What are biotic/abiotic factors? Let's start with the definitions. Biotic refers to living things, and abiotic refers to non-living. Therefore, biotic factors are the living parts that affect the biome, and abiotic factors are the factors that are not alive. See the Glossary for more information.
Abiotic Factors
Location
Temperature Average Precipitation Yearly Climate Soil Sunlight |
A large area of mid-southern Canada/Alaska, and a large band of southeastern Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Finland as well as parts of Northern Mongolia. There are some areas of Boreal Forest on/near various mountain ranges in North America and Europe. See Overview for more information.
The average temperature of the Boreal Forest various across the globe, but the usual average yearly temperature is +5° to -5° celsius. The average annual precipitation in the Boreal Forest is about 30-80cm, although this can vary depending on the location of the forest. The Boreal Forest typically has a short summer, around 1-3 months long with an average of 10°C (day/night). The winters are long and cold, always below freezing and lasting five to seven months. Temperatures vary from as low as -54°C to 0°C. In the more southern parts of the Boreal Forest, where it starts to transition into a warmer climate, the summers would still be short but warmer and with high humidity. The type of soil in the Boreal Forest is Spodosol (which is from Greek spodos, meaning "wood ash"). Spodosol is an ashy-gray, nutrient poor soil that can support little more than trees and grass. It is slightly acidic, with humus below the surface. Spodosol usually has iron and aluminium minerals underneath the surface. Although the Boreal Forest is a colder biome, during the summer the sun can be out for up to 20 hours in the far north. However, since the sun hits the forest at an angle, the sunlight is not nearly as strong as the sunlight of areas closer to the equator. During the winter, there can be as little as 4 hours of sunlight a day. |
Biotic Factors
Typical Plant Life
Typical Animal Life Other Life |
The Boreal Forest usually consists of mostly conifers, specifically Silver and siberian fir, lodgepole and scotch pines, and norway spruce trees with some birch or aspen trees towards the more temperate areas. Various shrubs grow in the Boreal Forest, notably poison ivy, cranberry/huckleberry, and mountain ash shrubs. There are also wild herbs and flowers like garlic, primrose, clovers, dandelions, sunflowers, and mint. Moss covers around a third of the ground, rocks, and tree trunks.
The Boreal Forest has a limited number of animals, due to its relatively cold and harsh climate. A few of the dominant animals include the black bear, hare, lynx, moose, caribou, timber wolf, and various squirrels. However, there are many species of birds, including warblers, hawks, and woodpeckers. Trout, pike, and bass fish live in the various rivers and lakes within the Boreal Forest. Fungi thrive in the Boreal Forest due to the abundance of decomposing tress and plant matter. The main types of fungi are threadlike, club, and sac fungi. There is soil and nostac bacteria, as well as many others. |