Through a long, dark winter, Antarctica is locked in ice. Quiet. Cold. Finally, in spring, When the sun rises higher and higher, and the days are warmer, When the sea ice begins to break apart, Life returns.
Antarctic krill, gentoo penguins, humpback whales, orcas, Antarctic terns, and southern elephant seals thrive. When the days shorten at the end of summer And fall brings back the cold, Antarctica freezes again, And grows quiet, cold, through the long, dark winter, Until next spring.
A biome is a community of plants and animals that live together in a certain climate.
Welcome explorers! We are off to explore the tundra biome. Grab a coat because . . .
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. . . it’s cold in the tundra! In fact, it’s the coldest of all biomes. There isn’t much precipitation in the tundra either. It only gets about as much as a desert.
And, because its climate is harsh, there’s not much biodiversity. But don’t worry! We’ll still see plenty of hardy animals and plants!
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One of the few amphibians in the Arctic tundra is the wood frog. It survives the winter by freezing solid, then thawing in the spring! 3
Our tundra exploration will bring us to the extremes of the globe. The Arctic tundra lies far north, above the Arctic Circle. We’ll find the alpine tundra high above the tree line on a mountain.
The Antarctic tundra is on the southernmost continent—Antarctica.
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Tundra winters can last 6 to 10 months. How long is winter where you live?
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We’re heading to the Arctic first—in the summer!
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The growing season in the Arctic is less than 60 days.
Coming here in the winter wouldn’t be much fun, unless you were part polar bear. Winters are long and dark, and temperatures stay way below zero. Brrrrr! Even in the summer, you’ll likely still need a light jacket during the day. And at night? It gets very cold again.
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Can you imagine walking hundreds of miles? Twice a year? That’s what a herd of caribou does! That herd migrates here for the summer and spends winters someplace warmer.
Other animals are full-time residents. Some of these—like the Arctic ground squirrel—hibernate during the winter. Everyone is out enjoying the short Arctic summer!
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Millions of birds have migrated back, too . . . but they flew.
Arctic hares and fox change are full-time residents who change their coats to camouflage themselves. They are white in the winter and brown in the summer.
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What do you notice about the plants here? For one, they’re all low to the ground. And—no trees!
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That’s because a few inches below our feet, the ground is always frozen, even in the summer! That permafrost and the short growing season make it hard for plants to develop.
Despite the harsh conditions, there are 1,700 types of plants in the Arctic.
The plants that do grow have shallow roots and grow in groups for protection.
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Let’s add on layers of clothing and journey to the Antarctic tundra. If you thought the Arctic was cold, you’ll find the Antarctic even colder!
It almost never gets above freezing here. Most of the continent stays covered in ice all year long. Because of that, there are fewer plants and animals than we found in the Arctic.
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Roughly 98 percent of Antarctica is covered in ice. That’s as much as 3 miles thick in some places!
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There aren’t a lot of places for plants to grow in the Antarctic tundra. But look at this ice-free spot. What do you see?
Hardy plants like moss and lichen are survive by sticking close to the grou
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e able to und.
Believe it or not, there are also two flowering plants in this tundra, Antarctic pearlwort and Antarctic hair grass.
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What else do you notice about Antarctica? We’re in penguin territory!
In Antarctica, penguins are the most common animal. Most of the animals here are temporary summer residents, living near the coast. They all enjoy a buffet of fish, mollusks, and crustaceans from the sea. As winter approaches, they pack up and head for warmer places!
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Emperor penguins are full-time Antarctic residents and they breed in the coldest months of winter! 17
Let’s waddle off like penguins to the alpine tundra, high above the trees! Unlike the other tundras we’ve visited, it’s NOT flat. It’s also a bit warmer and there’s no permafrost.
Because of the climate, we can spot a lot more biodiversity than in the Arctic and Antarctic tundras.
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The Himalayas, Alps, Andes, and Rocky Mountains are all mountain regions with alpine tundra.
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What a climb! But worth it. Look at that rainbow of color! These plants have to deal with wind, cold, intense sun, and a short growing season. Many of these alpine wildflowers have hairy stems and leaves to protect against the elements.
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The old-man-of-the-mountain flower faces east ALL THE TIME to catch the earliest morning rays after a chilly alpine night.
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Hear that chirp?
It’s not a bird, it’s a marmot! Scan the boulder and you might find it standing as a lookout, calling to its colony.
You might glimpse a pika scampering about too, or rock-hopping bighorn sheep. 22
Marmots hibernate more than half of their life.
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Not many people live in the tundras we’ve visited, but these remote biomes still need help from humans.
Over-fishing and hunting in the tundra can hurt the species that live there. And companies that harvest oil and gas from the tundra are harming the wildlife.
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Ice is important to Arctic wildlife. Many species hunt, rest, give birth, and raise young on the ice.
Another big problem is that the ice is melting because of climate change. People are hurting the balance of life in the biome.
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Around the world, many tundra regions are already protected—including Antarctica. Saving the ice means that the next time you visit, these tundra biomes will still be full of life!
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The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska covers more than 30,000 square miles—about the size of South Carolina!
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Activity Time! Tundra Food Web In the Arctic tundra, as in all biomes, each species has an important role in the food web. Create you own food web to better understand this ecosystem. WHAT YOU NEED: 10 to 20 notecards, pen, colored pencils or markers Put the name of each of these species at the top of separate notecards: polar bear, caribou, Arctic hare, Arctic fox, lichen, grasses, moss, snowy owl, lemming, rock ptarmigan, ringed seals, and wolves. Research these species. On the back of each notecard, record where that species is in the food chain. What does it eat? Is it ever a meal? Is it a producer? Consumer (and is it an herbivore or carnivore)? On the front of the card make a drawing of the species. Now, arrange the notecards on a flat surface according to the tundra food web. There are many other species of plants and animals in the Arctic tundra. Research more species, give them a notecard, then place them in your food web. What would happen if one of species in your web disappeared. How would all the other species be affected? 28
Connections alpine tundra: a biome high in the mountains. Antarctic tundra: a biome in the Antarctic region. Arctic tundra: the treeless area that encircles the North Pole and extends into other areas in the Arctic Circle. biodiversity: the range of living things in an area. biome: a community of plants and animals that live together in a certain climate. climate: weather patterns during a long period of time. desert: the hottest biome that gets very little rain. hibernate: to sleep through the winter in a cave or underground. migrate: to move from one place to another. permafrost: a layer of soil in cold regions that stays frozen year-round. precipitation: any form of water that falls from clouds. tundra: a cold, mostly treeless biome.
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Glossary
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