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

Preparation of the laboratory samples, Q. Preparation of the Laboratory Sam...

Q. Preparation of the Laboratory Samples From the primary sample while selecting a representative laboratory sample, we need to consider the following: a) Laboratory sampl

What is the hematopoiesis, Q. What is the hematopoiesis? Hematopoiesis ...

Q. What is the hematopoiesis? Hematopoiesis is the formation of blood cells with other constituent elements of the blood. Q. Where does hematopoiesis occur? Hematopoies

Spironolactone, Aldosterone mediates myocardial remodeling and fibrosis, as...

Aldosterone mediates myocardial remodeling and fibrosis, as well as sodium retention and potassium loss at the distal tubules. The anti-aldosterone agent, spironolactone   has been

Which features shared by typical birds and mammals, Which of the following ...

Which of the following characteristics is not shared by typical birds and mammals? A) Four chambered heart B) Milk production C) Four limbs D) Endothermy E) Insulating skin structu

What is the phenomenon of the apical dominance in plants, What is the pheno...

What is the phenomenon of the apical dominance in plants? How it can be artificially eliminated? The Apical dominance is the phenomenon by which high (over the positive range l

Chronic bronchitis, Chronic Bronchitis Chronic Bronchitis is defined ...

Chronic Bronchitis Chronic Bronchitis is defined clinically as hypersecretion of mucus and recurrent episode of productive cough for a period of 3 months per year at least tw

Plant responses to light-dark cycles, Plant Responses to Light-Dark Cycles ...

Plant Responses to Light-Dark Cycles Based on their requirement for day length (number of hours of light) for flowering plants have been grouped under three major categories,

Define water as a medium and solvent, Define Water as a medium and solvent?...

Define Water as a medium and solvent? Water is the medium of all cell fluids, including digestive juices, lymph, blood, urine, and perspiration. All the physiochemical reaction

Illustrate enzyme-substrate interaction, On what structural level of the en...

On what structural level of the enzyme (primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary) does the enzyme-substrate interaction depend? The substrate binds to the enzyme in the activ

Differences between the male gametes and the female gametes, State the diff...

State the differences between the male gametes and the female gametes with regard to (a) their size; (b) their structure, (c) their relative numbers.   (a

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