My Biome

Biome:  Tundra

-The tundra biome is the coldest biome. The tundra has a very cold climate, very low temperatures, and little precipitation.  The summer season only lasts from May to July.  The normal summer temperatures only get as high as 50 degrees Fahrenheit.  During the summer the soil becomes very soggy from all the melted snow and the rain.  The moisture goes down into the ground and this is called permafrost. The winter can get as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit and can have some bad winters.  There are two different types of tundra’s the Arctic and the Alpine.

The first is the Arctic Tundra.  This tundra is only found in the Northern Hemisphere.  The summers highest temperature gets as high as 54 degrees Fahrenheit.  The average winter temperature gets to be as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit.  The types of plants that live in the Arctic Tundra are often short and grouped together for warmth and so they are protected from the snow.  These types of plants usually reproduce by budding.  The different kinds of plants that are usually found in this biome are low shrubs, sedges, moss, and lichen.  The types of animals that live in this biome are herbivorous mammals such as lemmings, voles, and caribou.  Other animals such as foxes, wolves, and polar bears, birds such as ravens falcons, and terns, insect life includes mosquitoes, flies, and grasshoppers, and the fish include cod, salmon, and trout.
            

        

The other type of biome is Alpine Tundra.  This tundra is found on the mountains.  The growing season is usually 180 days, and at night the temperatures usually always get below freezing.  The types of plants that are usually found in this tundra are tussock, grasses, dwarf trees, small leaf shrubs, and hedges.  The Alpine usually has well-drained soil.  The animals that are usually found in this biome are pika, marmot, elk, mountain goats, sheep, beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers, and springtails.

 



The Poles
By Bernard Stonehouse


The Poles by Bernard Stonehouse is a great children's book to read for the Tundra Biome. This book brings children from the Antartic through the desert back to the Artic Tundra.  This book shows the plant and animal life in each area that they go through.  Not only is this a great book to read if you are learning about the Tundra Biome but it also has great pictures to show the children.  This book is a great introduction to read before learning about the Tundra Biome because the children can get the idea about the cold weather and see what plants and animals can survive that type of weather.