The tundra biome is located near the North Pole and covers about 1/5 of the Earth's surface. It is the coldest biome with extreme cold temperatures year-round, a short growing season, and permafrost. There are two main types of tundra - Arctic tundra which surrounds the North Pole and Alpine tundra found at high altitudes worldwide. Tundra has a very simple vegetation structure of mosses, lichens, grasses and small shrubs due to the extreme climate. Large mammals that live in tundra, such as caribou, musk ox and polar bears, have thick fur and migrate south in winter while smaller mammals like arctic

1. “the cold plains of the Far North ”
“Ice Desert”
“Frozen Prairie”
"the land of the midnight sun"

2. TUNDRA…
About 1/5 of the Earth is tundra.
it is the coldest of all the biomes.
Tundra comes from a Finnish word “tunturia” and means 'treeless
plain'.
It is near the North Pole.
Tundra biome has about 400 varieties of flowers but
only 48 different animals.
It is considered a carbon dioxide sink.

3. CHARACTERISTICS OF TUNDRA:
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

4. TYPES OF TUNDRA:
• Arctic tundra
-located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and
extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga.
-is 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.
-yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches).
-A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exist

5. • Alpine tundra
-Alpine tundra is located on mountains throughout the
world at high altitude where trees cannot grow.
-The growing season is approximately 180 days.
-trees cannot grow at this high altitude, most of the alpine
tundra plant life consists of shrubbery and small leafy plants
TYPES OF TUNDRA con’t..

6. TUNDRA..CLIMATE
The main seasons are winter and summer: Spring and fall are only
short periods between winter and summer.
(winter) Alaska north of Atigun Pass. (summer) Lake Clark National Park

7. TUNDRA…TEMPERATURE
The winters are extremely cold with temperatures typically below -34° C
The summers last only about two months and the temperatures are still very cold
ranging from 3° to 12° C.
Average summer temperatures range from 37° to 60°F (3° to 16°C).

8. TUNDRA... SOIL
• During the short summers the top layer of soil may thaw just long enough to let
plants grow and reproduce.
• Below the soil is the tundra's permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of earth.
• The ground is always frozen beneath the top layer of soil, so trees can't send their roots
down.
• In Tundra, soil is very low in nutrients and minerals except for when the soil can obtain
nutrients from animal droppings.
• The soil also becomes frozen a short ways below the ground due to the extremely low
temperatures of the Tundra
• The poor soil quality also contributes to a short growth period of only 45 to 90 days.

9. TUNDRA…RAINFALL/PRECIPITATION
The tundra is basically like a desert when it comes to precipitation. Only about 6 - 10
inches of precipitation (mostly snow) fall each year.
In spite of the low annual rainfall, arctic lands may be very wet underfoot because
the moisture evaporates slowly and drainage conditions are poor.
The tundra seems like a wet and soggy place because the precipitation that falls
evaporates slowly, and because of the poor
drainage caused by the permafrost.

10. VEGETATION IN TUNDRA…
• There are only about 1,700 different
• species.
• These are mostly shrubs, sedges,
mosses, lichens and grasses.
• Vegetation in arctic tundra regions is limited.
• Arctic tundra plants must adapt to the
cold, dark conditions of the tundra as the
sun does not rise during the winter
months.
• These plants experience brief periods
of growth in the summer when
temperatures are warm enough for
vegetation to grow.

11. CUSHION PLANTS

12. ADAPTATION:
PLANT ADAPTATION:
ANIMAL ADAPTATION:
• Growing close to the ground
• Having shallow roots to absorb the limited
water resources.
• Trees grow less than 1 m high!
• Large mammals are heavily insulated against the cold and migrate to warmer
areas in the winter.
• Smaller mammals survive by burrowing and hibernating during the winter

13. ANIMALS LIVING IN TUNDRA
POLAR BEAR
MUSK OX
CARIBOU

14. WHITE FOX
ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRREL
ARCTIC HARE
REINDEER