The climatic and geological factors of planet earth are very varied, and the presence of a certain type of landscape, climate, flora and fauna depends largely on them, being able to find from hostile regions subjected to high temperatures, such as deserts to completely opposite zones. We are talking about the tundra, do you know what it is? At Ecologist Verde we tell you all about the tundra: its characteristics, flora and fauna.
The term tundra refers to characteristic bioclimatic landscape of subglacial zones. The tundra is typical of polar zones located at high latitudes, generally in the northern hemisphere of the planet, and can be observed in regions such as:
It is characterized by having a very cold climate with temperatures below 0 ° C for most of the year being able to reach -70 ° C in the winter months. The rainfall is scarce and the winds are very strong. In addition, the soil hardly has any nutrients, in fact, it is practically frozen, so there is little species diversity both vegetables and animals.
As for its geology, as we have mentioned previously, it is characterized by the presence of a stable ice layer located at shallow depth called permafrost, although we can also find large frozen surfaces which melt in the summer months giving rise to swamps or bogs.
The tundra can be divide into three regions:
The extreme temperatures of the tundra climate, coupled with a shortage of nutrients and rainfall, prevent the existence of many plant speciesIn fact, there are no trees in the tundra, although we can find some other low-size species scattered throughout the landscape.
Generally, these are subjected to a series of adaptations that allow their survival in such a hostile territory, growing near rocks that protect them from the wind, being able to germinate and flower quickly in the summer months and keeping small dimensions that allow them to absorb. the heat from the ground. Thus, the vegetation of the tundra consists mainly of mosses, lichens, small shrubs and perennial grasses. Mainly, the tundra flora is the next:
As in the case of flora, the unfavorable conditions characteristic of the tundra prevent the presence of a great diversity of species. Most of them develop in the Arctic tundra, due to the greater amount of food, as well as on the coast or near the seas we can find some species of seals and sea lions.
Generally, the animals that remain in this biome have adapted their conditions to survive, protecting themselves with thick layers of fat under your skin and with a strong and bushy coat. In addition, this is usually whitish in order to blend in with the environment and can go unnoticed in the presence of hunters and predators, such as:
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