temperate broadleaf or deciduous forests. Notice that the next coldest region we have here is going to be region E, which you can see is extending down to about 0 degrees Celsius on average in some regions. This region is going to correspond with the northern coniferous boreal forest or the taiga. So that's region E. Then, the temperate broadleaf or deciduous forest, you might recall, are going to receive an ample and sufficient amount of rainfall consistently throughout the year that is sufficient for the tree growth that occurs there. And, because it falls at lower latitudes, it's going to be warmer than the northern coniferous forest. Notice that this region here in this bluish or tealish color is going to have warmer temperatures. It still has that ample and sufficient amount of rainfall throughout the year, so this region here, region d, corresponds with the temperate broadleaf or deciduous forest. And then, of course, last but not least, the only region that we have not yet labeled is this region here, region b, and that's going to correspond with the temperate grasslands, also sometimes referred to as prairies or steppes. And so we can put 'b' here, and recall that these temperate grasslands only receive a moderate amount of rainfall throughout the year, therefore, it's going to have less rainfall than these other regions that support forests. This here concludes this example problem, and I'll see you all in our next video.

Which of the following biomes has the lowest number of vertical strata (layers)?

• A. Tundra.
• B. Savanna.
• C. Northern coniferous forest.
• D. Chaparral.

In which of the following biomes would you expect to find scattered trees & shrubs, large grazing mammals, and reptiles?

• A. Tropical rainforest.
• B. Desert.
• C. Tundra.
• D. Savanna.

Which of the following best explains why terrestrial biomes are not consistent on every continent across each latitude?

• A. Biomes have large overlapping areas called ecotones, making their borders hard to define.
• B. Seasonal variation causes biomes to change location.
• C. Differences in elevation, soil type, topography & microclimate all contribute to which biome is present.
• D. All of the above.

Vertical stratification is most pronounced in the ________________ biome, while the northern coniferous forest is the _______________ terrestrial biome on Earth.

• A. Temperate broadleaf forest; largest.
• B. Tropical rainforest; largest.
• C. Temperate broadleaf forest; coldest.
• D. Tropical rainforest; coldest.

Here’s what students ask on this topic:

What are the key characteristics of northern coniferous forests?

Northern coniferous forests, also known as boreal forests or taiga, are Earth's largest terrestrial biome. They are characterized by conifer trees with needle-like leaves that minimize water loss. These forests experience low temperatures, low biomass, and low precipitation, which limits biodiversity. The conical shape of the trees helps prevent snow accumulation and allows for more photosynthesis. The soil in these forests is often acidic and nutrient-poor, further limiting plant growth. Despite these harsh conditions, these forests play a crucial role in carbon storage and global climate regulation.

How do tundras differ from northern coniferous forests?

Tundras and northern coniferous forests differ primarily in their vegetation and climate. Tundras, found in Arctic regions and high elevations, have extremely cold temperatures and permafrost, which prevents significant tree growth. This results in treeless landscapes dominated by mosses, grasses, and forbs. In contrast, northern coniferous forests are characterized by conifer trees with needle-like leaves. Both biomes have low productivity and biomass, but tundras are more extreme in terms of cold and lack of vegetation. Understanding these differences is crucial for studying ecological dynamics and climate impacts.

What adaptations do conifer trees have in northern coniferous forests?

Conifer trees in northern coniferous forests have several key adaptations to survive harsh conditions. Their needle-like leaves reduce water loss, which is crucial in environments with low precipitation. The conical shape of the trees helps prevent snow accumulation, reducing the risk of branch breakage and allowing more sunlight to reach the lower branches for photosynthesis. Additionally, the thick bark of conifers provides protection against cold temperatures and pests. These adaptations enable conifers to thrive in the low-temperature, low-biomass conditions of boreal forests.

What is permafrost and how does it affect tundra ecosystems?

Permafrost is a layer of soil that remains frozen year-round, found in tundra ecosystems. It significantly affects these ecosystems by preventing deep root growth, which restricts the types of vegetation that can survive. As a result, tundras are characterized by treeless landscapes with low-growing plants like mosses, grasses, and forbs. Permafrost also influences water drainage and soil composition, creating unique challenges for plant and animal life. Understanding permafrost is essential for studying the ecological dynamics and climate impacts in tundra regions.

Why is biodiversity low in northern coniferous forests and tundras?

Biodiversity is low in northern coniferous forests and tundras due to extreme environmental conditions. In northern coniferous forests, low temperatures, low precipitation, and nutrient-poor soils limit the variety of plant and animal species that can survive. Similarly, tundras experience extremely cold temperatures and permafrost, which restricts tree growth and limits vegetation to mosses, grasses, and forbs. These harsh conditions create environments where only specially adapted species can thrive, resulting in low biodiversity. Understanding these factors is crucial for studying ecological dynamics and climate impacts in these biomes.