10 Top Facts About the Taiga

10 Top Facts About the Taiga

The famous Taiga biomes forest is found across the globe on three separate continents. Many different species available in the forest make their home in the biome. Due to the huge coverage that The Taiga has on the earth surface, it plays a huge role in the Earth’s ecosystem.

Despite its poor soils and low precipitation, the forest is home to a number of species. The biome forest is home to about 85 species of mammals, 130 species of fish, 32, 000 species of insects and finally 300 species of birds.  Species living in the area have adapted to the harsh weather conditions of the forest all year round.

1.The Taiga forms one of the world’s Intact Forest Landscapes (IFLs)

Photo by Yura Lytkin on Unsplash

The Taiga also referred to as the Boreal Forest has been listed by scientists as one of the world’s intact Forests Landscape. Scientists define IFLs as places where forest ecosystems and their habitat plant community forms an unbroken natural landscape.

These areas are relatively undisturbed by human activities. The Taiga Forest has none or very little human development or habitat fragmentation. The forest has a huge and vast coverage in the Northern Hemisphere. Currently, the Taiga forms an estimated 44% of the world’s IFLs, with tropical and subtropical forests forming the rest.

2.The soil beneath the Taiga Forest contains permafrost

Scientists discovered that the soil beneath the Taiga Forest contains permafrost which is a layer of frozen soil. Permafrost refers to a phenomenon where soil underneath remains either completely or partially frozen all year round.

Most part of the Taiga Forests experiences continuous permafrost, although parts of it have discontinuous permafrost. The permafrost has created a shallow bog, the muskeg that resembles solid ground since it is essentially covered with moss, short grass and even trees. 

3.Parts of the Taiga experience both the midnight sun and polar night phenomena

The midnight sun refers to a phenomenon where the Sun never sets during the summer. Similarly, the polar night refers to a phenomenon where the Sun never rises during winter. In both cases, the phenomena only take place near the poles, as a result of the planet’s tilt affecting the way the Sun’s light reaches those regions during summer and winter.

Parts of the Taiga that experience both phenomena are mostly Arkhangelsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai in Russia. This is because they lie north of the Arctic Circle, or 63°30’ N latitude.

4.The Taiga generally receives only low precipitation

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The Boreal Forest which is commonly known as the Taiga Forest is characterized for its long winter seasons and its moderate or low precipitation. The Forest is regarded as one of the driest places on earth. On an average, the forest receives up to 1 meter of precipitation per year, with rain only falling in summer.

This quite low form what all other forest receives per year. Its low precipitation immensely affects the vegetation of the forest. Some of the vegetation found in the forest include spruce, pine, coniferous trees, and fir. Surprisingly the little precipitation gives the Taiga plenty of water to support its biodiversity.

5.It also has bogs and peatlands

These similarly developed from the Taiga’s past as frozen over with ice during the last Ice Age. Climate change immensely affects ecosystem of an area and when the ice in Taiga melted in places without easy drainage, it soaked into the soil, forming wetlands.

This affected the growth of different vegetations in the area. Bogs have been defined to mean water bodies with large amounts of peat on the underwater floor. Subsequently the water in the area becomes acidic and hindered the growth of vegetation. On the other hand, peatlands refer to drier if still moist areas surrounding bogs. This is the kind of vegetation that is found in the area.

6.The Taiga generally has poor soil

The cold temperatures in the Taiga Forest dictate the growth of vegetation in the area. Unlike all other forests the evergreen trees in the forest rarely drop their leaves to the ground. And when it does happen, the cold temperatures of the Forest make the leaves take a much longer time to decompose.

This essentially means that nutrients take a very long time to return to the soil from trees and other plant life. And subsequently if they do not decompose, the evergreen leaves tend to leave acidic byproducts, which remain in the soil and reduce their quality further. Another factor that contributes to the poor soil in the forest is due to the rarity of grazing animals in the area and essentially factors into the biome’s poor soil.

7.Surprisingly Taiga has a rich plant life

Photo by Zura Narimanishvili on Unsplash

Surprisingly the Taiga Forest is known for its rich plant life. Vegetation has managed to grow in the forest despite its poor soils and harsh weather conditions. The dominant vegetation present in the forest is coniferous forests that is characterized by evergreen trees. Some of the common trees available on the forest include the pine, fir, and the larch trees.

Scientists divide most of the Taiga into two parts, the closed canopy forest and the lichen woodland. The southern regions of the Taiga consist of the canopy forest. Other than the tree coverage the Taiga Forest is known for having mosses and lichens in its vegetation. Vegetation in the forest have adopted to the cold climate and the low precipitation in the forest.

8.The Taiga Forest covers approximately 17 million square kilometers

Photo by Yura Lytkin on Unsplash

The Taiga Forest is known for its huge forest coverage. The said forest covers up to 17 million square kilometers and essentially contributes to 11% of the earths land surface. The Taiga Forest being the largest territorial biome forest consists of a huge variety of vegetation on it.

The famous forest traverses across several states including, Sweden, the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway and others. This has made it one of the largest biome forests in the world.

9.The Taiga Forest is home many species of animals

Photo by Roman Purtov on Unsplash

The Taiga Forest being the largest biome forest on the world, it is home to a huge number of species including 85 species of mammals, 130 species of fish, 32, 000 species of insects and finally 300 species of birds.

This is because the forest essentially covers 11% of the earths surface. Some of the animals in the forest include wolves, bears, Arctic foxes and Siberian Tigers. The species in the forest must be able to withstand the cold winters and the low precipitation levels of the area. Some of the fish that survive in the cold waters include, the Alaska blackfish, the northern pike, the white sucker, the longnose sucker and the Arctic lamprey.

10.The Taiga Forest is inhabited by various indigenous people

There are various indigenous people inhabiting the Taiga Forest including the Saami, the Evenki, the Khanty, the Dene, the Cree and the Nenets. Such communities are uniquely distinct since they are believed to be the original inhibitors of the area. Such communities have relied on the forest for the daily survival and existence.

Like all other indigenous people, the communities in the Taiga Forest have faced numerous challenges including assimilation, climate change and even disruption of their cultural practices. The communities living in the forest are known for their efforts to protect and conserve the forest for generations to come.

The Taiga Forest has become quite popular because of the vast flora and fauna available in the forest. Majority of the species in the area have created adaption mechanisms to adapt to the low precipitation levels of the area and its cold weather.