FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE TUNDRA: REPRESENTATIVE SPECIES - BIOLOGY - 2024

The tundra is a practically infertile type of landscape, typical of polar regions or extreme cold. For this reason, the vegetation is scarce as practically no species grows in most of its territory. The fauna is more diverse, with animal species typical of these extreme climates. The most typical locations on the tundra are Russia, Canada, and Greenland.

The most representative plant species are: mosses, lichens, orchids and shrubs. There are not many more due to the freezing of the soils, the scarcity of water drainage from the surface and the properties of the soil. As for the fauna, the most representative animals are the polar bear, the reindeer, the hare, the wolf and the hawk.

Tundra fauna

1- The polar bear

It is one of the largest and strongest mammals on Earth. It is the only predator in the Arctic. It inhabits polar areas or very low temperatures.

During the summer, it eats small amounts of tundra vegetables, but its diet is mostly carnivorous.

They have a thick layer of body fat and a water-repellent layer that insulates them from air and cold water. They are considered good swimmers and spend more than 50% of their time looking for food.

2- The reindeer

The reindeer is a mammal of the deer family. Inhabits the tundra and taiga of the northern hemisphere. It tends to migrate in large herds or flocks from nursery areas to wintering areas. Large numbers of reindeer have been domesticated by Aborigines from Russia and Lapland.

Also called caribou, they are found in the northern regions of North America, Europe, Asia, and Greenland.

3- The hare

More specifically, the species that we find in the tundra is the arctic hare or polar hare. It is abundant in Greenland, Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada.

It feeds essentially on small vegetation. Its great sense of smell allows it to detect it under the snow during winter.

The polar hare has adapted to its environment with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, a thick layer of fat that makes up 20% of its body, and a thick coat of hair. Usually digs holes in the ground or under snow to keep warm and sleep.

4- The wolf

The Siberian wolf or tundra wolf is a subspecies of the common wolf. Its size is generally greater than that of the common wolf that we find in other habitats.

They rarely settle in a fixed territory, but instead migrate following reindeer migrations. This is its main food source and the species it preys frequently.

5- The hawk

It is present in many places, always northern and where tundra or taiga dominate the landscape. The species that inhabits these environments is known as the gyrfalcon or gyrfalcon. It feeds, above all, on other mammals. Occasionally, it can also subsist on carrion.

Tundra flora

1- Mosses

It is one of the most common vegetations on the tundra. Actually, one of the few that we find in ecosystems where the tundra is the dominant landscape. It can cover large areas of territory in the most humid areas of the tundra.

2- Lichens

Lichens are organisms that are created from the symbiosis of a fungus and an alga.

The properties of lichens are sometimes similar to plants, but they are not. They may have small, leafless branches (fruticosas), flat leaf-like structures (foliose), or flakes that lie on the surface like worn paint (crustosa).

3- Orchids

Within the plant poverty of the tundra, the orchid stands out as one of the few plants that flourish in that environment. There is a multiplicity of species and subtypes, but all are easily identifiable and share the characteristic of being monocots.

4- The bushes

Different types of small and medium-sized shrubs or trees can be found in the tundra. No other larger species manages to survive in the absence of water and nutrients.

References

1. "Tundra Animals (American Habitats)", Connor Dayton. (2009).
2. "Animals of the Artic Tundra: Polar Region Wildlife", Baby Professor. (2011).
3. The Hardy and Amazing Flora of the Artic Tundra, on Oceanwide, at oceanwide-expeditions.com.
4. "The Tundra: Biomes of the World", Elizabeth Kaplan. (nineteen ninety five).
5. "The Frozen Tundra: A Web of Life", Philip Johansson. (2004).