TUNDRA

BIOME
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 Tundra
TUNDRA is an area where the tree growth
is hindered by low temperatures and
short growing seasons. The term "tundra"
comes from Kildin Sami tūndâr 'uplands,
tundra, treeless mountain tract'. The
vegetation is composed of dwarf shrubs,
sedges and grasses, mosses, and lichens.
Scattered trees grow in some tundra. The
ecotone (or ecological boundary region)
between the tundra and the forest is
known as the tree line or timberline.

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 TYPES OF TUNDRA

1. Arctic Tundra (also occurs in

Antarctica)

a. The Arctic tundra

b. The Antarctic tundra

2. Alpine Tundra

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 1. Arctic Tundra
 A. The Arctic tundra is a vast area of stark
landscape, which is frozen for much of the
year. The soil there is frozen from 25-90 cm
down, and it is impossible for trees to grow.

During the summer, temperatures rise

somewhat, and the top layer of the
permafrost melts, leaving the ground very
soggy. The tundra is covered in marshes,
lakes, bogs and streams during the warm
months. Generally daytime temperatures
during the summer rise to about 12 °C but
can often drop to 3 °C or even below
freezing. 4
 B. Antarctic tundra occurs on
Antarctica and on several Antarctic
and subantarctic island. Antarctica is
mostly too cold and dry to support
vegetation, and most of the continent
is covered by ice fields.

In contrast with the Arctic tundra,

the Antarctic tundra lacks a large
mammal fauna, mostly due to its
physical isolation from the other
continents.
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 2. ALPINE TUNDRA
 Alpine tundra is an ecozone that does not
contain trees because it has high altitude..
Alpine tundra also lacks trees, but the
lower part does not have permafrost, and
alpine soils are generally better drained
than permafrost soils.

 Because alpine tundra is located in various

widely-separated regions of the Earth, there
is no animal species common to all areas of
alpine tundra. Some animals of alpine
tundra environments include the Kea
parrot, marmot, Mountain goats, chinchilla,
and pika.
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Arctic Tundra

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Antarctic Tundra

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Alpine Tundra

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 Characteristics

Extremely cold climate

Low biotic diversity
Simple vegetation structure
Limitation of drainage
Short season of growth and
reproduction
Energy and nutrients in the form of
dead organic material
Large population oscillations
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 CLIMATE AND
LAND FORMATION
The surface soil, which tends to be rocky,
thaws in summer to varying depths. The
combination of frozen ground and flat
terrain on the tundra impedes the drainage
of water.
Tundra climate is characterized by harsh
winters, low average temperatures, little
snow or rainfall, and a short summer
season. The arctic tundra, in particular, is
influenced by permafrost, a layer of
permanently frozen subsoil in the ground.
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 PLANT LIFE
 The number of plant species on the tundra
is few, and their growth is low, with most
of the biomass concentrated in the roots.

 Typical arctic vegetation comprises cotton

grass, sedge, and dwarf heath, together
with associated mosses and lichens.

 Alpine plant communities consist of mat-

forming and cushion-forming plants, rare
in the Arctic. These plants are adapted to
gusting winds, heavy snows, and widely
fluctuating temperatures.
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Plant Life

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 Animal Life
 Arctic wildlife is circumpolar; the same or
closely related species are found around
the world. Musk-ox, caribou, and reindeer
are the dominant large grazers, feeding on
grass, sedge, lichen, and willow. Arctic
hare, or snowshoe rabbit, and lemming
feed on grass and sedge.
 Predators include the wolf, arctic fox, and
snowy owl. Polar bears, and sometimes
brown bears, are seen. Many birds nest in
the tundra shrubbery in summer,
migrating to milder climates before the
winter season sets in. 14
Tundra Animals

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TUNDRA VIDEO

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 Project in
Integrated Science

I – ruby

PHILIP CAESAR FLORES

DUSTIN DWIGTH DOCTOLERO

GREGG ANGELO PEREZ

ERIKA SHEANE ESTERA

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