Tundra

The Tundra Biome 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. There are two types of tundra in the world, Arctic and Alpine. The arctic tundra is at the top of the world around the North Pole. The tops of tall cold mountains are alpine tundra. The most distinctive characteristic of the tundra soil is its permafrost, a permanently frozen layer of ground often 2000 feet thick. Shallow rooted tundra plants and microorganisms grow in the permafrost. Animals are adapted to handle cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the short summers. Average yearly temperatures range from -70 degrees F to 20 degrees F. Characteristics of tundra include:
 * Tundra Introduction:
 * 1) Extremely cold climate, dry, strong winds
 * 2) Low biotic diversity
 * 3) Simple vegetation structure
 * 4) Limitation of drainage
 * 5) Short season of growth and reproduction
 * 6) Energy and nutrients in the form of dead organic material
 * 7) Large population oscillation

The //Ptarmigan's// genus //name//, Lagopus **This Melissa Arctic butterfly looks like lichen, which covers rocks and parts of the ground on the alpine tundra. Not very colorful, but great at playing hide-and-seek! ** Scientific //Name//: Oeneis //melissa//
 * White-tailed Ptarmigan are very hard to see, but sometimes you will hear them clucking or cackling out on the tundra**


 * It is hard for plants to grow in the Arctic. Once the snow melts the growing season is short. Even in the summer it is cold and windy and there are just a few months of sunshine. Yet, many different types of plants have adapted to the Arctic tundra.**

(breia rene' williams)

**Life:** -15 years in wild - Gestation takes 240 days - Usually have 1 calf a year - Near spring - If females have good health they’ll reproduce at 16 months but usually at 28 months - Grass - Tundra plants - Adult Caribous can eat 12 lbs. a day - They have a special antler to dig for food covered by snow - Caribou can swim - Young grasshoppers are called nymphs - From egg to adult its about 40-60 days - Females lay a fertilized egg pod 1-2 inches underground - Several dozen eggs per pod - Stay in egg pod throughout winter, hatch when warmer weather comes - Leaves/plants - In some countries grasshoppers are eaten as a source of protein - Females are usually larger than males - 11,000 species
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- Aquatic plants - Grow in the bottom of lakes & in or around bogs - Grows 1 cm. per year - Shoots live 7-9 years, leaves live 4 years - Grow shoots - Send out spores - Store nutrients - Grow near the ground to adapt to the strong winds - When not growing its storing nutrients so leaves can grow quickly when spring comes - It is one of 2000 plants in the Tundra
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1 Name: Musk Ox ( //Ovibos moschatus)

The Musk Ox are social animals that live in herds. The herds range from 10 to 20 at some point even 70. During the month of august male compete for dominance due to the mating seasons. the mating seasons makes the bulls aggressive. The female is sexually mature after two years and that the gestation period is eight or nine months. This animal eats grasses,reeds and sedges. Interesting facts is that they chase birds they are preyed upon bears and that they have lived through the ice age period. A. Wells

**Katahdin Arctic Butterfly (** //**Oneis polixnes katahdin//) // Life cycle: is unknown because it is so rare. It is said that you can find them resting on lichen covered rocks Reproductive Cycle: unknown

Food: plants, grass

Facts: only located in one part of the world. It is illegal to collect them. Most hikers kill eggs and larva not even knowing.

A Wells

shurbs

In the Tundra you would mostly not find any vegetation because it is really cold. If some of the ice melts then trees and flowers and grass would or may start to grow. But even if they do start to grow they wont survive because they would be covered underneath all the snow and ice. In some places of the tundra there are places to grow allot of crops because when the snow melts the water would be soaked by the dirt and that would make the soil a good place to grow plants and vegetation. But other than that you would not find allot of vegetation. ** Facts: mosses eat on it. grows in harsh weather and it been around for 30 years. A. Wells