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

Take advantage of retro transposes in human gene therapy, In what way may w...

In what way may we be able to take advantage of retro transposes in human gene therapy? How would this differ from our current use of retroviruses?

Define requirement of energy for physical activity, Define requirement of e...

Define requirement of energy for Physical activity? This is the most variable and, after BMR, the second largest component of daily energy expenditure. Humans perform obligator

What are the chiasms of homologous chromosomes, What are the "chiasms" of h...

What are the "chiasms" of homologous chromosomes seen in prophase I? Chiasms are intersections of two tracts in the form of X. The chiasms seen in prophase I are chromosome

Explain about the management of food allergies, Normal 0 false ...

Normal 0 false false false EN-IN X-NONE X-NONE

Renin-angiotensin system, As heart failure sets in, there is activation of ...

As heart failure sets in, there is activation of RAS (Fig 2.1). Adrenergic stimulation of beta-1 receptors in juxtaglomerular apparatus of the kidneys results in release of renin.

Determine what is the Cell Cycle, The cell cycle undergoes a sequence of ch...

The cell cycle undergoes a sequence of changes which involve a period of growth replication of DNA, Followed by cell division. This sequence of changes is called cell cycle.

Chromosomes and molecular homology, CHROMOSOME S AND MOLECULAR HOMOLOGY - ...

CHROMOSOME S AND MOLECULAR HOMOLOGY - The DNA content of diploid cells is similar. Hoyer et al in 1965 showed that DNA of humans was 100% similar with chimpanzee and 94%

Difference between diastolesystole and systole, Q. What is the difference b...

Q. What is the difference between diastoleSystole and systole and diastole are the two stages into which the cardiac cycle is divided Diastole is the stage of the cardiac cycle

What is the procedure of examining foot, Procedure of Examining Foot Le...

Procedure of Examining Foot Let us learn the steps of examining the foot and identify foot at risk. Steps to follow: 1. Make the patient comfortable. 2. Provide priv

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