Biomes

BIOMES

North America Elevation Map	US Elevation Map
World Biomes Map	Biomes Data Collection Chart
Biomes Lesson Ideas
Deciduous Temperate Forest Grasslands Desert Mediterranean Woodland Boreal / Taiga Forest

TENNESSEE - DECIDUOUS TEMPERATE FOREST
Vegetation	Animals	Climate
Dense growth of broadleaf trees Complete canopy in the summer Forest floor mainly barren underneath with limited small trees and scrubs Other Areas: Europe, Southeast Asia, Australian Coast	Many different kinds Birds Reptiles Insects Mammals	Called Humid Subtropical Lots of rain (40-60 inches) Hot, sultry summers Mild to cold winters Eastern side of continents

KANSAS - GRASSLANDS
Vegetation	Animals	Climate
Vast grasslands unable to support larger plant forms which is a response to a lack of precipitation and the frequency of fires Maybe called the prairie or steppe Trees restricted to edges of streams while scrubs and bushes may be found in rocky areas Sometimes a complete ground cover is missing but you will find tufts of bunch grass or tusscok. Most of these grasses are dormant over the winter and sprout anew in the spring and summer Grass fires are very common which explains the scarcity of scrubs	Grazing Animals such as pronghorn antelopes Large herds of animals but few species Smaller mammals (rodents) spend all or part of their life underground for protection	Steppe Climate Hot summers Cold Winters Somewhat arid with 10 - 25 inches of precipitation each year Sometimes found in the rainshadow Transition area from desert to more humid climates

SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO - DESERT
Vegetation	Animals	Climate
Drought resistant plants with structural modifications that allow them to conserve moisture May be capable of hasty reproduction during the rainy season Sparse plants cover with considerable bare ground dotted by individual plants. Typical plants are scrubs and succulents Sporadic trees	Inconspicuous Limited types of mammals Lots of burrowing animals Move at night and after the rains Usually found around water holes Lots of reptiles	Less than 10 inches of precipitation per year Rainfall is meager and erratic Long hot summers with monthly averages above 90 degrees Average of 60 degrees in the mild winters Large daily fluctuations maybe up to 50 degree different between dawn and noon May be in the rainshow

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - MEDITERRANEAN WOODLAND AND SCRUBS
Vegetation	Animals	Climate
Chaparral - dense growth of woody scrubs May also see completely grass covered areas with scatterings of trees Primarily broadleaf evergreens Oaks are the most significant tree but are stunted and rarely above medium size Leafy vegetation will have small leaves with a waxy coating which inhibits water loss in the dry season Deep roots Wildfires are prevalent Some species of trees have seeds that will only germinate after they are heated which causes the seed covering to open	Seed eating, burrowing rodents Some birds and mammals Some of the same animals that are found in adjacent biomes	Known as a Mediterranean climate Hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters Summer is virtually waterless Winter floods sometimes follow summer fires which makes slopes susceptible to erosion Found on the western side of continents 15 - 25 inches of precipitation yearly Lots of sunshine; may find coastal fog Characterized by year around mildness

NORTHERN MINNESOTA - BOREAL (TAIGA) FOREST
Vegetation	Animals	Climate
May also be called the taiga from the Russian word Simplest assemblage of plants of any biome Mostly conifers (nearly all needleleaf evergreens expect for the tammark and larch which shed leaves in the winter Pines, firs and spruces found in broad homogeneous stands interrupted occasionally by deciduous stands of birch, poplar or aspen Trees are typically tall and dense in this area but thin out and shorten as you move north Ground is usually covered by mosses and lichens with some grasses and a lot of decaying needles Typically glaciated soils and poor drainage which leads to bogs and swamps Spongy soil in the summer; frozen in the winter	There is a limited food supply so there are few species of animals with great numbers of the ones that are there Fur-bearing mammals Migratory birds No insects in the winter; superabundant in the summer	Subarctic Climate 20 -40 inches of precipitation Summer is the time of maximum precipitation with only a little in the summer Frequent winter changes, especially in the winter Variability is the prominent characteristic (cold waves, heat waves, blizzards, thunderstorms; all caused by migratory pressure systems. Short growing season Mid 70s in the summer; 10 - 25 degrees in the winter 1 - 5 months below freezing