TUNDRA

By: Carley H, Hannah B, Hannah S, Henry W

GEOGRAPHER Carley H.

•Tundra is located near or in cold places like Antarctica, and very far north Canada for example

•It is very far north and south of the equator

•It is mainly in Canada, Northern Europe and Northern Asia but some of it is scattered around the midsection of Asia

THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE TUNDRA!

•Mountains- If they crumble they will turn into rocks.•Little To No Trees- Very few trees can survive in the cold climate of the Tundra.•Rocks- They are formed from mountains crumbling.•Streams- When it snows or hails the water/ice will melt and turn into water to form streams.•Rivers- Sometimes when the precipitation melts it will form larger portion and turn into rivers.•Dirt- Is what the ground is mainly made up of.

WHAT HUMANS DO TO EFFECT THE TUNDRA

•Humans move vehicles across the tundra in the little to no vegetation areas•It starts the process again of having to reproduce vegetation•Mostly invasive plants live in these tundra’s this is so that they can survive in even more harsh weathers•There is not much construction, this is because of the cold climate. It can get to the negative 90’s Fahrenheit

ZOOLOGIST Hannah S.

HERBIVORES

LEMMINGSIn the rodent family, it is the only rodent that turns white in the winter. They weigh approximately 30 to 110 grams. They are born under the snow and survive by their mother’s milk.

 

Adaptation:

In the summer they live in high dry areas in the Tundra under rocks. They do this for protection. In the winter they live in lower meadows where the snow isolates their burrows. They do not hibernate during the winter; rather they stay active finding food by burrowing through the snow.

CARIBOUMember of the deer family, that looks like a large mule deer or small elk with soft hollow hair, long legs, large hooves and large antlers. They are different from other animals in the deer family since they are not shy, they can sleep in water. They also are herd animals so they are always on the move. When winter approaches they form herds of thousands of caribou. They move across the tundra through the mountain passes to in-land forest to keep them warm. Adaptation:The most important and biggest adaptation that the caribou has had to make is their annual migration. They move from the summer range along the north coast to the boreal forests of the Richardson and Ogilvie mountain ranges (in Canada).  

MUSK OXThe Musk Ox is about 3-5 feet tall and weighs in the range from 500 pounds to 900 pounds. They are most commonly indentified because of their two horns. The hooves keep these animals warm in the tundra weather, which can reach -93ºF. Another thing that the Musk Ox needs to survive is their fur. They have two layers to their fur, the outer fur and the under fur. The outer fur is coarse and still while the inner layer is soft and able to keep the Musk Ox warm. The fur is 3-4 inches thick. Adaptation:The Musk Ox has to survive the winter so they grow thick undercoats of soft brown fleece to keep them warm. In May, they shed a large amount of their fur to keep them cool.  

OMNIVORES

ARTIC FOXThe Artic fox is a solitary animal that usually lives to about 15 years old. It is about 10-16 inches long and weighs about 6-12 pounds; it is about the size of an average house cat. The mating season is from May-February and the gestation period (where the Mom has the pups in her stomach) is 52 days. They can have a range of 6-19 pups at a time. The Artic Fox is a predator to Lemmings and Voles. The fox is pray to Wolves, Polar Bears and Golden Eagles. Adaptations:A major adaptation for the Artic Fox is that their fur changes color. In the summer their fur is a light brown, but in the winter they develop a layer of isolating fat and thick white fur.

ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRRELThe Arctic Ground Squirrel has stubby legs and strong claws that allows them to burrow easily. Their back has gray spots which allows them to camouflage better. Since the Arctic Ground Squirrel is an omnivore, they eat low-growing plants and freshly killed animals.

Adaptation:

The major adaptation for the Arctic Ground Squirrel is that they hibernate 7-8 months a year.

POLAR BEARSPolar Bears are best known for their swimming. They have paddle-like front paws that help them propel through the water. To keep warm in the harsh cold weather of the Tundra, they have to have a thick layer of insolating fur and a thick layer of fat. The Polar Bears are omnivores, but they mostly eat seal and occasionally will eat berries and other plants.

 

Adaptation:

The most helpful adaptation for the Polar Bear is the pads and fur on the bear’s feet. These help keep the bear warm, it also provides traction on the ice to help the bear from slipping.

CARNIVORES

ERMINEThe Ermine is a small animal that weighs about 3-15 ounces and is 7-13 inches long. They have large teeth so they are able to catch pray that are bigger than themselves.

 

Adaptation:

In the summer an Ermine is chocolate brown with a white belly and a black tip on the back of the tail. In the winter they turn all white other than their black tip on the end of their tail. That is their biggest adaptation.

TUNDRA WOLFThe Tundra Wolf is about 7 feet long from head to tail and they weigh from about 100-125 pounds. Their diet consists of large mammals like Musk Ox. Most wolves have gray, black, rust and silver gray mixture of fur. The average lifetime for the Tundra Wolves are about 16 years old. Unfortunately, most are illegally killed earlier for their fur. Adaptation: The biggest and most important adaptation for the Tundra Wolf is that they live in packs. It is very hard for the wolves to live alone in the harsh environments of the Tundra, so they create packs to stay warm, protect themselves and to kill their pray.  

WOLVERINESWolverines power is much underestimated; they are very strong animals that are known to walk 40 miles a day. Their most common food is attacking herds of caribou and the carcasses of bears that the wolves leave behind. Adaptation:The most important adaptation for the Wolverine is their broad paws that allow them to walk on top of snow. In the regions where they live, the snow is very thick so they have to stay on top of the snow to walk.  

FOOD CHAINS

DECOMPOSERS

FUNGI AND BACTERIA

Fungi and Bacteria keep the Tundra clean from dead animals, plants and their waste. They break up organic waste and put the waste back in the soil.

 

ABIOTIC AND BIOTIC FACTORS

ABIOTIC FACTORS

1. Strong winds

2. Little precipitation (rainfall)

3. Short summer days

4. Very long and cold winters

5. Poor soil

6. Permafrost which is a layer of permanently frozen subsoil

BIOTIC FACTORS1. Plants have to adapt to the cold winters,

because there is not much sun in the winter.

2. Wildlife, like arctic tundra animals which include snowy owls, reindeer, polar bears, white foxes, musk ox, lemmings, arctic hares, wolverines, caribou, migrating birds, mosquitoes, ermines, wolves and black flies etc..

BOTANIST Hannah B.

ARCTIC MOSS

ARCTIC WILLOW

BEARBERRY

CARIBOU MOSS

DIAMOND LEAF WILLOW

LABRADOR TEA

PASQUE FLOWER

SUFTED SAXIFRAGE

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

In tundra it is very cold so the arctic moss, arctic willow, Bearberry, caribou moss, Diamond-leaf willow, Labrador tea, Pasque flower, sufted saxifrage are tough enough for the cold weather. But the soil and climate is a very big part in the plants because they have adapted to the climate and type of soil. So if they do not have the right climate and soil the plants.

SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS

There are lots of adaption’s that tundra plants plant’s go through. Like changes in weather high winds, snow storms and even when the plants grow they have special adaption’s. also the plants have to get all the supplies they need to grow like clean water, soil, and sunlight to be able to adapt so these plants can live!

METEOROLOGIST Brought to you by your one and only Henry W!

PRECIPITATION

PRECIPITATION This is the average rainfall in millimeters (mm)for a tundra biome in Alaska. The highest precipitation they’ve had in

Barrow, Alaska is about 200mm. This graph shows the average amount of precipitation for each month of the year. Most of the

precipitation in a tundra is snow.

TEMPERATURE

TEMPERATUREThe temperature in January can get as cold as -40 degrees F. In all 12 months of the year it is very unlikely to get over 50 degrees F. The coldest temperature ever recorded in a tundra has been -93 Degrees F. Sometimes it is so cold that it is too cold to snow!

AIR PRESSURE

AIR PRESSUREAir pressure effects temperature. Lower air pressure helps create lower temperatures. Higher air pressure helps create higher temperatures.

The Tundra is affected by almost always low air pressures causing the temperature to be lower.

SUNSHINE IN A TUNDRA

SUNSHINE IN A TUNDRA

In the summer, the tundra sun shines 24 hours a day, which is a six to ten week span! In the

winter the sun barely shines at all. It tends to stay colder because of this.

HUMIDITY AND WIND SPEEDS

HUMIDITY AND WIND SPEEDS

Humidity is about 10% in a tundra. The Tundra is very dry because of such low humidity. If the humidity is low then there is not much precipitation. The wind speed in a tundra is about 30-60 miles per hour. That is about triple a normal wind speed elsewhere. A normal wind speed is only 10 miles per hour.

WEATHER IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT & ORGANISMS

WEATHER IMPACT ON ENVIRONMENT & ORGANISMS

The freezing climate of the tundra and the permanently frozen soil limits the types of animals that can survive there. Animals that do live in the tundra have adapted to the environment. They

have large layers of fat and their fur grows longer and thicker during the long winter. Many animals hibernate in the tundra during the winter. Some animals leave the tundra during the

winter to avoid the harsh temperatures and lack of food.

There are some low growing plants and flowers that are able to survive in the tundra. Many of the shrubs grow close together to protect each other from the harsh winds. The shrubs are also

protected by snow and they can grow even with very little sunlight. During the summer this vegetation provides food to animals that do not eat meat. They also provide food to birds and

insects that live in the tundra during the summer months.

THE TUNDRA

THE TUNDRA

LINKShttp://biometundra.blogspot.com/

http://www.glogster.com/curtisb/tundra/g

http://6mmjit9cmiva1t3rq45nba0?old_view=True

https://sites.google.com/site/tundra3rdhour/geographi 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_humans_affect_the_tundra

 http://dictionary.reference.com/

http://biometundra.blogspot.com/

https://sites.google.com/site/tundra3rdhour/geograp 

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_humans_affect_the_tundra

 http://dictionary.reference.com/

Google images

LINKShttp://tundrabiome.webnode.com/facts/physical-features/

http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate_page.htm

http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/tundra4/tundra4c.html

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2121845

http://scioly.org/wiki/index.php/Ecology/Tundra

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_average_humidity_of_the_artic_tundra

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_it_rain_in_the_tundraw

http://images.google.com/imgres?q=tundra+biome+in+january&hl=en&safe=active&biw=1280&bih=632&tbm=isch&tbnid=R2rHPXbcU8ykRM:&imgrefurl=

http://www.glogster.com/bigpoppa45/thearticbiome/g6mjjoge3cvlbi6l2j7ikma0&docid=Ycp3NGWqo7_R6M&imgurl=

http://270c81.medialib.glogster.com/media/fa/fa05317c8c9aafe01d6037d2cae68fd790da902439734394bf5896cf1a61a299/17hannahfrostytundrapic.jpg&w=960&h=720&ei=6ftiUavXAYWerAH4jYC4Ag&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=2&vpy=123&dur=375&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=158&ty=106&page=1&tbnh=136&tbnw=181&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:84

LINKS:•http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/Biology/eco/tundra/tunsmherb.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemming •http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/Biology/eco/tundra/tundraherbivores.htm •http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/caribou/BuildACaribou.html •http://library.thinkquest.org/3500/muskox.html •http://www.aitc.sk.ca/saskschools/arctic/Amuskox.html •http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm •http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm•http://www.ehow.com/info_8037113_omnivores-live-tundra.html•http://www.nps.gov/dena/naturescience/arcticgroundsquirrel.htm•http://adaptations.tripod.com/polarbear.html •http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm •http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_animal_page.htm •http://www.cosmosmith.com/tundra_wolves.asp •http://www.sonic.net/~birdman/arctic/adaptations.htm •http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wolverine-animal-facts.html•http://www.buzzle.com/articles/wolverine-animal-adaptations.html•http://alaska.fws.gov/fire/role/unit1/background.cfm •http://biomesfirst.wikispaces.com/Tundra+Food+Web •http://oildrillingh.tripod.com/id14.html •http://www.tutorvista.com/biology/tundra-food-web

THE TUNDRA

THANKS FOR WATCHINGBy Carley H, Hannah S, Hannah B, And Henry W