# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Home | Online exhibits | The world's biomes

Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and phosphorus. Nitrogen is created by biological fixation, and phosphorus is created by precipitation.

Characteristics of tundra include:

1. Extremely cold climate

2. Low biotic diversity

3. Simple vegetation structure

4. Limitation of drainage

5. Short season of growth and reproduction

6. Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material

7. Large population oscillations

Tundra is separated into two types:

Arctic tundra

Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches). Soil is formed slowly. A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exists, consisting mostly of gravel and finer material. When water saturates the upper surface, bogs and ponds may form, providing moisture for plants. There are no deep root systems in the vegetation of the arctic tundra, however, there are still a wide variety of plants that are able to resist the cold climate. There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include:

low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses

400 varieties of flowers

crustose and foliose lichen

All of the plants are adapted to sweeping winds and disturbances of the soil. Plants are short and group together to resist the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. They can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division rather than sexually by flowering. The fauna in the arctic is also diverse:

Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels

Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears

Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, 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

Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer. Animals such as mammals and birds also have additional insulation from fat. Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant. Another alternative is to migrate south in the winter, like birds do. Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent because of the extremely cold temperatures. Because of constant immigration and emigration, the population continually oscillates.

Alpine tundra

Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow. 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. The plants are very similar to those of the arctic ones and include:

tussock grasses, dwarf trees, small-leafed shrubs, and heaths

Animals living in the alpine tundra are also well adapted:

Mammals: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk

Birds: grouselike birds

Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies

--

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home | Online exhibits | The world's biomes Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions as a nutrient pool.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alpine bearberry: Arctostaphylos alpina (L.) Spreng (syn. Arctous alpinus (L.) Niedenzu). This is a procumbent shrub 10-30 cm high (3.9-11.8 in). Leaves not winter green, but dead leaves persist on stems for several years. Berries dark purple to black.

# data[].attributes.body
The Tundra is threatened by permafrost because of global warming. This could change the landscape and what species can live there.

# data[].attributes.body
Tundra is the coldest of all biomes. It is known for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients and very short growing seasons.

# data[].attributes.body
6-10 inches, including melting snow

# data[].attributes.body
Winter: -30 degree F
Summer: 37-54 Degrees