- coldest biome- below freezing at
night year round
- covers one-fifth of the land on
earth
- little precipitation
- short growing season
- poor nutrients
- Arctic Tundra
- located in the far north of
Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Europe, and Russia
- frozen, windy, desert-like plains
- scattered bogs and ponds
- growing season lasts for only 50
to 60 days
- layer of frozen subsoil so little
water drainage
- Alpine Tundra
- located high in the mountains
above the tree line
usually at an altitude of about 10,000 feet or more
- well drained soil
- growing season is about 180 days
|
|
| Rainfall |
less than 10 inches yearly
|
|
| Temperature |
Arctic
- average winter temperature is -30° F
- average summer temperature is 37-54°
F
Alpine
- temperatures vary depending on the
altitude
|
|
| Plants |
There are about 1,700
kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include:
- low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses,
liverworts, and grasses
- 400 varieties of flowers
- crustose and foliose lichen
The plants are very similar to those of
the arctic ones and include:
- tussock grasses, dwarf trees,
small-leafed shrubs, and heaths
|
|
| Mammals |
Arctic - arctic foxes,
arctic hares, caribou, ermine, lemmings, musk oxen, polar bears,
porcupines, Arctic shrews, squirrels, voles, weasels, wolves, reindeer
Alpine - elk,
marmots, mountain goats, pikas, sheep |
|
| Reptiles & Amphibians |
none
|
|
| Birds |
Artic - Arctic loons,
snowy owls, flacons, ptarmigans, ravens, snow buntings, snow birds, snow
geese, sandpipers, Arctic terns, tundra swans, gulls, swarms of
migrating birds, especially waterfowl
Alpine - grouse-like birds |
|
| Insects |
Artic -
Arctic bumblebees, blackflies, flies, grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and
moths Alpine - beetles,
butterflies, grasshoppers, and springtails. |
|