Question

All of these characterise a Taiga biome except
A) Largest biome
B) Winter precipitation is mostly snow
C) Summers are dry and cold
D) Located south of the tundra
E) Conifers are the predominant tree species

Answer 1

Hint: The Taiga is a biome just above the temperate zone. Though it is cold it does have distinct seasonal variation in weather. There is no Taiga biome in the southern hemisphere as the required latitude doesn’t have any land mass.

Complete answer:
The taiga is the largest biome. It covers inland Canada, Alaska, a large part of north America, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Estonia, and parts of Scotland, a large section of Russia, Iceland, and Kazakhstan. Therefore option A is incorrect.

The precipitation in winter consists mainly of snow, though sleet is also a common occurrence. Option B is not the correct answer.

In the Taiga, the summers are rainy and warm. Because the rate of evaporation is also quite low, the air tends to remain very humid as well. The Taiga summers are not dry and cold, the correct answer to this question is option C.

The biome that is just north of the Taiga is the very cold and inhospitable Tundra. This biome has a layer of permafrost just below the surface which never melts. Option D is not the correct answer.

The Taiga consists mainly of boreal forest in which the non-deciduous conifers are the predominant species of tree. Conifers are especially adapted to growing both at higher altitudes, as well as with colder temperatures and low rainfall. Option E is not correct.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘C’.

Note:The other terrestrial biomes besides the Taiga and the Tundra are savannah, tropical rainforests, temperate rainforests, while aquatic biomes include freshwater, marine, and estuarine biomes.