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

What is syphilis, What is syphilis? Syphilis, also known as lues, is a ...

What is syphilis? Syphilis, also known as lues, is a disease caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. Before the discovery of penicillin, syphilis was a fatal disease. Today

Explain six different genotypes, ABO blood groups in humans are controlled ...

ABO blood groups in humans are controlled by the gene I. It has three alleles - IA, IB and i. As there are three dissimilar alleles, six different genotypes are possible. How many

How sex chromosomes of the xy system -sex determination, Concerning the sex...

Concerning the sex chromosomes of the XY system which type of gamete do the male and the female individuals respectively produce? An Individual of the female sex is XX and thus

What should we focus on during pregnancy, What should we focus on During pr...

What should we focus on During pregnancy? Our focus should be strongly on the preventive aspects of nutrition, identify women at-risk, recognize special needs for counseling, a

Determine the food-searching activity, The Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus mutu...

The Svalbard ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus hyperboreus) is a small herbivorous bird that lives permanently on the island chain of Svalbard. Svalbard is located in the Arctic Circle, app

Name the element needed to insure the integrity of membranes, In mammalian ...

In mammalian body, this element plays numerous important roles. Try to identify this element with the fewest number of clues. This element is needed to insure the integrity and per

Explain flucytosine, Explain Flucytosine Flucytosine (Ancobon) - Potent...

Explain Flucytosine Flucytosine (Ancobon) - Potentially lethal, dose-related bone mar- row toxicity, colitis and rapid development of resistance when used alone limit the use o

Mechanism of movement of chromosomes, The movement of the chromosome is cal...

The movement of the chromosome is called anaphase A, and the extension of the poles is termed anaphase B.The mechanism of these movements are discussed below. Chromosome move

Explain autoxidation, Autoxidation It is generally agreed that "autoxid...

Autoxidation It is generally agreed that "autoxidation", that is, the reaction with molecular oxygen via a self - catalytic mechanism, is the main reaction involved  in oxidati

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