THE ARCTIC TUNDRA

ARCTIC TUNDRA
Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34 °
C (-30 ° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12 ° C
(37-54 ° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to
10 inches). Soil is formed slowly. There are no deep root systems in the vegetation of the arctic tundra, however, there are still a wide variety of plants that are able to resist the cold climate. There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include: low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses.

ARCTIC TUNDRA (CONTINUED)
The Herbivores are: voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
The Omnivores are: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
The birds are: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls
The Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
The Fish are: Fish cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout.

Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer. Animals such as mammals and birds also have additional insulation from fat.
For Example, the Arctic fox is a mammal that lives there in the arctic tundra. This animal is an herbivore. I will be talking more about this arctic fox.

The ecosystem in the arctic land tundra, is very snowy and with very low temperatures from the average annual temperature is only 10 to 20F (-12C to -6C). Animals such as polar bear, caribou, Arctic fox, Arctic hare, Snowy Owl, musk ox, rock ptarmigan, greyfalcon, wolverine, grey wolf, and insects such as the cockroach. All of these animals are part of this ecosystem.

ECOSYSTEM

Well the producers are grass and other small flower-like plants that survive cold climates, a producer could be reindeer moss. Plants are short because the ground is warm, and they like being warm. Next is the primary consumers. There are musk oxen, insects like mosquitoes, and lemmings (rat-like creatures). Small predators, like the
Snowy Owl and the Arctic Fox.

REINDEER MOSS
Reindeer moss is a producer that is found and is part of the arctic Tundra. This producer is a combination of alga and fungus. They both share a symbiotic relationship and making a new plant that is reindeer moss.

MUSK OXEN
The musk oxen is first level producer and it is an herbivore. Its nickname is muskox. They are very related to goats and sheep. The muskox has hooves that helps it break the frozen lake to drink water from it. Another adaptation is that it can see really bright in the dark, its warm fur keeps it war,, and its horns warns predators away.Wide
variety of plants, including grasses, sedges, forbs, and woody plants.
One of their favorite foods is willow.

ARCTIC FOX
The arctic fox is a white mammal. The arctic fox has a dense, bushy coat and a long, fluffy tail. There are two color phases.
For the white phase, the fox has a thick, white coat during the colder, winter months and a shorter brownish to gray coat in the summer. The blue phase fox, has a long white coat in the winter and a shorter darker gray coat in the summer.

ARCTIC FOX (DIET)
The Arctic Fox will generally eat any small animal it can find: lemmings, hares, owls, eggs, and carrion, etc. Lemmings are the most common prey. A family of foxes can eat dozens of lemmings each day. During April and May the Arctic Fox also preys on Ringed Seal pups when the young animals are confined to a snow den and are relatively helpless. Fish beneath the ice are also part of its diet. If there is an overabundance of food hunted, the Arctic Fox will bury what the family cannot eat.

ARCTIC FOX (HABITAT)
This organism lives in the arctic tundra. Mostly in the northern hemisphere. These places are Arctic regions of
Eurasia, North America, Greenland, and Iceland.

ARCTIC FOX (ADAPTATIONS)
The Arctic Fox lives in some of the most frigid extremes on the planet. Among its adaptations for cold survival are its deep, thick fur, a system of in the circulation of paws to retain temperature, and a good supply of body fat. The, as evidenced by its generally rounded body shape, short muzzle and legs, and short, thick ears\ Its furry paws allow it to walk on ice in search of food. The Arctic Fox has such keen hearing that it can precisely locate the position of prey under the snow. When it finds prey, it pounces and punches through the snow to catch its victim. Its fur changes color with the seasons: in the winter it is white to blend in with snow, while in the summer months it changes to brown.

ARCTIC FOX (YOUNG)
The mating season is May-February and the gestation period for a pregnant female is 52 days. The number of pups born can range between 6-19, and the newborns weigh approximately 2 ounces. Whelps are helpless and blind when first born. They nurse until they can eat solid food. Both parents care for the pups. The mother raises the young while the father hunts for lemmings and other food. They start to eat solids after 6 weeks and leave the den after 14-15 weeks.
An average life span for the arctic fox is around three years.
The pups are brown when first born.

ARCTIC FOX (STATUS)
We should not be concerned about this mammal because it is not being hunted, it is at the top of it’s food chain, and it is not threatened nor extinct.

QUESTIONS
1. True or false? The arctic tundra’s temperature below zero.
2. True or False? The arctic tundra is very hot with extreme hot temperature.
3. True or false? The arctic fox is a carnivore.
4. True or false? 1 of the arctic fox’s adaptations its deep thick fur.
5. True or false? The arctic fox is endangered.

ANSWERS
2. 3