Boreal forests: characteristics, flora and fauna

Boreal forests are those forests that are forming a homogeneous green belt in the circumpolar region. Geographically, they cover territories of Russia, Canada and Alaska, as well as the countries that make up Scandinavian: Sweden, Norway and Finland; reaching an estimated area of ​​the 920 million hectares.

They are also known by the name of the terrestrial bioma that characterizes them, The taigaas well as being The most northern forests on the planetsince most boreal forests extend between 50º and 60º north latitude. We talk about forests that we can only find in the northern hemisphere of the earth, since in the southern hemisphere it is possible to find continental masses to these specific latitudes.

Let’s keep knowing more closely in the next sections the incredible Bioma of boreal forests And let’s learn what are its main characteristics, as well as the flora and fauna that their forests house. In addition, in this other ecology article, we show you what TAIGA is: definition and characteristics.

The planet region occupied by boreal forests is usually divided into three regions: Maritime, Continental and Norcontinental, the second being the one with the largest territorial extension. Let’s see with more details what weather characteristics we can find in each of these 3 regions of boreal forests:

• Maritime Subzone: Temperatures throughout the year are soft, with generally tempered winters (reaching -3 ºC in the coldest month) and fresh summers (10-15 ºC).
• Continental Subzone: The winters are longer and colder (-20 ºC to -40 ºC), with abundant snow that covers the forests for 5 or 7 months and dry winds that hit the trees. In summers instead there are average temperatures that vary between 10 and 20 ° C.
• Norcontinental Subzone: Includes the territories of Eastern Siberia and the Eastern end. In this area the winters are very prolonged and extremely cold and dry (temperatures of up to -60 ºC can be reached). As for the summers, they are of short duration and relatively warm, although it can freeze at night.

In boreal forest ecosystems they predominate Perennial sheet plant species such as conifers, firs, pines and yours, which are also characterized by having needle -shaped acicular leaves and cones or pineapple fruits and seeds. However, there are also numerous deciduous tree trees with which they live, such as birch, poplars and chopos.

According to the region of Taiga Bioma in which they live, the main species of Boreal forests plants are:

• In North America: Red pine from America (Resinous Pinus), false Canada fir (Canadensis tsuga), yours western (Westernalis thuja), balsamic fir (ABIES BALSAMEA), American aliso (ALNUS INCANA), Alaska birch (Betula Neolaskana), American black chopo (Populus tremuloids).
• In Eurasia: PINO ALBAR (Pinus sylvestris), Siberia Alerce (Larix Sibirica), Siberian fir (Abies Sibirica), Asian white birch (Betula Plaatyphylla), Álamo Mongol (Populus soft), Chopo Siebold (Populus Sibda).

All Taiga animals have certain anatomical and behavioral adaptations that allow them to survive more successfully in these boreal forests in which they live. For example, hot blood vertebrates (endothermal animals) are able to keep heat due to their large size and the presence of short appendages (both ears and snouts, legs and queues). This allows them to better adapt to the low temperatures that surround them and maintain a low surface-volume ratio. In addition, birds and mammals have a developed insulation layer consisting of feathers or skin (fat), respectively; which is usually even thicker in winter than in summer. Despite these adaptations to the weather, on numerous occasions, animals opt for other strategies to directly avoid the winter station, through Migrations (birds) e Hibernations (some mammals). You can inform yourself better of these behaviors in these other articles on what are the animals that migrate and why and what animals hibernate and why.

Let’s see, then what are the most characteristic animals of the boreal forest:

• Birds: Piquituerto (genre Loxia, whose peak allows you to easily remove the seeds from coniferous cones), boreal backpack (Aegolius funereus), milano boreal (Mississippiensis icinia), Pescadora eagle (Pandion Haliaetus), Sibiline coal (Poecile Montanus) and Real Pinzon (Fringilla Montifringilla).
• Mammals: caribu (Rangifer tarandus), brown bear (Ursus arctos), Lemings (genus Lemmus and Myopus), boreal lynx (Lynx Lynx), moose (Alce Alcesthe greatest deer) and glottons (Gulo Gulogreater of the weapses).
• Insects: Some feed on conifers, such as the caterpillars of the species Mesopolobus Spermotrophusgorgjos or itching (Hylobius inhabites), as well as other coleopters of the dendroctonus genre.

If you want to read more articles similar to Boreal forests: characteristics, flora and faunawe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.