Climate and Location
Tundras are one of the harshest and coldest biomes here on earth. The climate of tundras are cold with heavy, constant winds and low rainfall. Tundras are treeless regions that are cold throughout most of the year. During the winter, the sun hardly shines. In the summer, the sun shines almost 24 hours a day and last around 6 to 10 weeks. Temperatures during the summer do not rise above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Tundras are located in Alaska, Northern Canada, Russia, and Northern Siberia.
Vegetation and Adaptation
1,700 plants exist in the tundra such as reindeer mosses, lingonberries, sedges, and liverworts. Plants have adapted to the raging winds and soil intrusions. In order to survive through the cold temperatures, plants
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Reindeer mosses and lingonberries are the producers of the tundra’s food chain (Naik, 2013) . The primary consumers, arctic hare and reindeer, can’t get their energy directly from the sun so they depend on the producers to obtain the energy they need. The arctic fox is the secondary consumer because they prey on arctic hares but also eat berries. The snowy owl, polar bear, and arctic wolf are the tundra’s tertiary consumers. Snowy owls eats the arctic hare and and arctic fox. Arctic wolves eats the arctic hare, arctic fox, and reindeer. Arctic wolves have been known to prey on snowy owls because unlike regular owls they build their nests on the ground. This brings a disadvantage to the snowy owl since it is now more accessible to prey. The last tertiary consumer in this biome is the polar biome. The polar bear consumes the arctic fox, arctic hare, and sometimes the reindeer. Because nothing are predators to the arctic wolf or polar, they die a natural death. When these organisms die they decompose and become nutrients to the producers of this biome. This allows the entire process to be started over again and is important to maintain the ecological balance of the
The tundra is by far the coldest type of biome, as it is known for its low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Occurring primarily near the Arctic within the Northern Hemisphere, the soil may be frozen all year up to a few feet, which allows no tree growth. However, a few animals have adapted to these conditions. These animals include lemmings, hares, oxen, foxes, wolves, and more. Within the tundra biome there are two different types of tundra biomes, arctic tundra and alpine tundra.
The tundra doesn’t receive very much rain, only about 5-15 inches per year. No trees grow in the tundra because of the permafrost found deep in the ground. However, animals who are able to survive the harsh climate are able to live here. These animals include polar bears, snow owls and
The tundra is one of the cooldest land biomes on the planet. Due to the high winds and the permafrost there are no trees becuase it dosent allow the growth of deep roots. All the producers and othe need to get adapted to the cold temperatures, little sun and short growing season to stay alive. The tundra is considered a poor enviroment thats low in resources. The dead minerals get recycled by othe decomposers like the slime molds, fungi, and bacteria. Rain increases photosynthesis and decomposition. Air pollution kills lichen in the cold tundra. The warmer climates allow trees to invade the shade out the small tundra plants. And warmer temperatures can increase decompositon, while releasing more CO2 into the air causing mor global
Plant life tends to be of low growth and, during the short summer, the birds arrive in large numbers to feed on the insects that are born in this period. The climate is cold summers and very cold winters characterize the tundra area in the northern most limit plant growth. Areas
The muskox can survive in the tundra due to its large coat of rough hair on its body. It lives in the tundra to find what it needs to stay sustained such as roots, mosses and lichens.Next the Arctic Hare survives in the tundra because it has shortened ears and limbs, a wad small nose, fat that makes up 20% of its body, and a thick coat of fur. It live in the Tundra because that is its place of origin.Third the Polar Bear survives in the tundra because it has a big fur coat over a thick warm coat of fat. It stays in the arctic or tundra due to those locations have the food source they need to survive.Fourth the Arctic fox survives in the Tundra because the furry soles, short ears and short muzzle which are good for chilly climates. They stay
Tundra biomes are located in the region just south of the Arctic ice caps, the high mountain tops of North America, Europe, Siberia, half of Canada and most of the Alaskan coast. The summer last 6 to 10 weeks on average and does not get warmer than 50 degrees. In winter the temperature ranges from -20 degrees to 20 degrees. The climate is unusually dry and cold with the rain averaging no more than 10 inches yearly that includes the melted snow. The dry and strong makes the tundra an extreme weather biome. However, there are few trees in the tundra and even smaller vegetation that are capable of growing in a tundra. You most commonly can find dwarf shrubs, grasses, mosses and lichens. Some of the animals that thrive in the tundra are the Arctic
Spruces, balsam firs, eastern larches and conifers dominate the forest. Trees such as aspen and birch may be in the mix as well. Needle-like leaves on trees such as the conifer (firs and pines) have minimum surface area for water loss (Berg, 2012). They also retain their needles and shed snow easily during the winter. Pinecones can be found in these forests. These contain seeds that are sometimes foraged by animals of the forest. Mosses and lichens are part of the plant life as well, and can serve as an important part of an animal’s diet in the tiaga
Antarctica is not techanicaly in the arctic circle but is considered tundra because of how harsh the cold tempatures are.
The ANWR or Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a refuge specially designed for wilderness purposes. This refuge is located in the northeast corner of Alaska, and is home to a rich diversity of over 250 species of wildlife. For a better description, this refuge has been named spiritual, recreational, historical, and cultural. However, not all would agree that the arctic refuge is a rather safe place.
The tundra is not only the “youngest biome” but also the harshest due to its freezing temperatures (“Blue Planets Biome”). The tundra has a dry, cold climate with temperatures ranging from a
The Alpine Biome covers up sixteen percent of the earth's surface. It’s one of the coldest biomes all over the world. Almost all animals that live in the Alpine Biome can survive the extreme weathers by insulating their bodies with fat, and extra fur.
It contains an expanse of tundra with many marshes and lagoons with rivers situated between foothills of the Brooks Range and the wide, icy waters of the Beaufort Sea. Environmentalists said that this area “is the most biologically productive part of the Arctic Refuge for wildlife and is the center if wildlife activity.” The importance of these resources is not measurable. The Arctic is home to such animals as caribou, polar bears, grizzly bears, musk oxen, whales, wolves and snow geese. This area is full of wildflowers and contains water of excellent, unpolluted quality and quantity. The Arctic Ocean costal plain is an area critical to the survival of many birds and mammals (‘Alaska Wild’).
The first major biome in the world is tundra biome. One fifth of the earth surface is covered by this type of biome. It is located on top of the world which is near the North pole. This biome can be found in the northernmost countries on the globe such as Russia, Finland, Canada and Greenland. With formation about 10 000 years ago, tundra is called the world’s youngest biome (Kaplan, 1996). Tundra biome is the coldest and harshest of all biomes on earth. The word ‘tundra’ is originated from a Finnish word, tunturia which means treeless plain that exactly describing this biome (Pullen, 2004). This is because the distinctive characteristics of this biome is its landscape which is a vast and treeless land unlike a regular forest in other biomes.
White Arctic foxes and Arctic wolves, are a few of the distinctive animals that can be found in the tundra. Canada’s most famous animal, the polar bear, is also found in the tundra as well. Some animals that you can find in the plains include prairie birds, waterfowl, gophers and rabbits. Lasty, in the boreal forest you can find animals such as the black bear, lynx,
Tundra plants over the years adapted to sweeping winds and disturbances of the soil. Another adaptation is that they are short and cluster together to help endure the cold. Also they can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. Plants aren’t the only things that have had to adapt to the conditions, animals have had to as well.