Post on 07-Aug-2015
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
Characteristics of Tundra
8. Extreme seasonal changes in the length of day and night
9. Temperature ,precipitation, and evaporation are very low
10. The subsoil below the ice cap is permanently frozen, and is known as permafrost.
11. Primary productivity is very low
LOCATIONThere are two kinds of tundras, Arctic and alpine. Arctic tundras lie near the Arctic Ocean. They include Greenland, northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Europe and Russia.
The Alpine tundra is located at the top of mountains across the world.
• The Arctic Tundra is located in the Northern Hemisphere.• Arctic Tundra is known for the
colder condition• Growing season ranges from 50-
60 days.
ARTIC TUNDRA
Average winter temperature is –34 C.Average summer temperature is 3-12 C. This is warm enough to sustain life.Yearly precipitation, including snow melt, is 15-25 cm.
There aren't any deep rooted plants in the Arctic Tundra but there are about 1,700 species of plants.
•It’s located on mountains throughout the world at high altitude where trees cannot grow.
•Growing season is approximately 180 days.
•Night time temperature is usually below freezing.
•Unlike the Arctic tundra, the soil in the alpine is well drained.
•Plants similar to the Arctic include: tussock grasses, dwarf trees, & heaths
Animals include: Mountain goats, elk, sheep, butterflies, & grasshoppers
Alpine tundra
•Absolutely no trees can grow here because of the elevation being so high.
•Is usually found at an altitude of 10,000 feet or higher.
•Some tundra can even be found near the equator if the mountains are high enough
•There are only warm blooded animals in the alpine tundra
CLIMATE OF TUNDRA’S
• It’s freezing for almost all of the year.
• The average temperature per year is 16 degrees F.
• Summer temperatures get up to 45 degrees F. (last 6-10 weeks)
• Lowest temperature it can get is 10 degrees F below 0- 20 degrees F.
Most of the precipitation that falls is snow. In summer it falls as rain with occasional snow.
Average precipitation per season is 4.5 in.
Average precipitation per year is 18 inches.
PRECIPITATION
The people inhabiting the Tundra are Eskimos, yet they liked to be called “Inuit” which means “the People.”
PEOPLE
They either live in wooden or concrete houses most of the year and sleep in skin or cloth tents when they are hunting.Inuit children attend school and they learn their native language as well as English.
THE INUIT’S LIFE STYLE
The plants growing in the tundra are often small and grow close to the ground. This helps resist cold temp. and snow during the winter.
Due to permafrost, there are no deep root system in the plant life of the arctic tundra. (1,700 different kinds of plants)
They carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures.
Plants are more likely to reproduce vegetatively by division and budding than by flower pollination sexually, due to the short growing season.
FLORA (PLANT LIFE)
• They called cushion plants b/c they grow in a low tight clump and look like a little cushion.
•They’re more common in the tundra where their growth habitat helps protect them from the cold.
CUSHION PLANTS
•Adapted their life cycles to be completed in a single summer season.•Some grow very low to the ground to protect from frost damage.•Some grow horizontally and send up many branches to keep away from drying winds and still absorb as much sunlight as possible.•They group together to resist cold temperatures and be protected form the snow. •Many of them develop thick, leathery or waxy leaves that prevent moisture loss. •Some grow hairs along the stems, leaves, and flowers to hold heat and protect against the wind.
ADAPTATION OF PLANTS
The frigid cold and deep snow makes life in the tundra very difficult.
Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer.
Some have grown thick fur which turns white in the winter.
Mammals and birds have additional insulation from fat.
Others find a place to hibernate during the winter months b/c food is not abundant.
Reptiles & amphibians are few or absent b/c of extremely cold temp.
FAUNA(Animal life)
•Classified as Mammals
•They’re fast & can outrun a caribou over a short distance.
•Swims extremely well.
•Diet: large and small mammals, fish, birds, berries, leaves
•Carnivores
•Habitat: coasts, ice floes
•Range: Arctic Ocean to southern limits of ice floes
POLAR BEAR
POLAR BEAR-ALASKA
Thick fur and amazing stamina
They know how to adapt to the frigid conditions in the tundra.
Dogs curl themselves up to protect from the harsh wind.
The dogs must mush and work as a team in order to survive.
SLED DOG
SLED DOG
•The most common adaption is a thick layer of fur or feathers to hold the heat close to their bodies. •Some of the animals fur turns white during the winter to hide in the snow and protect them from predators.•Many large animals have compact body shapes that help them retain more heat than if their bodies were long and thin.•Many animals avoid the cold by migrating and some animals build up a layer of fat over the summer, which provide energy and food while also keeping them warm during the harsh winters. •Some may burrow into the snow to avoid harsh, frigid temperature and winds.
FAUNAL ADAPTATION
¨ land: 8 X 106 km2 (30% ice)
\ substantial terrestrial food
\ land mammals \ herbivorous &
insectivorous birds
¨land: 14 X 106 km2 (97% ice) \ no terrestrial food
\ no land mammals \ no herbivorous or
insectivorous birds
Artic vs. antartic
not geographically isolated
glacial refuges ice-free coastal zone
in summer relatively high plant
and animal diversity
geographically isolatedno? glacial refugesv. restricted ice-free coastal zone in summerlow plant and animal diversity
Artic vs. antartic
1. Many animals compete for the plant lichen.
2. Lichen is the favorite food of caribou and musk oxen.
3. Lichen are homes for spiders, mites, lice, and other insects.
COMPETITION IN TUNDRA
I. The tundra is a major balance in our ecosystem and it must be there for many species to sustain life
II. If humanity interferes with the tundra ,the world as we know it may be in route for a disastrous change for the worst.
IMPORTANCE OF TUNDRA
TROPICAL GRASSLANDS (SAVANNAHS)1. TROPICAL GRASSLANDS ARE GENERALLY
CALLED SAVANNAHS.
2. THEY ARE EXTENSIVE GRASSY PLAINS WITH SCATTERED BUSHES AND TREE.
3. THEY ARE MOST EXTENSIVE IN W.AFRICA,BUT ARE ALSO FOUND IN AUSTRALIA,
S.AMERICA AND SOUTHERN ASIA
4. IN INDIA ,SAVANNAH IS FOUND IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN PARTS OF RAJASTHAN
DISTRIBUTION
•The savanna climate has a temperature range of 68° to 86° F (20° - 30° C).• It is usually about 68° to 78° F (20° - 25° C)in winter.•In the summer the temperature ranges from 78° to 86° F (25° - 30° C). •Savanna the temperature does not change a lot. When it does, its very gradual and not drastic.•There is an annual precipitation of 10 to 30 inches (100 to 150 cm) of rain. •December to February hardly any rain falls at all.
CLIMATE
•When the rains come, savanna bunch grasses grow vigorously•larger grasses may grow an inch or more in 24 hours•a surge of new life at this time•for example, many antelope calves are born• with so much grass to feed on, mothers have
plenty of milk• calves die if the rains fail to come. giraffes,
zebras, buffaloes, kangaroos, mice, moles, gophers, ground squirrels, snakes, worms, termites, beetles, lions, leopards, hyenas, and elephants
Savanna--animals
1. African Elephant2. African Wild Dog3. Black Mamba4. Caracal5. Chacma Baboon6. Egyptian Mongoose7. Emu8. Grant's Zebra9. Koala Bear10. Lion11. Nigriceps Ants12. Nile Crocodile
ANIMALS
•Animals adapt to the shortage of water and food through various ways, including migrating (moving to another area) • hibernating until the season is over.• Grazing animals, like gazelles and zebras, feed on grasses and often use camouflage to protect themselves from predators when they are roaming in the open•. Some animals, such as small mammals and rodents, use camouflage to blend in with their surroundings and have grass-colored tan fur.• These small animals also avoid predators by burrowing underground and by being nocturnal (active during nighttime)
ADAPTATION OF ANIMALS-SAVANNAH
•characterized by a continuous over of perennial grasses• 3 to 6 feet tall at maturitymay or may not also have an open canopy of drought-resistant, fire-resistant, or browse-resistant trees, or they may have an open shrub layer
Plants in savanna
baobab tree cadelabraBermuda grassElephant grass
•To survive the dry season, plants have grown long roots to suck all the moisture out of the ground•They grow thick bark to protect themselves from annual fires. •They also have trunks that can store water.• leaves that drop off during the dry season to preserve water.
ADAPTATION OF PLANTS
The Australian Savanna is characterized by two very different seasons: the "wet" and the "dry". The dry season lasts 5 to 6 months, usually from May to October. The wet season lasts 5 to 6 months and lasts from December to March. The Australian tropical savanna is found along the north coast of Australia at a latitude range of 10° to 20° South.
AFRICANSAVANNA
The average precipitation per year in the Australian Savanna is around 20 to 40 in. In both the Australian, and the African savanna, the average precipitation in the dry season is about 4 in. The average precipitation in the Australian and the Africa savanna during the wet season is around 15 to 25 inches. Only rain falls in the Australian Savanna, there are no other forms of moisture. Most of the rain falls during the wet season.
PRECIPITATION