High Latitude Tundra

Camila Riguero and Heather SanchezPeriod: 3

Other names❖ Ice desert❖ Frozen Prairie

Biome location/Climate❖ Located in Alaska, Northern Canada, edges of Greenland,

Northern Siberia, and Russia.❖ The soil is poor in nutrients, which accounts for the low

amount of vegetation. There’s an under layer of soil permafrost, which remains frozen at all times. This allows little room for deep rooting plants.

❖ The climate is typically windy and cold, as for rainfall its minimal. It has cold winters and warm summers giving it a typical temperate.

Climate GraphHas a typical temperate temperature.

Nutrient Flow Diagram

Animals

PlantsBearberry

Arctic moss

Pasque flower

Biodiversity, habitats, and nichesCharacteristics of tundra include:

❖ 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

Energy Flow

Cont.

Productivity ❖ The tundra has some of the lowest net primary productivity

of any ecosystems due mainly to the cold and short growing season and the infertile soils. Mean productivities range from 10-400 g m-2 yr-1, with a mean of 140 g m-2 yr-1.

❖ The tundra biome produces only 600 Kilocalories/square meter/year, which is much lower than the other biomes, except for the Desert which produces less than 200.

❖ In the arctic tundra, snow cover persists into the spring after air temperatures and light increase to levels suitable for photosynthesis of vascular plants in the absence of snow cover.

SuccessionSince the tundra is made out of ice there are glaciers. When earth began to warm up, glaciers began retreating leaving behind lifeless, rugged land, making it harder for plants like the pioneer plants to begin growing on rocks. As time passed on rocks mixed with decaying lichens formed the first soil. When soil is formed grass starts to grow, resulting in new grass growing in that area. Then wind blew around dust which congregated in small cracks in rocks where moss and small plants started growing.

Cont.Moss obtains water by absorbing moisture in the air, once this occurs more moss and soil start forming. These stages of soil and plant sophistication are a representation of primary succession. This shows primary succession because it demonstrates plants and animals developing in biomes where there’s no topsoil. Secondary succession can occur in the tundra after a mudslide or fire.

Human impact❖ The most significant threat is global warming. This will

result in the permafrost melting radically changing the landscape for the species residing in tundras.

❖ Oil spills hurt tundra ecosystems as it kills off wildlife. ❖ Invasive species push aside native vegetation, reducing

plant diversity. ❖ Exploration of oil, gas, and minerals and construction of

pipelines and roads can cause physical disturbances and habitat fragmentation

Solutions❖ Limit tourism and respect local cultures.❖ Switch to alternative energy uses to minimize human-made

global warming.❖ Limit road construction, mining activities, and the building

of pipelines in tundra habitat.