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

Explain the stages of alzheimer''s disease, Explain the Stages of alzheimer...

Explain the Stages of alzheimer's disease? Stage I - There is an increased forgetfulness, anxiety and depression. Associated nutrition related changes include difficulty in

Porcine rotavirus, Porcine rotavirus Piglet diarrhoea and mortality are ga...

Porcine rotavirus Piglet diarrhoea and mortality are gaining importance and the viral agent which is highly incriminated in such episodes is porcine rotavirus. The clinical featur

Name the important inorganic molecular for living being, What are the most ...

What are the most significant inorganic molecular substances for living beings? The most significant inorganic substances for living beings are mineral salts, water, carbon dio

Water of estuaries, Water of Estuaries The water of estuaries is turbi...

Water of Estuaries The water of estuaries is turbid because of the great number of particulates in suspension in the water. The turbidity is minimum near the mouth and increas

Define about the environmental deficiency of iodine, Define about the Envir...

Define about the Environmental deficiency of iodine? The ultimate causative Factor is deficient intake of iodine. Iodine occurs in soil and sea as iodide, the ions of which arc

Illustrate physiological evidence, Q. Illustrate Physiological Evidence ? ...

Q. Illustrate Physiological Evidence ? Physiological and biochemical evidence is providing data of increasing importance to plant systematic. Recently, it has become apparent t

Determine the cardio-vascular system, Determine the Cardio-vascular System ...

Determine the Cardio-vascular System Cardio-vascular system consists of a heart and blood vessels. The function of cardio- vascular system is to maintain blood supply to all t

Hydration control by active pump mechanisms in corneal, How is hydration co...

How is hydration control by active pump mechanisms responsible in the corneal hydration? Hydration Control by Active Pump Mechanisms: a) Na/K ATPase pump, which is more acti

Microscopes, differentiate between scanning electron microscope and a trans...

differentiate between scanning electron microscope and a transmission electron microscope in terms of their functions

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