ARCTIC & ALPINE TUNDRA

Average Temperatures: Average Yearly Precipitation:

Winter Months: -34 °C ARCTIC TUNDRA: 6-10 in
Summer Months: 3-12 °C ALPINE TUNDRA: 12 in

The Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, known for its cold, desert-like
conditions. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer
temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in
different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to
10 inches).
The Alpine Tundra is extremely similar to the Arctic concerning the temperatures, but
precipitates a little bit more than the Arctic.
The alpine biome is fairly dry with an average precipitation of 12 inches (30 cm) each year.

ANTARCTIC TUNDRA
Average Temperatures: Yearly Precipitaion:
Winter Months: −80°C Around 2 in.
Summer Months: −30°C

The average annual temperature of Antarctica ranges from about −10°C on the Antarctic
coast to −60°C. Near the coast and flatlands the temperature can exceed +10°C at times in
summer and fall to below −40°C in winter. The mountainous elevated inland, can rise to about
−30°C in summer, but fall below −80°C in winter. The lowest temperature yet recorded on the
Earth's surface was −89.2°C at Vostok station in Antarctica on July 21, 1983.
Precipitation in much of Antarctica is desert-like as well: in the interior it's lower than 50
millimetres (2 inches) per year, and only year the coast it exceeds 300 mm (12 in), with peaks of
600 mm (23.5 in). Strange as it may seem, fires are dangerous, due to the limited availability of
liquid water.
 Challenges in Tundra
Due to climate change occurring across the globe, environments that were once known as
always being covered in ice are becoming more green. The tundra may be holding more
organisms that were never fit for the environment and scientists believe that this is all due to the
climate change. Since this change, more vegetation would start to grow and flourish throughout
the ecosystem. This will cause the tundra’s span, in acres, to decrease exponentially. This is
showing that the area will shrink approximately by 33-44 percent by the end of the century,
meaning that by 2100, the North begins to look visually and act more like the South that contains
this type of the environment everyday. But because of these events, many habitats will be
affected negatively. The residents and the animals will have to adapt to these harsh conditions or
forever become extinct, since they won’t have the fittest genes for this environment that once
had. This applies to almost every single organism in this biome, showing the consequences of
the shrink.
The greenery and forestry are coming about in this environment and melting all their ice.
It is predicted that the tundras in Northern Canada and Alaska will become more Boreal Forests
and shrubs by 2059. And that Greenland will become more like its name and melt all the ice that
was once believed to be there forever. Even though this greenery may cause more trees to come
in the picture, it won’t be as beneficial as we think if there are high droughts in this time. The
droughts may actually cause the environment to actually have less vegetation than what was
actually thought. But the people also play in part to the lack of vegetation. If they overconsume
and cause wildfires, etc., then the limits on vegetation will be very high.
Oil companies and hunting have a lot affect to organisms living in this biome. The oil
companies construction and building have caused the routes of the animal adaptations to change.
This can lead to the tragedies of the organisms since they won’t be able to adapt to this
environment in time, which may cause injuries or deaths. The aquatic life have to deal with the
consequences of the oil spills, causing more death within those ecosystems. Hunting is another
case that does cause lots of death. When there are very valuable species, which should be all, to
the people, they begin to hunt them. The people tend to overharest them and cause them to
become endangered species.
In different types of tundras, like the arctic and alpine, there have been many occurences
where the tundra had trouble of surviving. The reindeers have been having trouble to reach its
food in the environment. Since the rain falling on the snow is practically brewing it down to the
ground where the snow can create a pool and eventually freeze. These warm temperatures can
affect this environment by melting the permanently frozen ground. The factor mostly affecting
this environment is the idea of global warming and climate change. Due to the warm weather, the
winters have become increasingly warmer and increasingly more wet. But the warm weather can
bring very dangerous occurrences to happen too. In the far future, the tundra may hold the
hurricanes, like other places, and big snow storms. These are problems for other biomes as well
but it would be something incredibly new to the tundra. The Tundra biome faces these harsh
factors due to human caused impacts.
As you can see, the tundra faces many challenges in the world. There are a lot of factor
due to this change of climate and it may even cause the end of the tundra biome. With this
knowledge, there are so many other components that will be affected too. The ecosystems will
change drastically and even have some species die off. Humans are causing a lot of these
challenges and there needs to be solutions to sustain this biome soundly.

Flora/Fauna of the Tundras

ARCTIC TUNDRA:
● Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
● Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
● Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow
birds, and various species of gulls
● Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
● Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout
● low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses
● 400 varieties of flowers
● crustose and foliose lichen

ALPINE TUNDRA

Plant varieties include:

● tussock grasses, dwarf trees, small-leafed shrubs, and heaths

Animals living in the Alpine Tundra include:

● Mammals: pikas, marmots, mountain goats, sheep, elk
● Birds: grouse-like birds
● Insects: springtails, beetles, grasshoppers, butterflies

ANTARCTIC TUNDRA
 The most abundant and best known animals from the southern continent. Penguins,
whales seals, albatrosses, other seabirds and a range of invertebrates you may have not heard of
such as krill which form the basis of the Antarctic food web.
There are no trees or shrubs, and only two species of flowering plants are found:
Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort. The vegetation is predominantly made up of lower
plant groups (mosses, liverworts, lichens and fungi) that are specially adapted to surviving in
extreme environments – in particular tolerating low temperatures and dehydration.

There are around 100 species of mosses, 25 species of liverworts, 300 to 400 species of
lichens and 20-odd species of macro-fungi. The greatest diversity of species is found along the
western side of the Antarctic Peninsula where the climate is generally warmer and wetter than
elsewhere in the Antarctic continent.

Possible Solutions
The tundra is a biome that is now filled with problem mostly due to climate change, but
scientists have been researching to create solutions to these challenges. The Harvard University
and WWF have been working and researching what could work for the tundra.
Harvard University has geneticists work together on the case of the tundra and have
pulled together a solution. They have been working with elephant cells to clone them into having
a sort of synthesized mammoth DNA in them. The geneticists believe that the resurrection of the
“woolly” mammoths could save the tundra. The mammoths would be able to disturb the whole
ecosystem by stomping and knocking down trees, shrubs, and other herbs. This would cause the
mammoths to play the role of natural geoengineers. This may help trees to decrease in population
and the shrubs to increase, causing a more steppe-like environment. This may also help with the
release of carbon and carbon pools. Since grass doesn’t rely largely on the sun as do trees, than
the heat in the ground would be lessened and keep the carbon in the pools longer. Then the
ground will be colder longer. Harvard is doing what they can to see if the resurrection of this
great herbivore can really help the biome survive.
Now the WWF-Canada company have been doing some actions themselves where they
can help the environment a bit more. Firstly, they’ve been trying to spread community speech to
where anyone can speak up about this problem and conservation methods too. They’ve been
funding for this and are happy to do so as well. Secondly, they’ve been trying to reduce the
diesel fuel and promote the use of wind, solar, and hydropower for the vehicles. Thirdly, the
arctic fisheries have been set to be more sustainable due to this company and will keep a long-
term sustainability policy on them. Fourthly, they are trying to prevent the development of
dangerous oil and gas products where the communities won’t let it happen. Lastly, they’ve been
trying to create conserved areas where the local people make the government help this Northwest
passage be sustainable for all aquatic life living there.
The people researching about tundras have made some possible solution, but they won’t
all work. Things have been changing so much that these solutions may not even apply to this
biome in one year. This is why the people need to learn how to adapt to these problems and keep
creating solutions.

Climatological Forces of the Tundras

ARCTIC TUNDRA
North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set for a period of time during summer, called
polar day . This happens because the Earth is tilted on its axis. The length the periods of
continuous daylight depend upon how far north of the Arctic Circle you are. At the Arctic Circle,
there is only one day of continuous daylight occuring at the summer solstice, usually around the
23rd of June. At the North Pole, there is almost six months of continuous daylight. In between
the North Pole and Arctic Circle, the number of days of continuous daylight decreases as you get
closer to the Arctic Circle. In winter, the North Pole experiences six months of continuous night.

ALPINE TUNDRA
Air pressure, or atmospheric pressure, is caused by the combined weight of a column of
air directly above a point on the Earth or in the air. At high elevations such as the top of
mountains, there is less air above the Earth's surface than at lower elevations such as sea level, so
atmospheric pressure is lower at the top of a mountain than at sea level. Weather maps show
atmospheric pressure using lines called isobars. Isobars show areas of high and lows pressure
called highs and lows, ridges and troughs. These are formed by the circulation of the atmosphere
around the Earth, and by movement of air upwards and downwards. These low-pressure systems
produce lower temperatures.

ANTARCTIC TUNDRA
The coldness of Antarctica’s climate is the result of a combination of factors. As with the Arctic,
Antarctica’s high latitude means that solar energy is spread over a larger area than would be the
case if the sunlight hit the surface at a higher angle. By being spread over a larger area, the
energy received per unit area is reduced. Southwards of the Antarctic Circle, there is a period
during the austral winter when the sun does not rise. At the South Pole itself there is low angle
sunlight continuously between September 21st and March 21st, and darkness during the other
half of the year.
During the dark period in the austral winter, there continues to be heat output to space,
but there is no insolation input. This causes temperatures to drop to their lowest point of the year.
The fact that the air is very dry also means that relatively little of the heat given off by the
ground is retained by the atmosphere. Due to the long day length of the austral summer, and the
thin atmosphere over the high elevation ice sheet, the sun imparts little heat to the surface
because of the high reflectivity of the snow and ice. The high elevation and high albedo of the
East Antarctic Plateau limits heating so much that in this region there is little difference between
summer and winter temperatures.

Examples of Adaptation

ANTARCTIC TUNDRA
Many Antarctic animals have either a windproof or waterproof coat. Emperor penguins
are a very good example of this. These birds have four layers of scale-like feathers. These layers
overlap each other, forming a good protection from the wind, even in blizzard conditions.
Emperor penguins also form large huddles where they share body warmth and that shelters many
of the penguins from the effects of the wind through the process of rotation. By alternating which
penguins are exposed to the wind, this benefit is shared equally amongst the group. They
adaptive huddling can reduce heat loss by up to 50%

Similar adaptations to the other Tundras help plants, algae, fungi, and lichens survive in
the Antarctic. First, the smaller size of plants and their structures make survival possible. Smaller
plants with shallow root systems compensate for the amount of soil and their small leaves
minimize the amount of water lost through the leaf surface. The Antarctic plants also grow close
to the ground and to each other, a strategy that helps to resist the effects of cold blizzards which
can blow away some of the little plant life. Plants have also adapted to the long winters and
short, intense polar summers. Many species can grow under a layer of snow so during the short
polar summer, plants use the long hours of sunlight to quickly develop and produce flowers and
seeds. Flowers of some plants are cup-shaped and direct the sun’s rays toward the center of the
flower. Dark-colored plants absorb more of the sun’s energy. In addition, many species are
perennials. Some species do not produce seeds at all, reproducing asexually through root growth.
This allows the plants to direct less energy into seed production.

ARCTIC & ALPINE TUNDRA

Animals have many adaptations to survive in this harsh environment. Animals need
shelter and insulation in the Tundra and so animals there tend to have thicker and warmer
feathers and fur. Many of them have larger bodies and shorter arms, legs and tails which helps
them to conserve their heat better and prevent heat loss. Many of the birds of the tundra have two
coats of feathers to help keep them warm. Many animals of the Tundra have feet that are lined
with fur to help keep them warm. Some of the animals of the Tundra such as, bears and ground
squirrels, will hibernate for the winter and others like lemmings and ermine will burrow. Many
of the insects of the Tundra will spend their entire life buried in the soil, or use rocks or plants
shelter.
 Plants in the Tundra have adapted in a variety of ways. They grow close together, low to
the ground and they remain small. Many plants in the biome have a wax type of fuzzy, hairy
coating on them which helps to shield them from the cold and the wind. This coating also helps
retain heat and moisture and also can protect the plant seeds to allow for reproduction. Plants
found here will typically have small leaves. Only the top layer of soil thaws out in the Tundra,
below that is the permafrost, therefore the plants have very shallow root systems. Most of the
plants in the Tundra Biome are perennials and don’t die off in the winter, they have long life
cycles to help with the short growing season that comes when temperatures rise.

Ecological Succession
Primary Succession: Due to the warm temperatures occurring, glaciers are melting away
and leave rocks behind with little life on the ground. Over the long course of time, lichen starts to
form little by little, along with other pioneer plants, on the rocks. The first soil that is made after
the melting is the breakage of rocks with lichen that are decaying. Moss and some plants start to
grow when the dust from the air breaks rocks in cracks to let life form. More soil came along
with moss doing its role with mixing in with rock pieces and dust. Once there was enough soil in
the area, grass formed in the area. This overall was the primary succession in the tundra.
Secondary Succession: The tundra can go into secondary succession if a fire or
mudslide occurred. When these events occur, they destroy an ecosystem present, but not
the soil. Since the soil survived in this occasion, the success in rebuilding life in present.

Nutrient Cycling
The water cycle in the tundra is a big part in the tundra, even though it is one of the driest
biomes on the planet. The water cycle includes the following: runoff, precipitation, transpiration,
infiltration, evaporation, groundwater storage.
● The runoff in tundra is when the water hits the ground and drifts down to the nearby lakes
or rivers. But the water from this runoff can freeze due to the cold weather it has.
● The precipitation in tundra is seen as mostly snow even though it snows, hails, and rains
in the tundra. But due to the low temperatures, you mostly see the snow.
 ● The transpiration in the tundra is very limited due to the low vegetation, but it is the water
that comes from the plants.
● The infiltration in the tundra is very difficult. Since the plants are mostly covered by feets
of snow and the permafrost, the water has difficulty entering the soil.
● But when the temperature changes and rises, the soil will be overfilled with the water,
causing conflicts since it is melting too fast.
● The tundra doesn’t have evaporation occur too often, but since the temperature is quickly
changing, the tundra may experience more evaporation than before.
● The water storage in the tundra has a big portion of groundwater when the permafrost
melts. This causes the soil to contain this water and sit until people come and take some
out.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Since there is nitrogen in the atmosphere, the tundra deals with the nitrogen cycle. It
starts off with the nitrogen entering the soil and ground. For the needs of the use of the nitrogen
in the ground, it needs to be converted into ammonia by the bacteria. Then this would be
transferred into any organism by consumption and then released during decomposition. Then it
just repeats in this cycle.
The Carbon Cycle
The plants and moss from the tundra are going to take the small particles of carbon from
the atmosphere. The helps the moss use it for photosynthesis and create glucose and oxygen.
Once eaten, the consumer takes the energy. Once the consumer dies or the plant dies, then the
carbon will be released into the soil.

Example of a Tundra Biomass Pyramid

This is a biomass pyramid. At the bottom is where the primary producer is on the
pyramid. A primary producer is the main producer who produces all of the energy in the
pyramid. The sun is the first and main source of all this energy. However, the primary producer's
job is to harness that energy and turn it into a form of energy that can be passed onto other
organisms, which is exactly what happens. The primary consumer comes along which is right
above the producer on this pyramid. The primary consumer eats the producer, and 10% of that
energy is transferred from the producer to the primary consumer. The remaining 90% is lost
through heat energy, which disperses into the atmosphere. This process happens over and over
until it stops at the top of the pyramid. Unless something else eats the tertiary consumer , then it
turns into waste or gets lost somewhere else and then the whole cycle repeats again.

Community Interactions & Examples Including; Competition, Symbiosis: Parasitism,

Mutualism, Commensalism

Competition on the tundra animals happens all of the time. For example the Musk ox
and Caribou but heads for territorial reasons or because one takes food away from the other. Yet
when a polar bear kills something it lets the foxes join in on the kill if they don't get in the polar
bears way. For predation the wolves eat the caribou and the polar bears eat the arctic foxes for
energy.
Mutualism is a relation where both of the organisms can benefit from each other. One of
the most common plants in the Tundra is lichen. Lichen is made up of fungus and a green algae.
When the fungus and the green algae combine they make a form called thalli which is
completely unlike either of them. If you look close they look more like a small moss or plant
then a fungus or algae.
Parasitism is a relation between two organisms where one organism benefits from the
relation and the other doesn't benefit from it. A parasite in the tundra biome is a liver tapeworm
cysts. The tapeworm cysts is a parasite because it needs two hosts to survive. The first host is
when the adult attaches itself to a carnivore and then the tapeworm lays its babies inside of the
carnivore and when the release their poop herbivores come by and eat it, so the babies lay eggs
inside of them.
Commensalism in the Tundra doesn't exactly have the greatest environment for
vegetation growth. Animals don't have a wide variety of food because of this but the food they
fine for example the caribou benefits from it where the grass doesn't benefit yet it isn't brought
harm. For example the grass feels nothing when it is eaten yet the caribou starts to get full after a
while which benefits him and doesn't harm the grass.