I. Coniferous Forests

A. Climate/defintion

1. Coniferous means cone-bearing do coniferous forests are made of cone-bearing trees

2. Have needle like leaves year long

a. Help to conserve water

b. Help to shed snow

3. Located far from the equator, mostly in the northern hemisphere

4. Summers of 2-5 months with long, cold, dark winters

5. Have rainfall of 40-200 cm/year as rain or snow

B. Organisms 1. Plants

a. Mostly evergreens like pine hemlock fir and spruce

b. Can have aspens and larches

c. Not diverse

d. Very dense canopy

e. Acidic soil from needles

f. Ferns, lichens, and sphagnum are it for other plants

2. Animals

a. Mostly seed eaters that hide or burrow during the winter

1. Snow keeps the ground from freezing

b. Larger herbivores like moose, elk, beaver, and snowshoe hare

c. Predators like grizzly, wolves, and lynx

d. Many are migratory