The tundra biome is the coldest of all biomes, with extremely low temperatures averaging between -20°F to -30°F. It has a short growing season and receives little precipitation annually. Plants grow slowly due to the cold and include various mosses, shrubs, grasses, and willows. Fauna includes herbivores like caribou and lemmings, and carnivores such as arctic foxes and polar bears. Threats to the tundra include melting permafrost from climate change and human disturbances from resource extraction and infrastructure development. The tundra plays an important role in global climate regulation and biodiversity.

2. ENVIROMENT
Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. It is noted for its frost-molded
landscapes, extremely low temperatures, little precipitation, poor
nutrients, and short growing seasons. Dead organic material functions
as a nutrient pool. The two major nutrients are nitrogen and
phosphorus. Winter temperatures don't reach above 20° F and
average -20° to -30°F. The tundra is an unusually cold and dry
climate. Precipitation totals 6-10 inches of rain a year, which includes
melted snow. The tundra climate spans from most of Greenland to
parts of Alaska, northern Canada, and northern Russia. The latitudinal
range is 75° N to 60° N. Tundra climates can be found on the coastal
areas of the arctic. The ocean water keeps the climate from falling to
the extreme temperatures found in the interior of the continents.

3. FLORA
All of the plants found in the tundra biome grow very slowly due to the
cool temperatures. There are more than 2,000 types of plants that can
grow there. Most of them are types of moss. However, you will also find
shrubs, grass, and some willow out there as well. Approximately 400
different species of flowers have been identified in the tundra biome.
Because of the short growing season, most tundra plants are
perennials-they spend several years gathering and storing nutrients
between each episode of seed production. Many can reproduce by
sending runners through the soil, sprouting new plants at the nodes.
This is less costly than blooming and producing seeds and fruits.
Plants
Arctic Moss
Arctic Willow
Bearberry
Caribou Moss
Diamond-leaf Willow
Labrador Tea
Pasque Flower
Tufted Saxifrage

4. FAUNA
The fauna in the arctic is also diverse. Herbivorous mammals include
lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels. Carnivorous mammals
include arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears. Migratory birds include ravens,
snow buntings, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and
various species of gulls. Insects include mosquitoes, flies, moths,
grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees. Artic fishes include cod,
flatfish, salmon, and trout.
Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise
young quickly in the summer. Animals such as mammals and birds also have
additional insulation from fat. Many animals hibernate during the winter
because food is not abundant. Another alternative is to migrate south in the
winter, like birds do. Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent because of
the extremely cold temperatures. Because of constant immigration and
emigration, the population continually oscillates.

5. FOOD WEB

6. THREATS
• Threats • Solutions
• The melting of the permafrost as a result of • Switch to alternative energy uses to
global warming could radically change the minimize human-made global warming.
landscape and what species are able to live • Establish protected areas and park reserves
there. to restrict human influence.
• Ozone depletion at the North and South • Limit road construction, mining activities,
Poles means stronger ultraviolet rays that and the building of pipelines
will harm the tundra. intundra habitat.
• Air pollution can cause smog clouds that • Limit tourism and respect local cultures
contaminate lichen, a significant food
source for many animals.
• Exploration of oil, gas, and minerals and
construction of pipelines and roads can
cause physical disturbances and habitat
fragmentation.
• Oil spills can kill wildlife and significantly
damage tundra ecosystems.
• Buildings and roads put heat and pressure
on the permafrost, causing it to melt.
• Invasive species push aside native
vegetation and reduce diversity of plant
cover.

7. IMPORTANCE
The Tundra plays a large role in the temperature regulation of the planet. As
warm air rises from the tropical zone it is cooled in theTundra causing it to sink
back down to the equator. This causes weather and air currents. Without this
system climate as we know it would change drastically around the world. Areas
that once could support life may not anymore. It is also a winter home for many
species of birds. If they were to disappear from the food chain it would cause
devastating changes to other species dependent on the. the tundra is a key
factor in global biodiversity.

8. VOCABULARY
Phosphorus: a solid, nonmetallic element existing in at leastthree allotropic forms, on
e that is yellow, poisonous,flammable, and luminous in the dark, one that is red, less
poisonous, and less flammable, and another that is black,insoluble in most solvents,
and the least flammable
Biodiversity: diversity among and within plant and animal species in anenvironment.

9. Bibliography
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra.htm
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/tundra.html

10. CREDITS
Ian Diaz
Luis Medina
Job Gutierrez