Location
The Tundra is located in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, as well as
a few regions of Antarctica. The Tundra is the second largest vegetation zone in Canada.
It can be divided clearly into three different sections: the High Arctic Tundra, the Low
Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra. The latter Alpine Tundra occurs in higher altitudes
such as mountains whereas the first two are mainly based in plains and lowlands of some
kind. The Low Arctic Tundra is the transmission point to the north. It is located above
Canada's Boreal forests and is followed by the High Arctic Tundra. The High Arctic Tundra
is located farther north and encompasses the Arctic circle as well as most of the western
Northwest Territories. Generally though since climate more or less corresponds to
vegetation zones, the Tundra is located in Arctic climate areas.
Temperature
The Tundra suffers a very harsh climate. Because of this fact most of the area remains
barren save for a few shrubs and lichens. It's winters last from 8-10 months and the
summers are cool and short. Also due to the fact that much of it's territory is located
within the northern pole a lot of the Tundra receives alternating 6 month periods of
light and dark. This is also the reason why the Tundra receives cold weather; at it's
degree of latitude the suns rays end up hitting the region obliquely, thus causing less
solar heat. Here are the temperatures of the Tundra in general:
Average January temperature: -32.1 degrees Celsius
Average July temperature: +4.1 degrees Celsius
Temperature range: 36.2 degrees Celsius
Average annual temperature: -17 degrees Celsius
Lowest temperature recorded: -52.5 degrees Celsius
Highest temperature recorded: +18.3 degrees Celsius
After seeing these temperatures you can see the reason why barely anyone lives up there
and why there is rather little natural vegetation.
Seasons And Moisture Content
The main seasons of the Tundra are summer and winter. The winter will last 8 to 10 months
followed by the short and much less cold summer. During the summer some lower areas of
the Tundra will defrost at which point most of the flora and fauna will start to creep
out of hiding. The few summer months are used by many animals such as the polar bear, to
mate and to prepare for the once again oncoming winter. During the winter months most
everything remains frozen. Many of the animals migrate south for the winter whereas some
stay behind or even group together for ritual group suicide (lemmings).
There is little precipitation all year long in the Tundra. The average yearly total is
136 mm, out of which 83.3 mm is snow. This low amount is due to the fact that there is
very little evaporation. Since the average temperature is below freezing, it give little
or no time for any of the snow and/or ice to melt. This is the reason that the Tundra is
often referred to as a polar desert.
Fertility
The Tundra's fertility is very low. It has An average growing season of about 60 days
(1.5 to 3.5 months) which is not really enough time to allow anything to grow. This is
also compounded with the fact that the soil is mainly thin and rocky. But, the main
problem is that most of the ground in the Tundra region is permafrost (soil which stays
frozen perennially). These 3 aspects of Tundra fertility make the Tundra all but useless
for use to grow anything of value.
Forest Floor
The Tundra forest floor really depends on where you are. The further north that you go
the less there is anything but snow, ice, and rocks. In the more temperate Tundra where
there is plant life one could find more interesting floors. They contain once again
mainly rocky soil which is most likely permafrost. Also there are many different kinds of
mosses and lichens scattered along the ground or on bigger rocks along with possibly some
short grasses.
Diversity of Plants
There are not very many species of plant life in the Arctic Tundra, nor is their growth
rate giant or are they abundant but somehow they do survive. Most of the plant life
occurs in the lower areas of the Tundra although there are sometimes a few "pockets" of
vegetation as you move further north. There is also a bit more vegetation in the Alpine
Tundra. During the few short summer months, the vegetation is able to grow, as opposed to
winter where only a few cold resistant trees can survive the harsh climate and
temperatures. The plants reproduce by division and by budding rather than by pollination
since there is little time and little other plants.
The Vegetation is often divided into two distinct regions. The change from one to another
is quite surprising. They are:
The low arctic Tundra which supports a nearly complete plant coverage. There are many low
and dwarf shrubs which include willow, birch, and Heath. There is a large quantity of
mosses and lichens in this area.
The high arctic Tundra is a place where it is obviously much more difficult to locate as
many plants. Once again mosses and lichens are found but in smaller proportions.
Scattered "patches" of willow and sedge occur as well.
Diversity of Animals
Even though the arctic Tundra is not seeping with wildlife, there are more than a few
different kinds of animals. The arctic Tundra wildlife is closely related all around the
world, but the variety is limited because of the difficult environment that they have to
adjust to. There are of course the large herbivores, which include such species as the
caribou, the musk-ox , and the reindeer. These eat the mosses and dwarf shrubs which they
may come across as they cross the arctic. As for predators, they include the wolf and the
arctic fox. These play a most crucial role in the Tundra by killing and eating several
herbivores. Without this service the herbivores would eat all the plants and end up
starving to death. There are also many birds which nest in the tundra during the summer
months and then migrate south for the winter. Polar bears as well as brown bears are not
uncommon to the arctic Tundra as well. Many other animals include: the snowy owl, the
lemming, jaegers, the weasel, and the arctic hare to name a few. But perhaps the most
annoying of all is the mosquitoes and blackflies which roam around in huge groups.
Symbiotic Relationship
The relationship of the Tundra is a delicate one; any slight faltering could result in
massive repercussions. To survive, the herbivores need to eat what little dwarf shrubs
and mosses that they can find and in turn the meat eaters need to eat them. Eventually
when the animals die, they become the little earth that will perhaps allow some plant to
grow. Without this earth the plants will not grow and all will die.
Structure Adaptations
Since the Arctic Tundra has such a harsh climate everything has had to adapt or be wiped
out. The most common adaptation among animals is rather thick and white fur or feathers.
Many animals such as the snowy owl have grown to use this to camouflage themselves to
escape predators or as a predator themselves to catch their prey. Among Plants there are
many changes. Many plants have adapted to contain most of their biomass in their roots so
as to protect themselves from the winds. Also another common plant adaptation has been
to develop a more aerodynamic and stronger frame to withstand the winds. Among insects
the mosquitoes and blackflies have evolved into darker black colors so as to capture and
save most of the days heat.
Other facts
When a vehicle passes in the Tundra area, the tracks cause deep ditches that can last not
for days but for years. Also what could happen is that if a piece of the Tundra's
permafrost is melted, it will cave in a large area. The Tundra is very fragile and we
must take care not to destroy it for it is very frail.
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