Honors Bio Blog: Arctic Tundra Biome

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8283268/Pole-to-pole-Daniel-J-Cox-photographs-Arctic-polar-bears-and-penguins-in-Antarctica.html

The summer before 5th grade I took a trip to Alaska, and finally it has paid off! For my biome, I am doing the arctic tundra, so I'll present you with some pretty dull facts paired with some pretty interesting life experiences (you won't wanna miss this!). Life comments will be in purple, factoids will be in boring old white.

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/tundra.htm

Abiotic Features

Soil type/minerals: The soil is lacking in nutrients, which barely matters since hardly anything can grow in the tundra anyway. Under the soil is a layer of permafrost, or a layer of ground that is permanently frozen, all year long. Since this layer is close to the top of the soil, there isn’t much room for plants to take root.

Water: There is little to no precipitation in the tundra, so it’s almost like a desert. Only about 6-10 inches of rain fall in the tundra every year. This precipitation can create small ponds, similar to the ones created when the weather gets warmer and the frost on the ground melts.

http://climhy.lternet.edu/documents/climdes/arc/arcclim.htm

Air: The elevation of arctic tundra ranges from 300-10,000 meters, so the air pressure varies depending on location, but is generally on the higher end of the spectrum (low elevation means high pressure). Since the tundra is basically a desert, it is not very humid, with usually 5-10% humidity.

Temperature: During the winter, the average temperature is about -30° Celsius, with the lowest temperatures reaching -78°. During the summer, the average temperature is between 3° and 12° Celsius.

So like, the tundra is cold right? We knew that, but we figured since it was summer we'd be okay. Yeah no. My dad loved the cold (about 50-60° F), but it was definitely not what I expected out of my summer. Us Californians are not adapted to that weather, and I was never as painfully aware of that as I was that week. (The cute husky picture may be a little unrelated, but I think it properly expresses the coldness, see his little sweater?!)

http://peanutpumpkinpie.blogspot.com/2013/01/peanut-economics-exploring-arctic.html

Sunlight: During the short summer, the sun is up almost 24 hours a day, giving the tundra the name “land of the midnight sun.” However, during the winter the sun only rises for several (if that) hours a day, so it is almost always dark.

Prior to this trip, I was rarely up until even 11 PM. I maintain this is what made me a night owl, because it was literally only dark for like two hours a night, so I could NEVER sleep. Not that I really minded, since it was pretty interesting to see the "night" life.

Shelter: There is not much shelter for animals, since the ground is relatively flat. There are some caves, but more animals use snow caves for shelter during hibernation.

http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/Archives/ED101fa09/doamaral/Land.html

Biotic Components

Producers: There are only 1700 species of plants in the arctic tundra, ranging from flowering plants to shrubs. The growing season is only about 90 days long, so these plants do not have much time to take root. Some examples of tundra plants are: arctic willows, bearberries, arctic poppies, and cotton grass. Like bearberries and pasque flowers, some arctic plants are covered with fine, silky hairs. These hairs provide the leaves and stems with insulation from the cold, which allows them to grow and continue photosynthesis despite the freezing temperatures.

Apparently there is an equivalent of poison ivy in Alaska. I was not aware of that. You can assume what happened. The arctic flowers are really surprisingly pretty though, and the Native Americans had so many uses for them!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/life/Papaver_radicatum

Consumers: There is not much biodiversity in the tundra, and many animals are migratory and only reside there for the warmer parts of the year, such as birds and caribou because of the relative lack of predators. Some tundra animals are: polar bears, arctic foxes, snowy owls, and arctic hares. Of course, these animals need some defense against the cold, so they have evolved short ears to reduce heat loss, thick coats, and many hibernate during the coldest winter months in order to conserve energy.

Bears! We saw bears! And birds of prey. And musk oxen, which smell...not as pleasant as you would expect them too. Also everything has this white fur that looks super soft and really pet-able...Look at this arctic fox! If that's not the cutest thing ever, you're wrong.

http://www.zoo.org/view.image?Id=469

Decomposers: The decomposers in the arctic work very slowly, because the cold slows down their metabolism. In the summer, mushrooms can grow, but for the rest of the year decomposition is almost at a halt, so bodies of dead animals can still be around years after their death. Some decomposers are arctic moss, mushrooms, and bacteria. Microorganisms like bacteria have genes that allow them to survive in cold environments and can die in warmer environments. These genes have properties similar to antifreeze to give them the best capacity to survive, and their genes have been useful in created human vaccines.

Yeah, that medication could have been useful. My dad got pneumonia (it started as a sinus infection, you know the curse: can't go on vacation without getting sick!).

Food Web

http://hwood6.wix.com/arctictundrabiome?_escaped_fragment_=arctic-tundra-food-web

Symbiotic Relationships

The most common symbiotic relationship in the arctic is lichen, a combination of a fungus and algae. The algae provide sugars to the fungus, and the fungus protects the algae so it can survive.

http://www.aitc.sk.ca/saskschools/arctic/Aplants3.html

Human Influence:

One very obvious risk to the arctic tundra is global warming, a problem created by modern society. Because the rising temperatures have caused ice flows to melt, animals like polar bears often find themselves displaced.

Another problem created by modern society is a growing need for oil, much of which happens to be found in the arctic. Drilling for oil not only disrupts the environment, but leaves potential for pollution and takes homes away from animals.

So, to plan my next trip to the arctic tundra, I guess I should reference this map!