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5.4.12: Arctic Tundra

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    34101

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    Learning Objective

    Recognize distinguishing characteristics of arctic tundra & plant adaptations of the biome.

    The Arctic tundra lies north of the subarctic boreal forests and is located throughout the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Tundra also exists at elevations above the tree line on mountains. The average winter temperature is –34°C (–29.2°F) and the average summer temperature is 3°C–12°C (37°F –52°F). Plants in the Arctic tundra have a short growing season of approximately 50–60 days. Though the sun is low to the ground and the days are limited, there are almost 24 hours of daylight and plant growth is considerably rapid. The annual precipitation of the Arctic tundra is low (15–25 cm or 6–10 in) with little annual variation in precipitation. And, as in the boreal forests, there is little evaporation because of the cold temperatures.

    Adaptations

    Plants in the Arctic tundra are generally low to the ground and include low shrubs, grasses, lichens, and small flowering plants with small leaves (Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\)). There is little species diversity, low net primary productivity, and low aboveground biomass. The soils of the Arctic tundra may remain in a perennially frozen state referred to as permafrost. The permafrost makes it impossible for roots to penetrate far into the soil and slows the decay of organic matter, which inhibits the release of nutrients from organic matter. The melting of the permafrost in the brief summer provides water for a burst of productivity while temperatures and long days permit it. During the growing season, the ground of the Arctic tundra can be completely covered with plants or lichens.

    A flat plain covered with shrub. Many of the shrubs are covered in pink flowers.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Low-growing plants such as shrub willow dominate the tundra landscape during the summer, shown here in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (credit: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, USFWS)

    Attributions

    Curated and authored by Kammy Algiers using Terrestrial Biomes from Biology 2e by OpenStax (CC-BY). Access for free at openstax.org

    This page titled 5.4.12: Arctic Tundra is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kammy Algiers (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .