Tundra
-Camryn Cassidy-
Ecological Concerns
- the melting of permafrost could change the landscape of the area and affect the species that live there
- the holes in the ozone due to global warming causes strong ultraviolet rays that could hurt the tundra
- lichen ( a significant source of food for a lot of animals ) could be harmed by air pollution
- ^the smog clouds cause by the pollution contaminate the lichens
- oil spills have significant damage to wildlife and the ecosystem
Cooperation/ Competition
The Must OX and the Caribu have a lot of hatred for on another. They both eat similar things that grow in the same area. They often compete for the land that their food grows on. On the other hand Polar Bears and Artic Fox have a better relationship. The Polar Bears don't care if the Fox's join in on their food, as long as they don't get in their way.
Adaptation for Animals
- a lot of animals breed and raise their young in the summer
- most animals hibernate during the worst part of winter to keep from energy loss
- as the seasons change the animals have to change what they hunt and eat
- predators- owls, foxes, wolves, and polar bears at the top of the chain.
- Predators hunt herbivores- caribou, lemmings, and hares.
- Mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, arctic bumblebees, and other insects are at the bottom of the food chain
- most bird feed from the bottom of the food chain
Abiotic Factors
- Strong winds
- little rainfall
- short summer days
- Very long and cold winter
- bad soil
- has permafrost(permanently frozen subsoil)
- summer season- 50-60 days
- winter temperature- average -34 degrees Celsius
- summer temperature- average 3-12 degrees Celsius
- gets6-10 inches of rain each year including melted snow
Endangered Species
The Polar Bear is an endangered species. It became endangered in 2008. Although it is the main icon for the artic, people still hunt them for food and for their skin. The Artic Fox is another endangered species, next to the polar bear. The fox weighs up to 15 pounds so it is very hard for them to fight against their predators. These animals have a lot of support from a lot of people to help keep them from being endangered.
Bearberry
A berry that grows in the artic tundra.
Caribou Moss
A type of moss that grows in the tundra.
Pasque Flower
Adaptation for plants
- tundra plants are small and short
- when the plants are short it keeps them from freezing cause they are close to the root
- the plants are dark in color, the darker the color the more solar heat it absorbs
- not all plants, but some plants have hair on them which also helps them stay warm
- some plants grown together in clumps to stay protected from the winds
- Some plants have flowers on them that follow the sun, which brings more heat to the center to the plant
Importance
A lot of people think that tundra doesn't really have any importance globally, but it does.Methane is locked up in the permafrost in the artic. If the permafrost were to melt the methane would leak into the atmosphere. Methane is a natural gas, so it isn't necessarily bad for you but it creates more co2 and less oxygen.
Sited sources
blueprintandbiomes.org
usatoday.com
mbgnet.net
usatoday.com
mbgnet.net