The Natural Environment

Essay by akvilytaJunior High, 9th gradeA, January 2009

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An ecosystem is a community of plants and animals whose lives are closely linked to each other and to the climate and soil of the area in which they grow and live. Ecosystems may be changed by human activity.

PlaceLatitudeJanuaryTemperature(°C)JulyTemperature(°C)Annual rainfall(mm)Vegetation typeA73°N-7°C5°C400mmTundraB63°N0°C12°C700mmConiferous forestsC51°N6°C18°C1100.mmDeciduous forestD42°N11°C22°C800mmMediterraneanE21°N21°C30°C240mmHot desertF11°N22°C27°C800mmGrasslandG2°N24°C29°C2100mmTropical rainforestThere are eight biomes in the world, and each one is different than the other. Rainforests are unique areas where strange animals survive in the warm, wet climate. Colder areas that receive enough rain will see temperate forests form. If there isn't enough rainfall, grasslands will fill the region.

Dry, hot regions will become desert, and cold regions of northern North America and Asia are called tundra. Taiga is the named given to land in between the cold tundra and the warmer temperate forest and grassland biomes.

Tundra is one of the coldest biome. Tundra means in Finnish - tunturia, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.

Tundra is separated into two types: arctic tundra and alpine tundra.

Coniferous forests are normally made up of cone-bearing or coniferous trees, such as hemlocks, pines, spruces and firs. The leaves of these trees are mainly small and needle-like or scale-like and most stay green all year around. All are softwoods able to survive cold temperature. They cover areas of North America from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and range across northern Europe, Scandinavia, Russia and across Asia through Siberia and Mongolia to northern China and northern Japan. Coniferous forests are found mainly in the northern hemisphere, although some are found in the southern hemisphere. The northern coniferous forests are called taiga or boreal forests.

Deciduous forests are usually found in the eastern part of North America, and the middle of Europe. Some of...