TundraFound in parts of Canada, Alaska, and Siberia

Tundra –

“The Cold Desert”

• Found at latitudes around the North Pole

• Less than 25 cm precipitation yearly

• Very cold year round (-40ºC in winter)

• Cold, dry, treeless region

Tundra –“The Land of the Midnight Sun”

• Winter lasts 6 to 9 months (with partly no daylight)

• Summer is short and cold (with mostly 24 hours of sunlight a day)

Tundra-

• Soil is poor

• Permafrost

– Layer of permanently frozen soil

Plants of the Tundra

Tundra plants are resistant to drought and cold

Examples:

• Reindeer moss (a lichen!)

• Lichens

• True mosses

• Grasses

• Small shrubs and flowers

Plants of the TundraTundra plants are resistant to drought and cold.

AdaptationsTundra plants are small (usually less than 12 inches tall) and low-growing due to lack

of nutrients, because being close to the ground helps keep the plants from freezing, and

because the roots cannot penetrate the permafrost.

Plants are dark in color—some are even red—this helps them absorb solar heat.

Some plants are covered with hair which helps keep them warm.

Some plants grow in clumps to protect one another from the wind and cold.

Some plants have dish-like flowers that follow the sun, focusing more solar heat on the

center of the flower, helping the plant stay warm.http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/

Plants of the Tundra• Reindeer moss – It’s a lichen!

Plants of the Tundra• Lichens

Plants of the Tundra• Lichen

Plants of the Tundra

• True Mosses

Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

Plants of the Tundra

• Small shrubs and flowers

Plants of the Tundra

• Grasses

Animals of the Tundra

Many animals of the tundra migrate there during the short summer

Examples:

• Biting insects

• Snowy owls

• Arctic hares

•Caribou•Musk oxen•Lemmings

Animals of the Tundra• Biting insects

Mosquito Blackfly

Animals of the Tundra• Snowy owl

Animals of the Tundra• Arctic hare

Animals of the Tundra• Caribou – “Reindeer”

Animals of the Tundra

• Musk oxen

Animals of the Tundra

• Lemmings

Animals of the Tundra

• Lemmings

Animals of the TundraADAPTATIONS

• Migration and hibernation are examples of behavioral adaptations.

• Many animals do not live year-round in the tundra. This means they leave or

migrate for a length of time to warmer climates.

• Hibernation is a combination of behavioral and physical adaptations.

• Thick fur and two layers of fur (one long and one short)

• Large size and short appendages are adaptations that help tundra animals

keep warm.

• shorter ears

• Tundra organisms use color to increase heat absorption or to hide from

predators.