Taiga Plants | Life in the Taiga
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Life in the taiga is cold. Really cold. And it snows. Over many years, evergreen species have gained adpatations to improve their chances of surviving the taiga. Most evergreens have a cascading cone shape. This way snow can roll of the branches. If the branches held more snow it would increase the chance of them breaking during a heavy storm.

Trees in the temperate deciduous biome drop their leaves in the fall. That way they can survive a heavy snowstorm without risking their branches. Evergreen trees in the taiga keep their leaves, but their cone shape helps prevent damage. Branches droop downward, which helps shed excess snow. The needles help keep the trees warm during the winter.