THE TUNDRABy: Dalton Shields

Ali Georgescu

Mike Pronin

Map of the Tundra

Arctic and Alpine Tundra Temp. and Precip.

• Extremely cold climate• The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but

the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow is 15 – 25 cm. (6 to 10in)

• The tundra is dry, cold and windy

Arctic and Alpine Geological Features

• Soil is formed slowly. A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exists, consisting mostly of gravel and finer material. The soil lacks nutrients.

• Bogs and Ponds• Mountainous areas• Rocky plains• Low Shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts and grasses are some plants found

in the Tundra• Permafrost effects the soil. It freezes the soil permanently and many meters down.

This is why the tundra has no long root system and only short.

Animals in the Arctic Tundra

• Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels

• Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears

• Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls

• Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, black flies and arctic bumble bees

Animals in the Alpine Tundra

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

• Birds: grouse like birds

• Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies

Plants in the Arctic Tundra

• There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the Arctic.

• low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses

• 400 varieties of flowers

• crustose and foliose lichen

Plants in the Alpine Tundra

• tussock grasses, dwarf trees, small-leafed shrubs, and heaths

Human Impact

• Pollution from mining and drilling for oil has polluted the air.

• Overhunting Tundra animals such as Musk Oxen and Caribou.

• Global Warming is making the Tundra heat up and the glaciers will melt, causing the plants that live there to die.

• Overdevelopment of building roads and structures in the Tundra will cause people to kill the plants that are needed to keep the soil healthy.

Animal Adaptations

• Rock Ptarmigan- It camouflages by changing its feathers and blends in with its surroundings. It is a helpful adaptation because it helps it hide from predators.

• Arctic Fox- It got well-furred feet. This is a very helpful adaptation because it keeps it warm from the snow it has to walk on.

• Musk Ox- It has obtained a dense undercoat. This is helpful to the Musk Ox because the cold nor the water can penetrate this coat.

Commercial Value

• There is an abundance of oil

• Uranium

• There is mining for coal

• Natural gases

• Iron ore

• Lead

• Zinc

Questions

• Name one animal adaptation of an animal in the Tundra and how it helps that animal.

• Name a mammal that lives in the Alpine Tundra.• What is permafrost?• What is the negative effect of drilling or drilling

for oil on the environment of the Tundra?• What is the effect of global warming on the

Tundra?• How many different varieties of flowers are there

in the Arctic Tundra?

Pictures!

http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.eco.arctic/

Video!

Sources

• http://mbgnet.mobot.org/

• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

• http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.eco.arctic/

• DALTON: 1,2,3

• ALLISON: 4,5,7

• MIKE: 6,8,9