Taiga

Question 1

Taiga is

Answer 1

World largest Land biome

• covers 390 million square km
• makes up 30% of worlds remaining forest

Question 2

Taiga latitude

Answer 2

50° and 70° latitude

Northern hemisphere

Question 3

Countries in taiga

Answer 3

Russia and Canada

Question 4

Taiga vegetation

Answer 4

Coniferous ( evergreen ) trees

Adapted to cold environment

Question 5

Taiga summers (3 months)

Answer 5

Rise to 20°C

Question 6

Taiga low precipitation

Answer 6

-below 20mm for 5 months

Question 7

Taiga biodiversity

Answer 7

Low

Question 8

Why is taiga biodiversity low

Answer 8

• plants and animals only survive I’d specially adapted

- growing season (4.5 months long)

Question 9

Mammals adapt to winter

Answer 9

-thick oily fur 
(Retain heat, water proof)
-hibernate
(Food is low)
-birds migrate

Question 10

Taiga forest floor

Answer 10

One layer of vegetation

Question 11

Coniferous trees

Answer 11

• cone shape (shed snow)
• talk and narrow (form dense canopy)
• branches are flexible (shed snow not break)
• waxy coating on leaves (prevent damage by frost)
• shallow and wide tree roots (supports)

Question 12

Taiga nutrient cycle

Answer 12

• precipitation = lower
• chemical weathering = limited
• larger litter
• small biomass

Question 13

Deforestation is less of a problem in taiga because

Answer 13

• vast biome
• most of taiga is isolated
• few cute and cuddly species

Question 14

Tar sand

Answer 14

Mixture of fossil fuel oil and sediment

Question 15

Tar san case study

Answer 15

Athabasca tar sands, Canada

Question 16

Impact of tar sands on taiga

Answer 16

• lie under 150,000km2 of taiga
• 500km2 has been mined so far
• methods of extraction destroy forest
• toxic waste produced

Question 17

HEP exploitation

Answer 17

James bay HEP project, Canada

Question 18

HEP impact on Taiga

Answer 18

• worlds largest HEP plants.
• costs over $200 billion
• 11000 of taiga forest = flooded
• polluted rivers

Question 19

Fire in 2011

Answer 19

Burned 700000 hectares of taiga

Question 20

How can forest fires be a problem in cold and wet taiga?

Answer 20

• summers are hot and dry
• thick carpet of pine needle litter
• summer stormed create lightning strikes
• coniferous trees burn easily

Question 21

Fires allow forest to regenerate

Answer 21

• trees sprout from burned stumps

- release of trees

Question 22

Too many wildfires

Answer 22

• forest will not regenerate properly

- fire tolerant species dominate

Question 23

Pests and disease consequences

Answer 23

• reduce commercial value of the forest
• dramatically alter ecosystem
• change landscape from dense to more open

Question 24

Spruce bark beetle

Answer 24

Kills spruce trees

Question 25

Mountain pine beetle

Answer 25

Introduce fungus to the tree

Question 26

White pine blister rust

Answer 26

Fungal disease that attack’s white pine trees

Question 27

Invasive species

Answer 27

Plant/ animal/ disease introduced from one area to another causing damage to ecosystem

Question 28

Acid rains forms when

Answer 28

- fossil fuels are burnt - Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide into the air - react with water in clouds to form acids - precipitation carries acids to surface

Question 29

Acid rain affects

Answer 29

- lakes and wetlands - weakens trees - damage needles - weaker roots - weak trees

Question 30

Pressures to develop in taiga

Answer 30

- oil, gas, HEP and mineral extraction | - timber for paper making and construction

Question 31

In wilderness areas

Answer 31

- motorised transport not allowed - recreation is allowed (no trace left) - logging, mining, road building = banned

Question 32

National parks

Answer 32

(USA, Canada, Russia) - exceed 1000 hectares - legal protection - park rangers to protect - open for recreation and leisure

Question 33

Wood buffalo national park

Answer 33

(Canada) | -world second largest national park

Question 34

Wood buffalo=

Answer 34

North of athabasca tar sands mining area

Question 35

Wood buffalo threatened =

Answer 35

- pollution of river (tar sands) | - HEP dams

Question 36

Clear cutting is

Answer 36

Logging of all trees in a wide area of forest

Question 37

Clear cutting...

Answer 37

- makes soil erosion likely - destroys mosses, lichen and other plants - land slides and river bank erosion

Question 38

Selective logging

Answer 38

-only removes large valuable trees

Question 39

Law everymans right

Answer 39

Anyone in Finland can use the forest and people respect and conserve them

Question 40

SFM Finland

Answer 40

- forest area growing - logged areas replanted - 8% protected areas - 95% are sustainably managed

Question 41

In favour to conserve biodiversity

Answer 41

- environmentalists - indigenous groups - scientists

Question 42

Reasons to conserve biodiversity

Answer 42

- taiga is last untouched biome - forest are vital carbon sinks - culturally important for indigenous people

Question 43

In favour to exploit biodiversity

Answer 43

- businesses - local government - residents

Question 44

Reasons to exploit

Answer 44

- brings jobs and incomes to isolated areas | - boost gdp if resources are exported