BIOMES
   Also visit this site:  http://inchinapinch.com

A biome is a major grouping of plants and animals in an area.  
Each biome has its own climate, soil, and plant and animal groups 
that have adapted well to the physical environment of the area.

TUNDRA
  The word tundra comes from the Finnish word (from Finland) for barren or treeless land. 
   The tundra is the simplest biome.

CLIMATE short growing season (6 to 10 weeks)  cold, dark winters (6 to 10 months-temp. below 32° ) low precipitation strong, drying winds  snowfall good for plant and animal life (It insulates the ground below it.) PLANTS lichens  mosses  sedges  dwarfed shrubs ANIMALS arctic hare  arctic fox  musk ox Click here and here  to learn more about tundra.

TAIGA
The taiga is a large belt of coniferous trees across North America and Eurasia. 
Taiga is the Russian name for this forest which covers so much of that country. 
The same word is used in North America, too.

TEMPERATE BROADLEAF DECIDUOUS FOREST
These forests are known for the beautiful change of color of their leaves to reds, oranges, and golds  in the autumn.  This happens because the shorter days of fall cause the plants to lose chlorophyll from their leaves.  The trees do not actively grow during this period. 

CLIMATE 6 month growing season 20 to 60 inches of annual precipitation non-growing season is result of cold winters  with dry periods PLANTS oak tree maple tree beech tree chestnut tree rhododendron azalea poison ivy wild grape ANIMALS deer skunk squirrel chipmunk raccoon opossum black bear coyote timber wolf blue jay woodpecker Click here  and here to learn more about the temperate forests.

RAINFOREST
The tropical rainforest, found close to the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, is earth's most complex biome. It has the most desirable growing conditions: a lot of precipitation and year-round warmth. Because of the thick, tall, vegetation, many plants have to struggle to reach sunlight or adapt to the low amount   of light beneath the canopy. There are both tropical and temperate rainforests.   They both have many different  species of plants and animals.

CLIMATE very lush and wet 400 inches of rain per year in tropics 100 inches per year in temperate rainforest  temperatures are between 70° and 85°F PLANTS Bromeliads, orchids woody vines, Rafflesia coffee, cacao rice, rubber bananas, plantains nutmeg, sugar cane chicle, vanilla rattan black pepper, ginger ANIMALS chimpanzee gorilla bearded pig slow loris cobra capybara exotic birds tapir flying dragon Click here  and here to learn more about the rainforest. You will find great pictures of rainforest animals here.

SAVANNA
         The word "savanna" comes from a Spanish word which means "treeless plain".  
These areas are large regions of grass with only a few trees. Grazing animals and predators live in these grassy plains.  The area has a wet and dry climate.

CLIMATE average  temperatures are at or above 64° F annual precipitation averages between 30 and 50 inches five month dry season--less than 4 inches of rain per month PLANTS perennial grasses,  often 3 to 6 feet ANIMALS antelopes eland impala   gazelles  buffalo wildebeest zebra rhinos giraffes elephants warthogs lions leopards cheetahs    jackals hyenas Click here and here  to learn more about the savanna.

DESERT
Desert areas are not without  life. Instead, they have many wonderfully adapted plants and animals that have developed various ways to deal with the extremes of dryness and temperature.

CLIMATE arid climate (very dry) averages less than 10 inches of precipitation a year rainfall unpredictable temperatures vary (from 100° F on summer afternoons, down by 20-30 degrees or more at night winters are cool to cold "hot deserts" rarely experience frost "cold deserts" may have  below freezing temperatures and snowfall PLANTS cactus shrubs (with spines or thorns) succulents mesquite sagebrush Joshua tree ANIMALS reptiles kangaroos rattlesnakes rats jack rabbits camels cougars hedgehogs scorpions tarantulas Learn more about desert animals and how they have adapted to life on the desert at:    http://www.desertusa.com/animal.html    and at  http://www.desertusa.com/survive.html Learn about desert plants here:  http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/deserts.htm Click here to learn more about the desert biome.

LESSON #1
Copy and paste the map below into "Paint".  Change the page setup to "landscape".  Fill the rest of the background outside the map with black.  You are now going to "spray paint" each biome a different color.  Before you begin, use the rainforest locator map to position the Equator properly.  Draw a straight line across your map and label the Equator. Use these colors below the map to create a key, or legend.  Next to each spray of color type the name of the biome.  Don't forget to put your own name on the map.
BIOME COLORS:
TUNDRA=light blue
TARGA=medium blue
TEMPERATE BROADLEAF DECIDUOUS FOREST=yellow
RAINFOREST=dark green
SAVANNA=light green
DESERT=red

                             LESSON #2
Pick one biome.  Research it on the Internet using an Internet keyword search.  Take notes on interesting facts and animals.  Copy and save interesting pictures into your folder on drive "U".  When your research is complete, prepare an artistic collage of pictures and information about your biome in the "Print Shop" program.

For great animal resources and pictures, click here.