Arctic Tundra Animals And Plants
Some animals that live IN THE ARCTIC tundra are.
Arctic tundra animals and plants. For example caribous possess hooves that are large and spreading. Low-lying grasess like tundra grass Dupontia fischeri mosses such as Sphagnum mosses lichen largely reindeer lichen Cladonia rangiferina low-lying shrubs mountain cranberry Vaccinium vitis-idaea for example cushion plants like the three toothed saxifrage Saxifraga tricuspidata some 400 flowering vascular plants like the Dwarf Fireweed Chamerion latifolium and. Tundra wildlife includes small mammalssuch as Norway lemmings Lemmus lemmus arctic hares Lepis arcticus and arctic ground squirrels Spermophilus parryii and large mammals such as caribou Rangifer tarandus.
The arctic tundra by Jen. Animals in the tundra are also adapted to extreme conditions and they take advantage of the temporary explosion of plant and insect life in the short growing season. Many Arctic animals live in the ocean.
The arctic tundra animals and plants have to adapt to the harsh climatic conditions. The arctic tundra is a harsh environment that only the toughest plants and animals can survive in. Only a thin layer of soil called the active layer thaws and.
Some plants that grow in the tundra include lichen short shrubs sedges grasses flowers birch trees and willow trees. The tundra climate region are found in the Arctic and Antarctic. Arctic tundra animals do not enjoy the luxury of simply heading into thick forests to escape the biting wind.
But some animals like the caribou or musk oxen can eat the lichens and other plants. The tundra is characterized by permafrost a layer of soil and partially decomposed organic matter that is frozen year-round. Some animals stay all year round others migrate to warmer places for the winter.
The Arctic tundra plants are known for the adaptations they have undergone in order to survive hostile climate of this region. To the north is the Arctic proper where the vegetation is generally referred to as tundra from the Finnish word for an open rolling plain. Those living in the icy water have blubber a thick layer of fat under the skin.