Starter quiz
- What is another name for the Taiga biome?
- Tundra
- Boreal forest ✓
- Tropical rainforest
- Savanna
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- Which of the following trees are most commonly found in the Taiga biome?
- Deciduous trees
- Coniferous trees ✓
- Broadleaf trees
- Palm trees
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- Which of the following animals is commonly found in the Taiga?
- Kangaroo
- Polar bear
- Moose ✓
- Leopard
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- What is the climate of the Taiga biome?
- Hot and dry
- Mild with lots of rain
- Warm and humid
- Cold with long winters and short summers ✓
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- Which of the following is a significant environmental concern for the Taiga?
- Desertification
- Deforestation and climate change ✓
- Soil erosion from flooding
- Overgrazing by livestock
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- The Taiga is most commonly found in which region of the world?
- Central Africa
- Southeast Asia
- Northern Europe, Canada, and Russia ✓
- South America
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Exit quiz
- What is a direct threat to the taiga biome?
- Climate change
- Logging for timber ✓
- Acid rain
- Global warming
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- Which of the following is an indirect threat to the taiga?
- Illegal hunting
- Deforestation for farmland
- Climate change ✓
- Mining
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- How does oil and gas extraction threaten the taiga?
- It creates more oxygen for trees
- It improves soil fertility
- It increases biodiversity
- It leads to habitat destruction and pollution ✓
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- Why is the taiga vulnerable to forest fires?
- The trees are too wet to burn
- Rising temperatures and dry conditions increase the risk ✓
- The cold temperatures prevent fires
- The soil prevents fires from spreading
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- The taiga is increasingly threatened by commercial development.
- Threats include logging, pulp and paper production, fossil fuel extraction, mining and HEP development.
- An example of threat to the taiga from development is the commercial exploitation of tar sands in Alberta, Canada.
Common misconception
The main threats to the taiga come from the direct damage done to forests by the logging industry.
While the logging industry does directly damage taiga forests, indirect threats from warming taiga climates are also a major threat to the taiga and taiga biodiversity.
Keywords
Biodiversity - a measure of how many different species live in an ecosystem
Threat - a natural or human-made factor that poses a risk to the environment
Climate change - long-term changes in temperature, weather patterns and atmospheric conditions resulting from human activities like burning fossil fuels
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