TUNDRA: THE BOLD

WHAT IS TO FOLLOW:

• The Basics
• Setting the Scene
• Inhabitants & Vegetation
• Points of Interest

THE BASICS

• Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes.
• The tundra biome is the largest of all the biomes. It covers about 20% of the Earth.
• It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation and poor nutrients.
• The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus.
• Tundra is separated into two types: arctic tundra and alpine tundra.

SETTING THE SCENE

• Location
• Climate
• Geography
• Inhabitants & Vegetation

ARTIC

• Located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole
• Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches)
• The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days
• Average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F) and Summer is 3-12° C (37-54° F)
• A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called "permafrost" exists

Untitled Slide

INHABITANTS

• Herbivorous mammals: Caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
• Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
• Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, and loons
• Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, and arctic bumble bees
• Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout

VEGETATION

• 400 varieties of flowers
• Low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses
• Crustose and foliose lichen

Untitled Slide

ALPINE

• Located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude
• The growing season is approximately 180 days.
• The nighttime temperature is usually below freezing.
• Unlike the arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained.

Untitled Slide

INHABITANTS

• Mammals: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, and elk
• Birds: grouselike birds
• Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, and butterflies

VEGETATION

• Tussock grasses
• Dwarf trees
• Small-leafed shrubs
• Heaths

Untitled Slide

Untitled Slide

POINTS OF INTEREST

• The word tundra comes from the Finnish word "tunturia" which means treeless land.
• During the summer, it is daylight 24 hours a day.
• The tundra biome is considered a carbon dioxide sink because it stores more carbon dioxide than it gives off.
• Because of the extreme temperatures, most organisms get their nutrients from dead organic material.

SOURCES

• http://www.softschools.com/facts/biomes/tundra_biome_facts/171/
• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/tundra.html#arctic