Characteristic features of tundra biome

Characteristic features of tundra biome
Characteristic features of tundra biome are:

a) Ground surface is spongy, uneven as a result of freezing and thawing. This is because the plains of tundra are covered with snow, ice and frozen soil most of the year (permafrost).
b) Extreme cold climate with temperature ranging from -30oC to -40oC in winter.
c) Highest summer temperature is only about 10o C , only for a very brief period. During this time upper 10 - 20 cm deep surface region melt forming ponds, marshes and bogs in the depressions on terrain plain
d) Annual precipitation (mostly as snow) is below 25 cm.

Flora
Vegetation in tundra is very sparse. Hence, it is also called 'arctic desert'. It exhibits very low species diversity.

a) Biome is virtually treeless and is comprised of only Lichens (Cladonia - Reindeer moss) and Mosses (Sphagnum - Peat moss) forming the main vegetation.
b) Other plants growing are sedges, heaths, grasses, dwarf birches (Betula) and dwarf willow trees (Salix).
c) Plants are mostly shallow rooted and they often possess xerophytic adaptations.
d) Bilberries, dwarf huckleberries, low flowering herbs also grow in tundra.

Fauna
a) No amphibians and reptiles are found.
b) Insects like biting flies, dipteran flies (black flies), mosquitoes etc are found here.
c) Migratory birds like water fowls are seen in summer. Other birds found here are snow - owl, snow - grouse (ptarmigan) etc.
d) The caribou, musk ox, arctic hare, arctic fox, lemming, polar bear and weasels are the mammalian residents of tundra. Some of them hibernate in winter in caves and others migrate to coniferous forests.

Productivity of tundra is estimated to be 200 k cal/m2/year. Recovery from any disturbance is very slow in tundra as it is a very delicate and fragile biome.
Tundra Food Chain

What is the food chain of the tundra and also the food web?

What is the food chain of the tundra and also the food web?
Producers: Grasses and Caribou Mosses
Carnivores: Polar Bears and Arctic Wolves
Herbivores: Caribou and Lemmings
Omnivores: Arctic Fox and Brown Bears
Decomposer: Bacteria and Fungi
Tundra Food Chain....

THE TUNDRA FOOD WEB

THE TUNDRA FOOD WEB

Tundra Food Chain :

- small predators such as the snowy owl and artic fox. Most small predators feed off the lemmings which are the KEYSTONE ANIMAL to the food web as they are very populoous and widely consumed. Above the small predators, are larger predators such as the polar bear, which are not shown on this chart.

- the primary consumers such as lemmings, musk oxen and insects who feed on the limited plant life avaliable.

- the primary producers, or the plants. These are very limited resources, which are thrown off by the slightest lack of sunlight and water avaliable to them. The permafrost in the ground also throws off the drainage of the water leaving the plants there hard to digest.

This ecosystem is extremely fragile because of the lack of plant life so if tthe primary consumers can't find enough food, the predators can't eat. Therefore, the population continually oscillates and the extinction of just one species has the threshold to destroy this ecosystem.
Tundra food chain..
what-is-food-chain-of-tundra

What is the food chain of the tundra ?

What is the food chain of the tundra ?

The Tundra food chain are as follow :

Producers: Grasses and Caribou Mosses
Carnivores: Polar Bears and Arctic Wolves
Herbivores: Caribou and Lemmings
Omnivores: Arctic Fox and Brown Bears
Decomposer: Bacteria and Fungi

Tundra Food Chain....
tundra-food-web.

Tundra (Artic) Habitat

Tundra (Artic) Habitat

Where is the Tundra Habitat?

The tundra habitat is at the top of the world, near the North Pole.

How much of the earth is Tundra?

About one fifth of the earth's land is Tundra

What is the ground like?

The ground is permanently frozen 10 inches to 3 feet (25 to 100 cm) down so that trees can't grow there

How do plants grow on the solid ground?

The bare and sometimes rocky ground can only support low growing plants like mosses, heaths, and lichen. During the brief summers, the top section of the soil may thaw out allowing plants and microorganisms to grow and reproduce. However, these plants and microorganisms become dormant during the cold winter months.

Is there another type of Tundra other than artic tundra?

Yes, it is called alpine tundra and is found on the tops of tall, cold mountains.

How do animals survive in this habitat?

Animals are adapted to handle cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the very short and cool summers.

What living things are found in the 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, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls
Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout
Tundra Food Chain..
what-is-food-chain-of-tundra.

The Tundra Biome

The Tundra Biome (Rus:Tundra - Arctic hill)

The word 'tundra' means 'North of the timber line'. Tundra biomes lie north of timberline or 60o N latitude between the Arctic ocean and the Coniferous forests. It covers about 8 x 106 sq.km area (8 million km2) extending across North America, Europe and Asia.

There is no tundra biome in the Southern hemisphere.
Characteristic features of tundra biome are:

a) Ground surface is spongy, uneven as a result of freezing and thawing. This is because the plains of tundra are covered with snow, ice and frozen soil most of the year (permafrost).
b) Extreme cold climate with temperature ranging from -30oC to -40oC in winter.
c) Highest summer temperature is only about 10o C , only for a very brief period. During this time upper 10 - 20 cm deep surface region melt forming ponds, marshes and bogs in the depressions on terrain plain
d) Annual precipitation (mostly as snow) is below 25 cm.

Flora
Vegetation in tundra is very sparse. Hence, it is also called 'arctic desert'. It exhibits very low species diversity.
a) Biome is virtually treeless and is comprised of only Lichens (Cladonia - Reindeer moss) and Mosses (Sphagnum - Peat moss) forming the main vegetation.
b) Other plants growing are sedges, heaths, grasses, dwarf birches (Betula) and dwarf willow trees (Salix).
c) Plants are mostly shallow rooted and they often possess xerophytic adaptations.
d) Bilberries, dwarf huckleberries, low flowering herbs also grow in tundra.

Fauna
a) No amphibians and reptiles are found.
b) Insects like biting flies, dipteran flies (black flies), mosquitoes etc are found here.
c) Migratory birds like water fowls are seen in summer. Other birds found here are snow - owl, snow - grouse (ptarmigan) etc.
d) The caribou, musk ox, arctic hare, arctic fox, lemming, polar bear and weasels are the mammalian residents of tundra. Some of them hibernate in winter in caves and others migrate to coniferous forests.

Productivity of tundra is estimated to be 200 k cal/m2/year. Recovery from any disturbance is very slow in tundra as it is a very delicate and fragile biome.
Tundra food chain...
tundra-artic-habitat.

TUNDRA FOOD CHAINS

There are two different types of animals in this biome: migratory and permanent . Some of the most common permanent tundra animals found are some bird species as well as mammals such as the Arctic fox, the Arctic hare, and caribou. Most tundra animals are large. The weather conditions of the tundra biome require these species to have a large amount of feathers or fur to provide thick body insulation. In addition, as winter covers the land, their insulated coats turn from summer brown to entirely white. The short growing season enables these animals to feed enough to form the thick layer of fat. It will provide them both energy and a protection against the cold.

In the tundra food chain biomes, the animal population varies in size, sometimes in response to the change in population in other species. For example, the lemming consumes some of the plain vegetation. During the summer when there is food, they breed with astounding speed. One female produces five or six babies in a litter and does so, four or five times in a single season. In a few months, she may have produced thirty young. The babies grow so quickly that the first to be born in the spring can themselves reproduce before the winter returns. If vegetation is insufficient, some of the newborn will die and the population will decrease.

Fluctuations in the number of predators can also greatly affect species existence. The snowy owl is a predator of the lemming. It will emigrate from the tundra if the lemming is scarce, and might travel south, sometimes beyond South-Virginia. Many of these snowy owls die when they attempt to return to the plains.

The migratory species such as the caribou will only remain in the tundra plains during the summer season. The herd moves as much as 50 miles a day (over 80 km) following the same route each year. In places, paths have been worn 18 inches deep (45 cm) where the animals have passed century after century. They have to keep traveling in order to find enough food to sustain them all. Caribous will migrate south to avoid winter but will return to the plains to breed when the winter ends. The Arctic tern, a white seabird, migrates from the Arctic where it breeds, to the Antarctic.
Producer: Algae, Primary Consumer: Plankton, Secondary Consumer: Cod, Ringed Seal, Polar Bear.



Tundra Food Chain....
tundra-food-web.