TUNDRA BIOME 4. 2.

ALPINE TUNDRA -Located on

mountains throughout the world at high
• Tundra is the coldest of all the biomes. altitude where trees cannot grow.
• Tundra comes from the Finnish word
tunturia, meaning treeless plain. PLANTS IN TUNDRA

WHERE IS TUNDRA BIOMES LOCATED? Dwarf Shrub, Mosses, Lichen

Located at the top of the world, near the
North Pole. This enormous biome, extremely
uniform in appearance, covers a fifth of the earth's
surface.
2 MAJOR NUTRIENTS
• Nitrogen -Created by biological fixation
• Phosphorus -Created by precipitation.
NOTE: Dead organic material functions as a nutrient
pool.
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
• Seasonal frost heaves disrupts root systems
preventing support for tall vegetation.
Plants are small.
• They are near to the ground to avoid the strong
wind and cold temperatures.
• Hairy stems help to keep some plants warm.
• Plants do not come alive until the summer when
conditions are just right for growth.
• The growing season is short and can last up to
60 days.
• Common plant colors are yellow, orange and
red, this helps the plants absorb more heat
from the sun.
• Approximately 1,700 species of plants live on
the Arctic tundra, including flowering
plants, dwarf shrubs, herbs, grasses,
mosses, and lichens.
ANIMALS in TUNDRA
o MUSK OXEN, CARIBOU

2 TYPES OF TUNDRA
1. ARCTIC TUNDRA -Located in the northern
hemisphere

1. The soil in the Arctic has two layers, the

active layer and the inactive layer.
2. The Active Layer
• Ranges from ten inches to 3 feet.
• About 15% of it is well drained.
3. The Inactive Layer
• Commonly called the permafrost
layer.
• Stays frozen all year.
• Made of gravel, bedrock, clay or
silt.
• Prevents the water captured in the
active layer from draining.
• Poor in nutrients such as nitrogen
and phosphorus.