Journey into a biome that goes to extremes! How many different types of tundra ecosystems are there? Why is this biome so vital to us? What types of plants and animals live in this biome? Do they require special adaptations and if so what are they? Why would anyone want to live there? You will learn the answers to these questions and more as you explore this diverse biome. Remember to complete the scavenger hunt questions and complete your data collection sheet as you move through this area of the world.

Did you know?

Temperature: -40°C to 18°C
Precipitation: 150 to 250 mm of rain per year
Vegetation: Almost no trees due to short growing season and permafrost; lichens, mosses, grasses, sedges, shrubs
Location: Regions south of the ice caps of the Arctic and extending across North America, Europe, and Siberia (high mountain tops)
Other: Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturia, meaning "treeless plain"; it is the coldest of the biomes

The tundra is the coldest of the biomes. It also receives low amounts of precipitation, making the tundra similar to a desert. Tundra is found in the regions just below the ice caps of the Arctic, extending across North America, to Europe, and Siberia in Asia. Much of Alaska and about half of Canada are in the tundra biome. Tundra is also found at the tops of very high mountains elsewhere in the world. Temperatures are frequently extremely cold, but can get warm in the summers.

Tundra winters are long, dark, and cold, with mean temperatures below 0°C for six to 10 months of the year. The temperatures are so cold that there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface, called permafrost. This permafrost is a defining characteristic of the tundra biome. In the tundra summers, the top layer of soil thaws only a few inches down, providing a growing surface for the roots of vegetation.

Precipitation in the tundra totals 150 to 250 mm a year, including melted snow. That's less than most of the world's greatest deserts! Still, the tundra is usually a wet place because the low temperatures cause evaporation of water to be slow. Much of the arctic has rain and fog in the summers, and water gathers in bogs and ponds.

Use the navigational bar to above to move through each specific ecosystem, resources and adaptations.

To listen to the sounds of the forest ecosystem click on the image below.

To take glimpse into the life of a Penguin click on the image below.

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