Tundra Biome Facts

The tundra biome is a vast permafrost plain in the Arctic region, predominantly characterized by the absence of trees in this area. The word 'tundra' in itself is derived from a Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plains. Other than being the coldest, among the various biomes of the world, there are several tundra biome facts which make it one of the most interesting components of the planet. Basically, the Tundra biome is classified into three categories:

• The Arctic tundra, which encompasses the vast areas of northern Russia and Canada
• The Antarctic tundra, comprising Antarctica, and other islands in the vicinity
• The Alpine tundra, which spans across the mountain ranges in America, Europe, Africa and Asia

Among these three, Alpine tundra is an exception as far as permafrost is concerned, but high altitude makes it impossible for trees to survive and hence, the area is devoid of trees.

Interesting Tundra Biome Facts
Tundra biome is one of the coldest and harshest biomes in the world. The extremely cold conditions in this region are not at all suitable for human habitation. Given below are some of the most interesting facts about tundra biome which are bound to leave you gaping.

Tundra Biome Climate
The tundra biome is one of the coldest places on the planet, with an average temperature ranging between -10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. This place experiences short summers, between the month of May and July. However, there is not much relief, as there is only a marginal rise in the temperature, which seldom crosses over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. At just about 10 inches or less, the amount of precipitation tundra receives every year is also very low. Cold winds are quite common here, and at times, these winds blow copious amount of snow in the air, thus causing virtual blindness referred to as 'whiteouts', which can last for several days.

Tundra Biome Plants and Animals
In this extremely cold climate, survival seems to be a daunting task, at least for us humans. However, the plants and animals in tundra biome have successfully adapted themselves to its extremely cold climate.

Tundra Plants
The vegetation here mainly comprises dwarf shrubs, grass, moss and lichen. The plant life in tundra has developed some adaptation techniques to survive its cold weather. Most of the plants here are short, which ensures that they don't get damaged by strong winds. The red color pigmentation on several plant species here helps them in absorbing more sunlight, than their conventional green counterparts. The plants found in tundra include Arctic moss, Labrador tea, Arctic willow, tufted saxifrage, Caribou moss, Diamond-leaf willow, Bearberry and Pasque flower.

Tundra Animals
Like the plants, even the animals in tundra have adapted themselves to survive the extreme weather. Several animal species are found in this region, the prominent ones being polar bears, arctic fox, grizzly bear, Harlequin duck, musk ox, caribou and snow owls. These animals sport a thick fur coat, which acts as their natural defense against cold, and broad, furry feet which makes it easier for them to walk on the snow. Many of these animal species in tundra either migrate, or hibernate during the freezing winters.

Amazing Tundra Biome Facts
If you thought that these facts about tundra biome were amazing, wait for a minute, more is yet to come. There are some unbelievable things about tundra which not many people are actually aware of:

• Tundra experiences summer from May to July. During this period the sun shines in this region throughout the day, even at midnight.
• The only tree that grows in the harsh climate of Arctic tundra is the dwarf willow, with an average height of only 4 inches.
• When the sea in tundra freezes, owing to extremely low temperature, the salt in it tends to form crystals, which are referred to as ice flowers.
• A major carbon sink, the tundra biome plays a vital role in keeping the global temperatures stable, by absorbing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
• One of the most amazing tundra biome facts, which would undoubtedly leave you wanting for more, is that even though the temperatures are extremely cold, some insects and reptiles have also adapted themselves to this environment.

One of the most striking alpine tundra biome facts is its long growing season, spanning over six months, unlike the short growing seasons in Arctic and Antarctic tundra. The tundra biome information explored in this article shows that there still remains much to be tamed in this fascinating place.