Characteristics of the Tundra - HowThingsWorks.com

Tundra is a biome in which the climate is cold, days are windy, and rainfall is scarce. These treeless regions can be found on many mountain tops and in the Arctic. Throughout most of the year, they are covered with snow, but when summertime comes, snow is replaced by a sea of wildflowers.

The best way to get acquainted with the peculiarities of the tundra is through its top ten characteristics.

Top Ten Characteristic of Tundra

1. Types of Tundra

Tundras are split into three separate categories: Alpine, Antarctic, and Arctic tundra. As the name suggests, Arctic tundra can be found within the Arctic, whereas the Alpine tundra refers to tundra found on mountainsides worldwide.

What’s common for all types of tundra is the lack of trees. Alpine and Arctic tundras lack trees because of the high elevation, while the Arctic tundra is because of the short growing season and permafrost.

2. Tundra Climate

The climate in the tundra resembles the climate in the desert, as in both places, it is very windy and dry. The difference between the two of them is the temperature. For most parts, deserts are very hot, while the tundra is very cold. The average temperatures in the Arctic and the Antarctic tundra range from -25^o F to 40^o F. The average temperatures in the Alpine tundras tend to range from 0^o to 54^o F.

3. Animals and Plants in Tundras

Various types of birds, marmots, sheep, mountain goats, are some of the small numbers of animals that live in the alpine tundra. Most of them are fed on insects and low-lying plants.

In terms of flora, cushion plants are quite frequent and have adapted to the harsh conditions of the alpine tundra. They survive by growing in rock depressions where they can be sheltered from the wind and where it is much warmer.

On the other hand, the Arctic tundra, where temperatures float from -30^o to -20^o F, is the home to wildlife such as gray wolves, snow geese, polar bears, muck oxen, and Arctic foxes.

Almost all of the few plants that can survive the extreme conditions of the Arctic tundra are constantly clinging to life.

The only exception is the summer growing season when the sun can shine throughout the entire day. However, the summer growing season lasts just 50 to 60 days.

4. Permafrost

Permafrost is one of the biggest reasons why there are so few trees on the Arctic tundra. At the same time, it is the most critical characteristic of the Arctic tundra. The term permafrost describes a permanently frozen layer of soil and frozen fauna that reaches 450 meters (1,476 feet) under the surface.

But at the same time, the permafrost is an essential element of the Arctic tundra ecosystem.

5. Tundras and Midnight Sun

Again, this is reserved only for the Arctic tundra. During summertime, the sun doesn’t disappear completely. When winter comes, it is the opposite; there are long periods when the sun doesn’t come out of the horizon. As a result, there are periods of 24 hours of sunlight non-stop, and in winter, 24 hours of darkness.

6. Precipitation in the Tundra

The dry climate is a big part of the tundra. Each year, there are around 15 inches of precipitation. Around two-thirds of all precipitation falls as rain. For comparison purposes, deserts receive from 6 to 10 inches of precipitation annually.

7. Tundra’s Soil is Rich in Phosphorus and Nitrogen

If it wasn’t for the permafrost and the cold, dry climate, tundra’s soil could be used for agricultural purposes as it is rich in both Nitrogen and Phosphorus.

8. The Tundra is More Diverse Than Ever

Global warming has had a profound impact on the tundra. For example, some animals that were only seen south of the tundra are now moving inside the tundra. The red fox is one of those animals. Now the red fox is a permanent resident of the tundra, same as the Arctic fox, which was there from before. Now they both compete for the same territory and food. As global warming expands, it is expected to bring even more radical changes to the tundra.

9. Tundra Mosses

There are quite a few species of Mosses within the tundra. Some of them appear in the form of a mat, directly on soil or rocks. They have an essential role in the tundra ecosystem as they can insulate the permafrost. Tundra mosses don’t need seeds to reproduce, but it creates spores which rely on water and wind for dispersal.

10. Migration

This is specific for the alpine tundra where animals during winter migrate to the lower elevations. That way, they don’t need to suffer the harsh winter conditions that are typical for the top elevations of the tundra.

Some of the animals that migrate to the lower elevations are mountain goats, grizzly bears, elk, bighorn, sheep, and others.

What are 5 facts about the tundra?

Tundra

It’s cold – The tundra is the coldest of the biomes.
It’s dry – The tundra gets about as much precipitation as the average desert, around 10 inches per year.
Permafrost – Below the top soil, the ground is permanently frozen year round.
It’s barren – The tundra has few nutrients to support plant and animal life.

What is the tundra characterized by?

The tundra biome is characterized by extremely cold temperatures and treeless, frozen landscapes. There are two types of tundra, the arctic tundra and the alpine tundra.

What are the characteristics of the Arctic tundra biome?

This biome has long cold winters and short cool summers. The Arctic tundra has low precipitation (less than 10 inches per year) and dry winds. These conditions make the Arctic tundra a desert-like climate (see climograph). One unique characteristic of the Arctic tundra is permafrost–ground that is permanently frozen.

What makes the tundra biome unique?

What Makes the Tundra Biome Unique. The Tundra biome is the coldest of all five world biomes. A Tundra is a treeless area near the Arctic where the ground is always frozen and there’s very little plant life. Tundras are found just below the ice caps of the Arctic, across North America, in Europe, Siberia and Asia.

What is another name for tundra?

What is another word for tundra?

plain	savanna
heath	pampa
steppe	campo
champaign	downs
moor	veld

What are some fun things to do in the tundra?

The Tundra. North America includes both Arctic and alpine tundra areas.
Hiking and Backpacking in the Tundra. The expansive Arctic tundra country, with its sweeping river flats, terraced benches and open foothills, demands to be explored on foot.
Tundra Wildlife Viewing.
River Floating in the Tundra.

What are some fun facts about the tundra?

Tundra along the Colville River, Alaska. Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain. It is noted for its frost-molded landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor nutrients, and short growing seasons.

What does tundra mean in English?

English Language Learners Definition of tundra

: a large area of flat land in northern parts of the world where there are no trees and the ground is always frozen.

What animals are found in tundra?

Animals found in the Arctic tundra include herbivorous mammals (lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares, and squirrels), carnivorous mammals (arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears), fish (cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout), insects (mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, and blackflies), and birds (ravens, snow buntings

What plants and animals live in tundra?

Arctic Moss, Arctic Willow, Caribou Moss, Labrador Tea, Arctic Poppy, Cotton Grass, Lichens and Moss. Animals have many adaptations to survive in this harsh environment. Animals need shelter and insulation in the Tundra. The animals here tend to have thicker and warmer feathers and fur.

What is the biggest animal in the tundra?

The mountain goats are the largest animals occasionally found at altitudes above 13,000 feet and usually live above the tree line in their habitat.

Where do animals live in the tundra?

Earth Floor: Biomes. Not many kinds of animals live year-round in the Arctic tundra. Most birds and mammals only use the tundra as a summer home. Mammals that do live year-round in the tundra include the muskox, Arctic wolf, and brown bear; and each has its own way of adapting to the extreme climatic conditions.

What are 5 animals that live in the tundra?

Living in the Tundra

Animals found in the tundra include the musk ox, the Arctic hare, the polar bear, the Arctic fox, the caribou, and the snowy owl.

Do polar bears live in the tundra?

Perhaps no other wildlife symbolizes the frozen tundra regions of the Earth as do polar bears. They live on ice and snow, but that’s not a problem—these bears have some cool ways to stay warm! An outer coat of long guard hairs that stick together when wet protects a dense, thick undercoat of fur.

What type of birds live in the tundra?

Birds Inhabit the Tundra

These include ravens, snow buntings, falcons, terns and several gull species. Others birds, however, such as ptarmigan and the lemming-eating snowy owl, are year-round tundra residents. Ptarmigan are brown in summer, but white in the winter.

What is the weather like in the tundra?

Temperatures are frequently extremely cold, but can get warm in the summers. Tundra winters are long, dark, and cold, with mean temperatures below 0°C for six to 10 months of the year. The temperatures are so cold that there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface, called permafrost.

What are the decomposers in the tundra?

The decomposers found in the Arctic tundra are bacteria, which are microorganisms, and fungi, which we previously mentioned as a member of the lichen partnership. Both bacteria and fungi work to break down deceased and decaying matter, digesting and absorbing the nutrients in the process.

Why do birds live in the tundra?

Attracted by plentiful food, endless hours of daylight in which to eat, and a comparative lack of predators, snow geese and many other migrating birds flock to the tundra during the summer months.

Are there eagles in the tundra?

Golden eagles are found in open and semi-open areas, from sea level to over 11,000 feet in elevation. Preferred habitats include tundra, shrublands, grasslands, woodland-brushlands, and coniferous forests. Most golden eagles are found in mountainous areas, but they also nest in wetland, riparian, and estuarine regions.

Why is the Tundra being harmed destroyed by humans so easily?

Overdevelopment. Building roads and structures in the tundra has attracted much more human traffic to an area where merely stepping on the fragile plant species can eliminate them. Without plants to contain the soil, the earth quickly erodes and threatens to destroy the entire biome.

Why are plants and animals able to survive in the tundra?

Why are plants and animals able to survive in the tundra? Plants and animals have developed specific adaptations that allow them to survive the extreme climate of the tundra. These adaptations include thick fur, dense hair, retention of deceased leaves, and feathered feet. Tundra means “treeless land.”