Arctic tundra, Biology

Assignment Help:

The northern most biome on our planet is the arctic tundra. It is a treeless wet circumpolar band between the polar ice caps and the forests to the south. The predominant plants are lichens, grasses, sedges and dwarf woody plants. Despite the lack of trees, animals are found on land, in air and nearby oceans. Similar communities are found at high mountains of all latitudes forming the alpine tundra. The climate is very cold with a short growing season. The soil is frozen for most part of the year and only the top 0.5 meter melts during the short summers in the arctic tundra. The permanently frozen soil below is known as permafrost. In summer you might see huge herds of caribou, flocks of waterfowls and huge swarms of mosquitoes! With such a harsh climate it is not surprising that only a few kinds of plant and animal species are found here though, in the short growing season moss, lichens, some grasses and fast growing plants dominate the landscapes. Swarms of migratory birds invade the tundra in summer to raise their young and fly south as the summers come to an end. Some of the common permanent residents are musk ox, polar bear, grizzly bear, wolves, snowy owl, arctic hare, weasels, minks, etc. Tundra is a very fragile ecosystem as the rate of organic matter decomposition is very slow. On account of harsh climate plants grow very slowly and the tundra tak es a long time to recover from any disruptions.


Related Discussions:- Arctic tundra

#titleprotozoans, Ask question #Minimum 100 words accwhat is protozoans ep...

Ask question #Minimum 100 words accwhat is protozoans epted#

Class of subphylum uniramia - insecta, Class of Subphylum Uniramia - Insect...

Class of Subphylum Uniramia - Insecta Class Insecta consists of nearly a million described species. There are more species of insects as compared to all the other species of a

Endosperm with micropylar haustorium, Endosperm with micropylar Haustorium ...

Endosperm with micropylar Haustorium A very prominent and aggressive micropylar haustorium is seen in Impatiens. Here the division of the primary endosperm nucleus is followed

Rationale for infection control, Q. Rationale for infection control? Th...

Q. Rationale for infection control? The answer lies in the fact that many infectious diseases may be transmitted during dental care. Source of potential infection that exists i

Can pathophysiology causes cardiovascular disease, Q. Can Pathophysiology c...

Q. Can Pathophysiology causes cardiovascular disease? Cigarette use activates platelets, increases circulating fibrinogen, increases heart rate, and elevates blood pressure. It

Define cellulose, Cellulose Cellulose is found in plants as microfibr...

Cellulose Cellulose is found in plants as microfibrils (2-20 nm diameter and 100-40,000 nm long). These form the structurally strong framework in the cell walls. Cellulose is

Explain anaplerotic reactions, Anaplerotic Reactions Anaplerotic  reac...

Anaplerotic Reactions Anaplerotic  reactions are  reactions  that  replenish the  intermediates of  citric acid cycle. The  special  enzymatic mechanisms  by  which  the  pool

Agro industrial-enrichment of soil, Enrichment of soil Indirect provis...

Enrichment of soil Indirect provision of minerals to grazing livestock includes mineral fertilization of  pasture and altering soil pH, however this may not be always feasible

Point mutations are caused by substances mutagens explain, Point mutations ...

Point mutations are often caused by substances called mutagens explain? Point mutations are often caused by substances called mutagens. Base analogs, such as 5-bromouracil, a t

Discovery of the cell, Q. Describe the Discovery of the Cell? Ans: The ...

Q. Describe the Discovery of the Cell? Ans: The discovery that living organisms are composed of cells was made by an Englishman, Robert Hooke, in 1665. Hooke used the light mic

Write Your Message!

Captcha
Free Assignment Quote

Assured A++ Grade

Get guaranteed satisfaction & time on delivery in every assignment order you paid with us! We ensure premium quality solution document along with free turntin report!

All rights reserved! Copyrights ©2019-2020 ExpertsMind IT Educational Pvt Ltd