Tundra: flora and fauna

The tundra zone extends in the north of our country in a continuous strip from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka. It occupies about 14% of Russia's territory. The southern border of the tundra zone in the European part of the country (except for the Kola Peninsula) and in Western Siberia almost coincides with the Arctic Circle. In Eastern Siberia it is sharply pushed to the north, and in the extreme east of the country, on the contrary, it descends far to the south, reaching the coast of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

The living conditions of plants in the tundra are quite harsh. Winter lasts 7 - 8 months, and summer is short and cool. The average temperature of the warmest summer month (July) usually does not exceed + 10 °C. The life span of plants is very short - only 3-4 months. Even at the height of summer, in July, there are frosts and snow on some days. Sudden returns of frost catch plants at a time when they are in a state of active growth and full flowering.

There is little precipitation in the tundra, usually no more than 250 mm per year. However, in cold climates this relatively small amount is more than enough. Much more water comes from the atmosphere than can evaporate from the earth's surface. Tundra soils are provided with abundant water. The bulk of precipitation occurs in the summer; in winter there is very little precipitation (about 10% of the annual amount). There are no heavy downpours; it usually just drizzles. There are especially many rainy days in autumn.

The snow cover in the tundra is very shallow - on level ground it is usually no more than 15-30 cm. It barely covers low-growing bushes and shrubs. Strong winds completely blow away the snow from hillocks and elevations, exposing the soil. The surface of the snow is constantly in motion under the influence of the wind. The mass of tiny ice crystals that make up the snow moves at high speed in the horizontal direction, exerting a strong mechanical effect on everything located above the snow cover. This powerful stream of solid ice particles can not only destroy or damage plant shoots protruding above the snow - it even grinds rocks. The mechanical effect of snow driven by strong winds, the so-called snow corrosion, does not allow tundra plants to grow any tall. The flow of ice crystals seems to trim them. Only in deep depressions, which in winter are filled to the brim with snow, can relatively tall shrubs be found (they can be as tall as a person).

Wind speed in the tundra can reach 40 m/sec. This wind is so strong that it knocks a person off his feet. In winter, the wind affects plants mainly mechanically (through corrosion). But in summer it has a predominantly physiological effect, increasing evaporation from the aboveground organs of plants.

Permafrost is widespread throughout almost the entire territory of the tundra zone. The soil thaws in summer to a shallow depth - no more than 1.5-2 m, and often much less. Below is a permanently frozen pound. Permafrost has a huge impact on tundra vegetation. This influence is mostly negative. The close proximity of cold, ice-bound soil limits the deep growth of plant roots and forces them to be located only in a thin surface layer of soil. Permafrost serves as an aquifer, preventing moisture from seeping down and causing waterlogging in the area. Tundra soils usually have well-defined signs of swampiness: a peaty layer on the surface, underneath a bluish gley horizon. Soil temperature in the tundra in summer time falls quickly with depth, and this also adversely affects plant life. The surface of the vegetation cover, even well north of the Arctic Circle, can heat up in summer to + 30 °C or more, while the soil already at a depth of 10 cm is quite cold - no more than +10 °C. Thawing of tundra soils at the beginning of summer is slow, because the upper horizons are usually penetrated by layers of ice that absorb a lot of heat. Therefore, tundra plants develop in the summer under conditions of a very special light regime. The sun does not rise high, but for many days it shines around the clock. Thanks to round-the-clock lighting, plants manage to receive quite a lot of light even during a short growing season - not much less than in mid-latitudes. The light intensity in the Far North is relatively high due to the high transparency of the atmosphere. Tundra plants are well adapted to long days; they develop well under this unique light regime. Plants short day They cannot develop normally in tundra conditions.

Thus, in the tundra, among many factors unfavorable for plant life, one of the most important is lack of heat. Summer here is too short and cold, the soil thaws to a shallow depth and does not warm up well. The air in summer is also often quite cold, and only on the surface of the soil, when the sun is shining, is it relatively warm. Consequently, in the tundra only the top layer of soil and the bottom layer of air adjacent to the earth’s surface are most favorable for plant life. Both layers measure only a few centimeters. It is not surprising, therefore, that many tundra plants are very short, they are spread out on the ground, and their root systems grow mainly in the horizontal direction and almost do not go deep. In the tundra there are many plants with leaves collected in a basal rosette, creeping shrubs and shrubs. All these plants, due to their short stature, make the best use of the heat of the ground layer of air and protect themselves from excessive evaporation caused by strong winds.

Let's get acquainted in more detail with the flora of our tundras.

A typical tundra is a treeless space with low and not always continuous vegetation cover. It is based on mosses and lichens, against which low-growing plants develop. flowering plants- shrubs, shrubs, herbs. There are no trees in the real tundra - the living conditions here are too harsh for them. During the short and cold summer, the protective layer of integumentary tissue necessary for normal overwintering does not have time to fully form on young shoots (without such a layer, young branches die in winter from loss of water). Conditions for overwintering trees in the tundra are extremely unfavorable: strong drying winds, snow corrosion, which systematically “cuts” young trees and does not allow them to rise above the snow.

Another important circumstance is the low temperature of the tundra soil in summer, which does not allow the roots to replenish large losses of water from the above-ground part of the tree during evaporation (the so-called physiological dryness of tundra soils).

Only in the very south of the tundra zone, in more favorable climatic conditions, can individual trees be found. They grow against the background of a characteristic tundra vegetation and stand quite far from each other, forming the so-called forest-tundra.

Mosses and lichens play a very important role in the vegetation cover of the tundra.

There are many types of them here, and they often form a continuous carpet over vast areas. Most mosses and lichens found in the tundra are not associated in their distribution exclusively with the tundra zone. They can also be found in forests. These are, for example, many green mosses (pleurocium, chylocomium, cuckoo flax) (lichens of the genus Cladonia (this includes deer moss and other related and similar species). However, there are also specific tundra species of mosses and lichens.

Both mosses and lichens tolerate the harsh conditions of the tundra. These low-growing, unpretentious plants can overwinter under the protection of even a thin snow cover, and sometimes without it at all. The soil layer as a source of water and nutrients for mosses and lichens there is almost no need - they get everything they need mainly from the atmosphere. They do not have real roots, but only thin thread-like processes develop, the main purpose of which is to attach plants to the soil. Finally, mosses and lichens, due to their low growth, make the best use of the ground-level, warmest layer of air in summer.

The bulk of flowering plants in the tundra are shrubs, dwarf shrubs and perennial herbs. Shrubs differ from shrubs only in their smaller size - they are almost the same in height as small herbs. But nevertheless, their branches become lignified, covered on the outside with a thin layer of protective cork tissue and bear wintering buds. It is enough to draw a clear line between shrubs and shrubs difficult.

On flat areas of the tundra, where the snow cover is shallow, both shrubs and shrubs are low and do not rise above the snow. Among these plants we find some dwarf species of willows (for example, grass willow), wild rosemary, blueberry, crowberry, and dwarf birch. It often happens that shrubs and shrubs are located in the thickness of a thick moss-lichen cover, almost without rising above it. These plants seem to seek protection from mosses and lichens (in the forest the situation is completely different). Some of the shrubs and shrubs are evergreen (crowberry, lingonberry, wild rosemary), others shed their leaves for the winter (various willows, dwarf birch, blueberry, arcticus, etc.).

Almost all herbaceous plants of the tundra are perennial.

Perennial herbaceous plants of the tundra are characterized by short stature. Among them there are some grasses (squat fescue, alpine meadow grass, arctic bluegrass, alpine foxtail, etc.) and sedges (for example, hard sedge). There are also a few legumes (astragalus umbelliferum, common pennyweed, and common oleaginus). However, most species belong to the so-called forbs - representatives of various families of dicotyledonous plants. From this group of plants we can name the viviparous knotweed, the Eder's grass, the European and Asian swimworts, rosea rhodiola, alpine cornflower, woodland and white-flowered geraniums. A characteristic feature of tundra herbs is large, brightly colored flowers. Their colors are very diverse - white, yellow, crimson, orange, blue, etc. When the tundra blooms, it looks like a motley colorful carpet. The tundra usually blooms immediately, suddenly - after the first warm days arrive. And many plants bloom at the same time.

Many representatives of the tundra flora have adaptations aimed at reducing evaporation in the summer. The leaves of tundra plants are often small, and therefore the evaporating surface is small. The underside of leaves, where the stomata are located, is often covered with dense pubescence, which prevents too much air movement near the stomata and, therefore, reduces water loss.

Let's take a closer look at some of the most important tundra plants.

Dwarf birch, or dwarf birch (Vegina papa). The dwarf birch bears little resemblance to our ordinary, familiar birch, although both of these plants are close relatives ( different types of the same kind). The height of a dwarf birch is small - rarely more than half a person's height. And it grows not as a tree, but as a branchy bush. Its branches rise slightly upward, and often even spread across the surface of the ground. In short, the birch tree is truly dwarf. Sometimes it is so small that its creeping shoots are almost entirely hidden in the thickness of the moss-lichen carpet, and only leaves are visible on the surface. It must be said that the leaves of a dwarf birch are not at all the same as those of an ordinary birch. Their shape is round, and the width is often longer. And they are relatively small in size - like small copper coins. Along the edge of the leaf there are small semicircular projections one after another (botanists call this edge of the leaf crenate). The leaves are dark green, glossy above, and paler, light green below. In autumn, the leaves become beautifully colored - they turn bright red. Thickets of dwarf birch are unusually colorful at this time of year; they always surprise with their bright crimson color.

Seeing a dwarf birch branch with leaves for the first time, few of us would say that it is a birch. Even if we notice earrings on a branch, it will also be difficult to determine that in front of us is a birch tree. Like the plant itself, these earrings are dwarf, very short - their length is no more than a fingernail. And their shape is not at all the same as that of an ordinary birch - oval or elongated-ovoid. When ripe, the earrings crumble into separate parts - small three-lobed scales and tiny, nut-like fruits, equipped with a narrow membranous edge. In this respect, the dwarf birch differs little from the ordinary birch.

Dwarf birch is one of the most common tundra plants. It can be found in almost the entire tundra zone. It is especially abundant in the southern part of the tundra, where it often forms thickets. In summer, deer feed on its leaves. And the local population collects more large specimens plants for fuel.

In the North, dwarf birch is often called dwarf birch. This name comes from the Nenets word “era”, which means “shrub”.

Blueberry, or gonobobel (Uasstsht iN§tosht). This is the name of one of the low tundra shrubs (its height rarely exceeds 0.5 m). Distinctive feature This plant has a bluish tint to the foliage. The shape and size of the leaves are almost the same as those of lingonberries, but relatively thin and delicate. They appear in the spring and fall off by autumn. Blueberries, unlike lingonberries, are deciduous shrubs.

Blueberry flowers are inconspicuous, dim, whitish, sometimes with a pink tint. They are no larger than a pea, their corolla is almost spherical, shaped like a very wide jug.” The flowers are located on the branches so that the corolla opening is directed downwards. There are 4-5 small teeth along the edge of the hole. The denticles represent the ends of the petals (along the rest of the length the petals are fused into one whole).

Blueberry fruits are bluish, round berries with a bluish bloom. They resemble blueberries, but are larger. The pulp of the fruit is not watery, as a result of which this plant is sometimes called crowberry.

Cloudberry (Kubus cataetoris) is the closest relative of raspberry (another species of the same genus). However, this is not a shrub, but a perennial herbaceous plant. Every spring, a short, erect stem with several leaves and only one flower grows from a thin rhizome in the soil. By winter, the entire above-ground part of the plant dies, and in the spring another shoot grows again. Cloudberries are different from raspberries in many ways. Its stems are devoid of thorns, the leaves are rounded-angular (shallowly 5-lobed). The flowers are much larger than raspberries, with five white petals pointing in different directions. Cloudberries are unlike raspberries in one more respect: they are dioecious plants. Some of its specimens always bear only male, sterile flowers, others - only female ones, from which fruits are subsequently formed. I wonder what male flowers larger than female ones, they can be up to 3 cm in diameter.

Cloudberry fruits are similar in structure to raspberry fruits: each of them consists of several small juicy fruits fused together into one whole. An individual fruit is somewhat similar to a tiny cherry: there is pulp on the outside and a pit on the inside. Botanists call such a simple fruit a drupe, and the entire complex cloudberry fruit is a complex drupe. Raspberries have exactly the same type of fruit.

However, in appearance, the cloudberry fruit bears little resemblance to the raspberry fruit. Its individual particles are much larger than those of raspberries, and the color of the fruit is completely different. At the beginning of ripening, the fruits are red; when fully ripe, they are orange, like wax. Ripe cloudberry fruits have a pleasant taste and are highly valued by local residents, who collect them in large quantities in the tundra. The fruits contain from 3 to 6% sugar, citric and malic acids. They are eaten mainly steamed and soaked; they are also used to make jam.

Lichen moss, or reindeer moss (C1ac1osha gangireppa). This is one of our largest lichens, its height reaches 10-15 cm. An individual moss plant resembles some kind of fancy tree in miniature - it has a thicker “trunk” rising from the ground, and thinner winding “branches”. Both the trunk and branches gradually become thinner and thinner towards the ends. Their ends almost completely disappear - they are no thicker than a hair. If you put several of these plants next to each other on black paper, you get a beautiful white lace.

Resin moss has a whitish color. It is due to the fact that the bulk of the lichen consists of the thinnest colorless tubes - fungal hyphae. But if we look at a cross-section of the main “stem” of moss under a microscope, we will see not only fungal hyphae. Near the surface of the “stem” there is a thin layer of tiny emerald green balls - microscopic cells, algae. Resin moss, like other lichens, consists of fungal hyphae and algae cells.

When wet, moss is soft and elastic. But after drying, it hardens and becomes very brittle and crumbles easily. The slightest touch is enough for pieces to break off from the lichen. These tiny fragments are easily transported by the wind and can give rise to new plants. It is with the help of such random fragments that moss mainly reproduces.

Resin moss, like other lichens, grows slowly. It grows in height only a few millimeters per year, although its size is quite large. Due to the slow growth of moss, the same tundra pasture cannot be used for several years in a row; it is necessary to constantly move to new areas. If deer in the tundra eat moss, it takes quite a long time (10-15 years) to restore the lichen cover.

Resin moss is of great economic importance. It is known to serve as one of the most important food plants for deer in the tundra. Interestingly, deer unmistakably find it by smell even in winter under a layer of snow.

Fauna of the tundra

The fauna in the tundra is very unique and differs in some features from the animals of the Far North. They are not picky about food. Animals have thick fur, and birds have fluffy plumage. Animals change color: in summer they are light brown to match the color of the vegetation, and in winter they are white or light gray to match the color of snow.

Typical animals of the tundra are the arctic fox, lemming, reindeer, ptarmigan, polar wolf and snowy owl.

The Arctic fox hunts pieds and polar partridges. He has very valuable fur. Reindeer are not afraid of frosts and snowstorms. Wide hooves allow him to run through the snow without falling through and rake the snow in search of food.

In summer, countless mosquitoes, midges, and gadflies appear in the tundra. There are so many of them that you can’t work in the tundra without mosquito nets; they bite and get into your eyes, nose, and mouth.

At this time, many birds fly here to nest: geese, swans, ducks, waders. Many of them feed on insects.

The natural tundra zone is located mainly beyond the Arctic Circle and is limited to the north by arctic (polar) deserts and to the south by forests. It is located in the subarctic zone between 68 and 55 degrees north latitude. In those small areas where the cold air masses From the Arctic Ocean in the summer, the path is blocked by mountains - these are the valleys of the Yana, Kolyma, Yukon rivers - the taiga rises into the subarctic. One should separately distinguish between mountain tundra, which is characterized by a change in nature with the height of the mountains.

The word "tundra" comes from the Finnish tunturi, which means "treeless, bare upland." In Russia, the tundra occupies the coast of the seas of the Arctic Ocean and adjacent territories. Its area is about 1/8 of the entire area of ​​Russia. In Canada, the tundra natural zone includes a significant part of the northern territories, which are practically uninhabited. In the United States, tundra occupies most of the state of Alaska.

a brief description of

• The natural tundra zone occupies about 8-10% of the entire territory of Russia;
• The tundra has a very short summer with an average temperature in the warmest month, July, from +4 degrees in the north to +11 degrees in the south;
• Winter in the tundra is long and very harsh, accompanied by strong winds and snowstorms;
• Cold winds blow throughout the year: in summer - from the Arctic Ocean, and in winter - from the cooled mainland of Eurasia;
• The tundra is characterized by permafrost, that is, the upper level of the ground frozen through, part of which thaws in the summer by only a few tens of centimeters.
• In the tundra zone there is very little precipitation - only 200-300 mm per year. However, soils in the tundra are widely waterlogged due to impermeable permafrost at shallow surface depths and poor evaporation due to low temperatures even with strong winds;
• The soils in the tundra are usually infertile (due to humus being blown away by the winds) and are very swampy due to freezing in the harsh winter and only partial warming up in the warm season.

Tundra is a natural area of ​​Russia

As everyone knows from school lessons, nature and climate on the territory of Russia have a clearly defined zonation of processes and phenomena. This is due to the fact that the territory of the country has great length from north to south, and is mainly dominated by flat terrain. Each natural zone is characterized by a certain ratio of heat and moisture. Natural areas are sometimes called landscape or geographic.

The tundra occupies the territory adjacent to the coast of the Arctic Ocean and is the most severe inhabited natural zone in Russia. To the north of the natural tundra zone there are only arctic deserts, and to the south the forest zone begins.

The following are represented on the plains of Russia: natural areas, starting from the north:

• Arctic deserts;
• Forest-steppe
• Steppes
• Semi-deserts
• Deserts
• Subtropics.

And in the mountainous regions of Russia, altitudinal zonation is clearly expressed.

Natural areas of Russia on the map

The tundra is characterized by harsh climatic conditions, relatively low rainfall and the fact that its territory is located primarily in Arctic Circle. Let's list the facts about the tundra:

• The natural tundra zone is located north of the taiga zone;
• Mountain tundras are found in the mountains of Scandinavia, the Urals, Siberia, Alaska and Northern Canada;
• Tundra zones stretch in a strip 300-500 km wide along the northern coasts of Eurasia and North America;
• The climate of the tundra is subarctic, it is quite harsh and is characterized by a long winter with polar nights (when the sun practically does not emerge from the horizon) and short summer. A particularly harsh climate is observed in the continental tundra regions;
• Winter in the tundra lasts 6-9 months a year, it is accompanied by strong winds and low air temperatures;
• Frosts in the tundra sometimes reach minus 50 degrees Celsius;
• The polar night in the tundra lasts 60-80 days;
• Snow lies in the tundra from October to June, its height in the European part is 50-70 centimeters, and in Eastern Siberia and Canada 20-40 cm. In winter, snowstorms are frequent in the tundra;
• Summer in the tundra is short, with a long polar day;
• August in the tundra is considered the most warm month in the year: positive average daily temperatures of up to +10-15 degrees are observed, but frosts are possible on any day of summer;
• Summer is characterized by high air humidity, frequent fogs and drizzling rains;
• Tundra vegetation includes 200-300 species of flowering plants and about 800 species of mosses and lichens.

The main occupations of the population in the tundra:

• Reindeer husbandry;
• Fishing;
• Hunting for fur and sea animals.

The population of the tundra is limited in the choice of activities due to the characteristics natural conditions and relative isolation from large cities, as well as the population of the islands, isolated on small islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the following types of tundra with characteristic vegetation are distinguished:

• arctic tundra(marsh soils and moss-lichen plants dominate);
• Subarctic tundra or typical middle tundra(moss, lichen and shrub plants, berries);
• or southern tundra (shrub plants - dwarf birch, bushy alder, different kind willows, as well as berries and mushrooms).

arctic tundra

In the Arctic, on the northern edge of European and Asian Russia, as well as in the far north of North America, there is the Arctic tundra. It occupies the coastal territory of the northern seas and is a flat marshy area. Summer there brings only a brief thaw, and plants are not found due to the too cold climate. Permafrost is covered with melt lakes of melted snow and ice. Perennial plants in such conditions are able to grow only for a short period of time - at the end of July and August, grouping in low places and protected from the winds, and annual plants do not take root here, since due to the harsh natural conditions they have a very short period of time. growing season. The predominant species are mosses and lichens, and shrubs do not grow at all in the Arctic tundra.

More southern types of tundra up to the forest-tundra zone are called Subarctic. Here, the cold arctic air in the summer gives way for a short time to more warm air temperate zone. The days there are long, and under the influence of the penetration of a warmer climate, tundra plants have time to develop. These are mostly dwarf plants that cling to the ground, which radiates a little heat. This is how they hide from the winds and from freezing, trying to spend the winter under the snow cover as if in a fur coat.

IN middle tundra There are mosses, lichens and small shrubs. Small rodents are found here - lemmings (pieds), which feed on arctic foxes and polar owls. Most animals in the tundra are covered in snowy white fur or plumage in winter, but turn brown or gray in summer. Large animals in the middle tundra include reindeer (wild and domestic), wolves, and tundra partridge. Due to the abundance of swamps, the tundra is home to a gigantic amount of all kinds of midges, which in the summer attracts wild geese, ducks, swans, waders and loons to breed their chicks in the tundra.

Farming in the subarctic tundra is impossible in any form due to the low temperature of the soil and its poverty of nutrients. The territory of the middle tundra is used by reindeer herders as summer reindeer pastures.

On the border of the tundra and forest zones there is forest-tundra. It is much warmer here than in the tundra: in some areas the average daily temperature exceeds +15 degrees for 20 days per year. During the year, up to 400 mm of precipitation falls in the forest-tundra, and this is significantly more evaporated moisture. Therefore, the soils of the forest-tundra, as well as the subarctic tundra, are heavily waterlogged and swampy.

In the forest-tundra there are rare trees growing in sparse groves or singly. The forests consist of low-growing curved birches, spruces and larches. Typically, trees are far apart from each other, since their root system is located in the upper part of the soil, above permafrost. There are both tundra and forest species plants.

In the eastern part of the forest-tundra there are tundra forests, characterized by thickets of low-growing trees. Subarctic mountain regions are dominated by mountain tundra and barren rocky surfaces, on which only mosses, lichens, and small rock flowers grow. Resin moss grows much faster in the forest-tundra than in the subarctic tundra, so there is freedom for deer here. In addition to deer, moose live in the forest-tundra, brown bears, arctic foxes, white hares, wood grouse and hazel grouse.

Agriculture in the tundra

In the forest-tundra it is possible vegetable growing in open ground, here you can grow potatoes, cabbage, turnips, radishes, lettuce, and green onions. Techniques have also been developed for creating high-yielding meadows in the forest-tundra territory.

Did you know that...

In Iceland, which is entirely located in the natural tundra zone, potatoes were grown in the past and even barley was cultivated. It turned out to be a good harvest, because Icelanders are stubborn and hardworking people. But now open-air farming has been replaced by a more profitable activity - growing plants in greenhouses heated by the heat of hot springs. And today, various tropical crops, especially bananas, grow beautifully in the Icelandic tundra. Iceland even exports them to Europe.

There are also mountain tundras that form altitude zone in the mountains of the temperate and subarctic zone. They are located above the border of mountain forests and are characterized by the dominance of lichens, mosses and some cold-resistant grasses, shrubs and shrubs. There are three zones in the mountain tundra:

• Shrub belt- forms on rocky soils, like lowland tundra.
• Moss-lichen belt is located above the shrubby one, its characteristic vegetation is represented by subshrubs and some herbs.
• Upper belt mountain tundras are the poorest in vegetation. Here, among the stony soils and rocky formations, only lichens and mosses grow, as well as squat shrubs.

Mountain tundra (in purple)

Antarctic tundra

On the Antarctic Peninsula and islands high latitudes southern hemisphere there is a natural zone similar to the tundra. It was called the Antarctic tundra.

Tundra in Canada and the USA

In the northern part of Canada and the US state of Alaska, very large areas are located in the natural tundra zone. It is located in the Arctic in the northern regions of the Western Cordillera. There are 12 types of tundra in Canada and the USA:

• Tundra of the Alaska Range and St. Elias Mountains (USA and Canada)
• Coastal tundra of Baffin Island
• Tundra of the Brooks Range and British Mountains
• Davis Strait upland tundra
• Tundra of the Torngat Mountains
• Alpine tundra of the interior
• Alpine tundra Ogilvy and Mackenzie
• Arctic tundra
• Subpolar tundra
• polar tundra
• Tundra and ice fields of the mountains of the Pacific coast
• arctic tundra

Flora and fauna of the tundra

Since the entire tundra is characterized by permafrost and strong winds, plants and animals have to adapt to life in difficult cold conditions, clinging to the ground or rocks.

Plants in the tundra have characteristic shapes and properties that reflect their adaptation to harsh continental climate . There are many mosses and lichens found in the tundra. Due to the short and cold summers and long winters, most of the plants in the tundra are perennials and evergreens. Lingonberries and cranberries are examples of such perennials. shrub plants. They begin their growth as soon as the snow melts (often only in early July).

But the bushy lichen moss (“reindeer moss”) grows very slowly, only 3-5 mm per year. It becomes clear why reindeer herders constantly wander from one pasture to another. They are forced to do this not at all because of a good life, but because the restoration of reindeer pastures is very slow, it takes 15-20 years. Among the plants in the tundra there are also many blueberries, cloudberries, princelings and blueberries, and there are also thickets of bushy willow. And in the wetlands, sedges and grasses predominate, some of which have evergreen leaves covered with a bluish, waxy coating that gives dull colors.

1	Blueberry
2	Cowberry
3	Black crowberry
4	Cloudberry
5	Loidia late
6	Bow of speed
7	Prince
8	Cotton grass vaginalis
9	Sedge swordfolia
10	Dwarf birch
11	Willow cuneifolia

A distinctive feature of the tundra is its large population, but small species composition of animals. This is also due to the fact that the tundra is located literally at the very edge of the earth, where very few people live. Only a few species have adapted to the harsh conditions of the tundra, such as lemmings, arctic fox, reindeer, ptarmigan, snowy owl, mountain hare, wolf, and musk ox.

In summer, a mass of migratory birds appear in the tundra, attracted by the variety of insects that are found in abundance in swampy areas and are especially active in summer. They hatch and feed their chicks here, so that they can soon fly to warmer climes.

Numerous rivers and lakes of the tundra are rich different fish. Here you can find omul, vendace, broad white salmon and nelma. But cold-blooded reptiles and amphibians are practically not found in the tundra due to low temperatures, limiting their life activity.

1	White-billed loon	29	Arctic fox
2	little swan	30	White Hare
3	Bean goose	31	Varakusha
4	White-fronted goose	32	Lapland plantain
5	Canada goose	33	Bunochka
6	Brent goose	34	Red-breasted Pipit
7	Red-breasted Goose	35	Horned lark
8	Pink seagull	36	Long-tailed ground squirrel
9	Long-tailed skua	37	Black-capped marmot
10	Fork-tailed gull	38	Siberian lemming
11	American swan	39	Hoofed lemming
12	White goose	40	Norwegian Lemming
13	Blue goose	41	Middendorff's vole
14	Lesser white goose	42	Siberian crane
15	Sailor	43
16	Spectacled eider	44	Ptarmigan
17	Eider comb	45	Kulik Turukhtan
18	Tufted duck, male and female	46	Sandpiper Sandpiper
19	Merlin	47	Golden Plover
20	Peregrine Falcon	48	Dunlin Sandpiper
21	Rough-footed Buzzard	49	Flat-nosed phalarope
22	Weasel	50	Godwit
23	Ermine	51	Godwit
24	Shrew	52	bighorn sheep
25	Wolf	53	Salamander
26	White Owl	54	Malma
27	Muskox	55	Arctic char
28	Reindeer	56	Dallia

Tundra partridge is one of the most famous birds of the tundra

Look interesting video about the tundra natural zone:

Tundra is a natural area that lies north of the zone forests On the territory of Russia it stretches from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka.

Climate

Tundra is divided into three types:

• The southern one is closest to the forest zone.
• Middle - north of south.
• Arctic - the coldest, northern part of this natural belt. It borders on a zone of eternal snow.

Winter this climatic zone lasts 8-9 months. Summer is short - 3-4 months. The frozen ground hardly thaws in summer, which is why the tundra surface is called “permafrost.” Even in the middle of summer it can be frosty and snowy.

Summer temperatures do not exceed +10˚ C. The earth thaws only a few centimeters. In the southern part it can reach +11˚ C in summer. The ground there thaws deeper and therefore many swamps and lakes form.

In winter, the snow cover does not exceed 15-30 cm. It blows all the time very strong winds. Therefore, the snow does not lie, but is constantly moving. From any heights it is completely blown away.

There is little precipitation, but there is still more of it than water evaporates from the earth. That's why the soil is oversaturated with moisture.

The soil

In the tundra there is sandy, clayey, peaty, rocky soil. In the west of Russia there are clay-sandy plains with many rivers, swamps and lakes. In the east There are mountain ranges and rocks.

Tundra soils are completely infertile. In high places, where the snow is blown away by the wind, the soil has no vegetation at all. Only frozen clay or sand protrudes to the surface. Such areas are called “clay medallions.”

Vegetable world

When the wind drives snow across the plain with force, it cuts off the protruding tops of grasses and bushes, as if trimming them. That's why plants cannot grow tall. Only in the lowlands of the southern tundra are there trees and shrubs as tall as a person.

Mostly they grow here grasses, mosses and lichens. The further north you go, the fewer grasses and more mosses you find. In the middle zone there are creeping willow and. In the Arctic - creeping shrubs.

Mosses and grasses grow on clay soils, and on rocky and sandy soils. Peat soils are dominated by mosses, berries and creeping trees. All plants in the tundra there is not enough heat. Therefore, plant roots do not grow deep, but along the surface.

Animal world

Aviation and all-terrain vehicles are used for communication in the tundra. All-terrain vehicles severely damage fragile vegetation, which then takes decades to recover. The best transport for northern residents is reindeer teams.

Although the tundra is poorer than others natural areas, but she capable of feeding polar animals and migratory birds. Therefore, we need to protect its nature.

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It is difficult to imagine the existence of living organisms in conditions where all year round An icy wind blows and the frost crackles. In the tundra, representatives of the fauna have adapted to the conditions of eternal winter. When the ground thaws briefly, plants begin their growing season. It lasts two months.

How to survive in the harsh conditions of the North

Nature has provided protection measures against the harsh climate. But how do tundra plants protect themselves from winter cold?

• To beat the wind, you need to grow quickly.
• To overcome the cold, you need to develop rapidly.
• To defeat ice in the soil, you need to have shallow roots.

Only 2 months a year are allocated for plants to send out shoots, expel leaves and stems, bloom flowers (and they also bloom in the tundra!) and give the fruits the opportunity to ripen.

Amazing representatives of the tundra flora

Translated from Finnish, the word “tundra” means treeless lands. Dull landscapes, devoid of color and life, immediately emerge in the imagination. But that's not true.
Among the flora of the tundra there are very bright and amazing specimens, striking in their colors and diversity.
Bearberry (bearberry) surprises with the bright red colors of the berries, attracting not only clubfoot, but also birds.
Ledum is a magnificent flowering shrub that emits a pungent odor essential oils.
The lumbago delights with the tenderness of the lavender-colored petals. But appearance beautiful flowers are completely out of harmony with the harsh climate.

Arctic moss amazes with its ability to grow even on water. In addition, moss is the main food for other living organisms of the tundra.

Cloudberries, unlike our raspberries, first have a pink-red color, but as they ripen they become orange-yellow.
The boletus mushroom deserves a separate story. At the end of summer, countless mushrooms appear in the tundra. Under the small tops of tiny birches, hundreds of little brothers with brown hats crawl out of the ground.
Dwarf birch is one of the few representatives of the tree family in the tundra. For an adult, this tree barely reaches the knees.

The growing season of plants in the area lasts only two months a year. Despite the almost year-round frost, the biome thrives and surprises with the variety of flora. The word tundra comes from the Finnish “tunturia”, which means treeless lands. There are harsh winds here and most plants grow in groups, creating a natural protective barrier.

There are more than 400 species of plants that are found in the tundra, but only a few of them grow year-round. Plant growth issues are directly related to tundra soil. There is a thick layer of soil under the ice that rarely thaws, so plants with the smallest roots are able to withstand the climatic conditions of the tundra.

The fact that vegetable world present in the tundra, plays a significant role in the conservation of other life forms. When plants die and decompose, many organisms use them to feed themselves throughout the long winter months.

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Here is the list and short description some perennial plants that have successfully adapted to tundra conditions:

Bearberry

Bearberry or bearberry, bear's ear, bear's ear, is not actually a bearberry, although "clubfoots" have been observed eating it. Red berries and green leaves attract owls and birds that fly to the tundra. The plant is uniquely adapted to the climatic conditions of the tundra, as it grows low to the ground. It is not exactly a ground cover plant as it is short in height. Berries on bearberry can be present throughout the year.

Ledum is an amazing small shrub plant with leaves slightly curved at the edges and a stem resembling hairy legs, which helps the plant retain heat in the harsh conditions of the tundra. An unusual feature of the plant is that it is not eaten by tundra animals because of its essential oils, which have a pungent odor and toxic properties.

Diamond sheet

Diamond leaf is a plant from the willow family, but has significant differences from its other representatives. These are low willows that grow close to the ground. Like wild rosemary, it has a kind of hair that covers its stems and roots and also retains heat. Diamond leaf is an edible plant consumed by both humans and animals as it is rich in calcium and other vitamins. The plant is very flexible and grows separately, it cannot be found in groups of plants protected from harsh winds.

Arctic moss is the most common member of the tundra flora and is not very different from the moss that grows in other biomes. It can grow on the surface of the earth, but prefers water. The plant does not have a root system, but contains rhizoids. Moss is also covered with small leaves, which occupy one cell in thickness and make it easy to provide for yourself at the expense of. Arctic moss is the main food source for many, as it is rich in nutrients and grows throughout the year. When it dies, it becomes an important source of nutrients for other organisms. It is also an important food item for birds during their migration. Arctic moss is interesting to researchers because it shows the natural evolution of life in harsh climates.

Arctic willow is native to the tundra region of North America, which consists of Northern Alaska and Northern Canada. The plant is a shrub, reaches a height of 15-20 cm and grows in a carpet.

Caribou moss grows in arctic and boreal regions around the world. It can be found on the ground and rocks, reaching a height of 10 centimeters. When there is no light or water, caribou moss goes into hibernation, but after a long period of dormancy it can begin to grow again.

Saxifraga crested has thick main stems and several straight flower stems, 3-15 cm long. Each stem contains about 2-8 flowers. The flower consists of five white petals. The plant can be found on rocky slopes from Alaska to the Cascades, Olympic Mountains and northwest Oregon.

Lumbago

The lumbago belongs to the Ranunculaceae family. Plant height is 5-40 cm. Each stem has one flower with 5-8 petals. Flower color varies from lavender to almost white. It grows on south-facing slopes and is found from the northwestern United States to northern Alaska. it's the same national flower South Dakota.