Задание №10 — Чтение

The taiga biome stretches across the Northern Hemisphere. It takes in large areas of North America and Eurasia, especially Canada and Russia, respectively. It also spans across Alaska and Scandinavia. The taiga biome occupies about 27% of the Earth’s surface. It is located south of the tundra biome, which is characterized by a frozen land and constant snow. Because of its location, the taiga biome is rather cold. It is to the north of the temperate forests and grasslands, which are much warmer.

There are cold winds that blow cold Arctic air into the taiga biome, making it very cold most of the year. Therefore, this climate is called the subarctic climate. The earth rotates around the sun annually. Due to the tilt of the sun, the taiga biome faces away from the sun, resulting in long snowy winters, which are extremely cold. Another effect is that there is less radiation from the sun to heat the land up. For these reasons, the summer is barely three months long, and the winter is double that.

The taiga is home to various species of plants. These plants are used to an extremely cold climate and mainly consist of coniferous trees, evergreens, and spruces. The absence of sunlight in the biome is an important factor, which means plants must have adaptable leaves. The evergreens have green leaves throughout the year, so they have enough food due to the presence of chlorophyll in their leaves. They keep the same leaves for a very long time, enabling them to use minimal solar energy.

There is a limit to the number of animals that can survive in the taiga, due to the cold temperatures. Still, there are many animal species, including mammals, birds, and insect species. Like the taiga plants, animals in the biome must have adaptive features to survive in this climate. During the summer, more animals are in sight than during the winter. This is because most of them either migrate to warmer biomes where they can cope easily, especially for birds, or spend the winter sleeping until the next summer season.

Surprisingly, there are six seasons, as identified by the native people of the boreal forest or taiga. The seasons are spring, break-up, summer, autumn, freeze-up, and winter. The period in October, when the trees lose their leaves and the lakes become frozen, is known as freeze-up. This period occurs after autumn and ends when winter starts. The other period is when the snow melts, and the ground looks bare. This season is called the break-up season and may last quite long – until all the ice in the lakes has melted.

Compared to certain trees that grow in more temperate climates, most of the trees in the boreal forest or taiga are young. Forests are typically less than 100 years old throughout the western boreal zone, and mainly younger than 200 years old in the eastern boreal zone. Due to frequent natural disasters that are the result of an ecological loop that renews the boreal forest, scientists do not believe this amazing forest to be ancient. But they all agree that it is the largest biome on land.

The boreal forest contributes greatly to the earth’s oxygen supply by collecting carbon dioxide produced by people. It helps a lot in the preservation of the ozone layer thanks to its green vegetation. However, human activities such as deforestation are destroying the boreal forest’s structure. When a tree is harmed, it takes a long time to grow back, because the biome has an extremely slow growth rate. That’s why the boreal forest has drawn the attention of the environment protection specialists worldwide.