Tundra

AmberAP Biology

Due: 5-28-2014

Characteristics

• The Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes.• Known for frost molded landscapes,

extremely low temperatures, poor nutrients, little precipitation, and short growing seasons.

• Dead organic material is where the nutrients come from.

• Nitrogen and phosphorus are two main nutrients.

• Two types: Arctic and Alpine

Arctic Tundra• Located in Northern Hemisphere near the North Pole.• Noted for cold, desert-like conditions.• Growing season 50-60 days.• Average Winter temperature: -34 degrees C, average summer

temperature: 3-12 degrees C, enabling life to be sustained.• Rainfall varies throughout the Arctic.• Precipitation ranges from 6-10 inches yearly, including melting snow.• Permafrost exists, a permanently frozen subsoil that is made mostly of

gravel and finer material; soil forms slowly.• When water hits the surface, bogs and ponds form, giving moisture to

the plants.• NO DEEP ROOT SYSTEM in plants, but over 1700 types of plants

including: low shrubs, grasses, 400 varieties of flowers, lichen, etc.• Plants are adapted to sweeping winds and soil disturbances. Plants

group together to resist temperatures and carry out photosynthesis at low intensities and temperatures.

Alpine Tundra

• Located in mountains throughout the world at high altitudes where trees are not able to grow.

• Growing season: 180 days• Nighttime temperature is well below

freezing.• However, soil is very well drained, unlike

the Arctic.• Plants are similar and include: grasses,

shrubs, heaths, etc.

Animals

• Arctic: Herbivores- lemming, voles, caribou; all primary consumers.

• Carnivores: Foxes, wolves, polar bears; all secondary-tertiary consumers.

• Birds- ravens, falcons, loons, terns; all secondary-tertiary consumers.

• Alpine: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk

• Birds: grouse like birds

Example Food Web

Arctic Wolves

Caribou Arctic Foxes

LemmingsPikasHares

MossLichens Grasses Liverworts

Energy Transfer

Energy Transfer

Symbiotic Relationships

• Parasitism: Tapeworms are common in Moose, Caribou, and Wolves.

• Commensalism: Caribou and Foxes. The Caribou removes the snow to get to covered lichens under the soil. The fox follows and hunts animals that have been unearthed.

• Mutualism: Lichen is a relationship between fungi and algae. The fungi are fed sugars by alga and alga uses fungi for protection.

Human Interaction

• The Tundra Biome is so delicate that any small change can put it in danger. Rising temperatures due to global warming are causing glaciers to melt resulting in floods that kill plants and species. Hunting has also put many species in danger. The local wildlife and habitat are now affected by pollution and developments, that will eventually lead to the destruction of the Tundra, if nothing is done.

Works Cited

• "Google Images." Google Images. Google, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

• "Symbiosis." The Tundra. Weebly, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

• "The Tundra Biome." The Tundra Biome. UCMP, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

• "What Is the Human Impact on the Tundra?" Ask.com. Ask, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.