Transcript TUNDRA - UserLand Software

TUNDRA BIOME
By
Jenny Arias
When you hear the word tundra
what is the first thing you think of…?
 A warm place..?
 A forest…?
 Dessert…?
Quick facts about Tundra
♥ Tundra have 9 months of temperatures below
freezing.
♥ Tundra is the coldest of all biomes.
♥ This biome covers about 1/5 of the land in Earth.
♥ Artic tundra is the youngest of all biomes formed
10,000 years ago.
♥ Short season of growth and reproduction.
♥ Low biotic diversity.
♥ Plants in tundra are protected by the snow
during winter.
Conditions
→Tundra is found just
below the ice caps of
the artic.
→Temperature are
extremely cold but,
can get warm during
the summer.
→Tundra winters are
long, dark, and cold.
→Temperature can
easy reach to 0
degrees for 6 to 10
months.
→Some of the most
common plants are
mosses, sedges and
lichens.
→Annual precipitation is
very low.
Climate
Tundra is known to be located near the
artic circle therefore, tundra climate is very
cold and dry. The temperature can easily
range from -40 degrees fahrenheit to -93,
depending on the area. However in the
summer temperature can go up to 45
degree fahrenheit. The warmest summers
happens in Siberia, Alaska and Canada.
Tundra is one of the driest places in earth
with a total of 6 to 10 inches of rain per
year (including melted snow)
Some more weather stuff..
In spite of the low rainfall this biome is
known to have very wet underfoot
because the moisture evaporates slowly.
As a result of low temperatures
precipitation is light. Usually 10 inches a
year however, eastern and western in
North America have almost double the
amount because of the influence of the
ocean.
Location
Tundra is located at the
top of the world, near the
arctic circle.
Tundra is found in the
following places…
Siberia
Russia
Asia
Canada
Alaska
Plants
Tundra is not a suitable place for plants to
grow due to the extremely cold temperatures
that permanently freeze the soil therefore,
most of tundra plants are low shrubs. The
average tree is less than a knee high. Some
of the most common types of plants are…
Types of plants
♣ Artic willow– Found in North American tundra. This is a
treeless plain with uneven ground usually found in dry,
open places.
♣ Bearberry– Also known as Foxberry. Is a low growing
ever green, covered in a thick bark and fine silky hairs.
♣ Caribou moss– This plant is found on the ground and
rocks. It looks like foamy gray, green spongy mass and
grows to be 1 to 4 inches high.
♣ Labrador tea– Labrador tea grows to be 4 to 5 feet. It
has a woody branches with narrow 1 to 2 inches leaves.
This plant is smooth on the upper side with rusty nails
underneath.
♣ Pasque flower-- One of the prettiest flowers that grows
in tundra. This flower has several stems that rises 6-8
inch off the ground. The color can range from dark
lavender to almost white.
Bearberry
Pasque Flower
Animals
Tundra animals are very familiar to those
found in the north pole, with a tick layer of
skin and can easily hide under the snow. This
are examples of some of the animals that are
found in tundra…
**isnt he a cutie?**
Types of animals
◄ Musk oxs-- These animals have very long curvy horns
with sharp tips that have a scent for mating. They feed
off plants, and their main animal predator are wolves.
◄ Wolves– Known for their strong teeth, a fur coat and
good eye sight.
◄ Polar bear– This type of animal have a white coat with
sharp claws to hold their prey. Good smell sense. Most
of their food consists of seals.
◄ Fox– They have coats that change between seasons.
They eat lemmings, berries, eggs and gulls.
◄ Brown bear– Large animal with a fur and long claws.
They eat large amount of berries, fish and plants.
Endangered Species
There are many reason of why animal become endangered
species, but one of the biggest treats facing the animals that live
in tundra is global warming.
For example, polar bears are being highly affected by this global
warming. Scientist have reported effects in the body size and the
amount of the animals have decreased 15 %.
Polar bear is the largest four-footed carnivore on earth. This
animal can live up to 25 years. The entire body is furred, even the
bottom of the paws, which helps prevent them from slipping on
the ice.
Polar bears have this tick skin made specially for the harsh
environment they live. Polar bears are known to be comfortable
in freezing water and land. They can be found on pack ice,
coastal islands, coastlines and out in the artic water.
Endangered Species
Peary Caribou is another animal endangered species.
Peary Caribou are smaller than barren-ground caribou, with
a smaller face, shorter legs and lighter color. In winter they
have a mostly white color, during the summer it turns into
grey, with white legs.
Peary caribou are known to be around harsh, treeless
environment. In summer they hang around in moist areas
such as river valleys, slopes and upland plains. However, in
winter they like to hang around hill tops and raised beach
ridges where the snow layer is thinner which makes it easier
to search for food.
Food web
Natural resources
Tundra has a very cold climate. Most of the resources
that are easily found in other biomes are hard to find
them here. This are the 3 most abundant resources
found in tundra.
Ice-> Ice counts for 90% of the world fresh water.
Coal-> Found in swamps as plants die and are buried
before they can be complety decomposed. This is used
aa direct heat.
Oil-> Oil is found in the mountains lowlands and
plateaus. This was made a million years ago living
things died and as years passed they were cover by mud
and rocks, and the pressure cause the oil to form.
Soil
Cold temperature and thin sol make it
possible for artic tundra species to thrive in
the alphie tundra. However like artic
tundra soil, rain runs of rather than
collecting in the soil, making the ground
very dry.
Threats
Pollution is not something that happen right on
tundra. Tundra pollution problem comes from
airborne pollutants.
The biggest threats comes from oil and gas
development which results in global warming.
As the earth warms each day the permafrost
melts and tundra ecosystem will be ruin, not only
that but also permafrost has dead plant material
that’s is going into the air as carbon dioxide
which will speed up global warming.
**References**
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/tun
dra.html- Oct 27
http://webacc.fsd38.ab.ca/schools/Gibson/milz/geograph
y/tundra_far_north_sw/tundra_far_north1.htm- Oct 28
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife/arctic/caribou.jpg- Oct
28
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_climate_page.ht
m -Oct 29
http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GE
OG235/biomes/tundra/tunill.html#tunmat – Oct
30