Biomes
A biome is a large area characterized by the weather. On this page you will learn about the seven main biomes: Temperate Deciduous Forest, Desert, Coniferous Forest, Tropical Rainforest, Tundra and Taiga.
Desert Biome
This is the desert biome. It is really hot in the desert. The temperature in the summer can reach up to 100 degrees F. There many different kinds of plants and animals found only in the desert. They have adapted to survive in extreme conditions. The average annual rainfall is less than 25 centimeters.
Tundra Biome
The tundra is a really cold biome. The tundra is so cold that trees can't grow. The temperatures in the summer reach 54 degrees F. In the winter it reaches -15 degrees F. The average annual rainfall is 30-50 centimeters. There are two types of tundra, Alpine and Polar. The Polar tundra is found near the poles. Alpine tundras are found on top of mountains near the artic.These tundras have frozen soil called permafrost. The Alpine tundra has plenty of precipitation and sunlight.
Savanna
Savannas are grasslands that have scattered trees and seasonal rain. Savannas
can be found in parts of Africa, India, and South America. The average rainfall
in a savanna is 25 to 75 centimeters. The average temperature in the summer is 86 degrees F and the temperature in the winter is 32 degrees F. The herbivores found in a savanna are elephants, giraffes, zebras, and wildebeests.
Tropical Rainforest
There is more diversity in a tropical rainforest than any where in the Earth. This mean that there are many different kinds of plants and animals than any other land biome. The tropical rainforest has a lot of rain per year having 400 centimeters a year. The average temperature is at a very hot 93 degrees F in the daytime and in the nighttime a normal 68 degrees F. The trees have to compete for sunlight in the rainforest because little light reaches the bottom. The rainforest is very lush beacuse of the vast amount of rain.
Temperate Deciduous Forest
The Temperate Deciduous Forest is mostly on the east side of the U.S., Europe, east side of China, and the south tip of Chile. Forest biomes are usually found in areas with mild climates and plenty of rain. The trees in a deciduous forest are called deciduous trees. In the winter the trees lose their leaves.They do that to save water. The word deciduous comes from a Latin word that means "to fall off". The average rainfall per year is 75 to 125 centimeters. The average temperature during the summer is 82 degrees F and during the winter the temperature is 43 degrees F.
Coniferous Forest
Most of the trees in the coniferous forest are called conifers. The leaves of a conifer have wax coats and they are needle shaped. The coating protects the leaves from damage by cold weather. The wax coating also helps with keeping most of their leaves all year. The average rainfall per year in a coniferous forest is 35 to 75 centimeters. The average temperature in the summer is 57 degrees F and in the winter it is 14 degrees F.
Taiga
The Taiga biome has long cold winters and short cool summers. The average temperature in the summer can be 64 to 74 degrees F and in the winter it can be -14 degrees F. The average rainfall is 33 inches. The location of the taiga is in North America and Eurasia. The animals in the taiga are lynx, bears, wolverines, moose. The plants found there are conifers, elm, and oak trees. There isn't much rain there but there is some during the summer.