Tundra: The tundra is a biome that exists in the High Arctic as well as a small part of Antarctica, and in some alpine regions that are cold enough. There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, Antarctic tundra, and alpine tundra.
Lichen also grows mainly on rock and plants that are starting to decay or break down, usually from ice wedging. Tundra plants can flower at lower temperatures than any other flowering plants on earth. Lichen can live in the Tundra because they can be close to the ground and can have short roots. The flowering period lasts about six to eight weeks – the summertime. One of the most common plants in the Tundra are lichen. ARCTIC PLANTS. Tundra plants produce bright-colored flowers and fruits to attract insects and birds that help in pollination and seed dispersal. Lichen are unique in that they are a fungus, with associated algae to provide chlorophyll for the fungus to live on. As expected, the flowering period occurs early in the summer to let them mature and put out seeds in short growing season. Some of the flowers and plants that grow in the tundra biome are the arctic lupine, the arctic poppy, arctic willow, Labrador tea, snow gentian, pasque flower, purple saxifrage, cushion plants, bearberry, diamond-leaf willow, arctic moss and caribou moss. The tundra is a treeless biome in which low temperatures and short growing seasons limit plant growth above a certain height. Except for a few birches in the lower altitudes, no trees grow in this tundra region. The tundra is characterized by permafrost, a layer of soil and partially decomposed organic matter that is frozen year-round. Bearberry is a low growing plant that uses that adaptation to stay out of the way of the ripping Tundra wind.It also favors places like behind rocks to again stay out of the wind.The leathery leaves keeps moisture and heat inside the plant.
Approximately 1,700 species of plants live on the Arctic tundra, including flowering plants, dwarf shrubs, herbs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. The Arctic tundra plants are known for the adaptations they have undergone in order to survive hostile climate of this region. There are few species with large populations. The word ‘tundra’ comes from the Finnish tunturi; the meaning of this word is a plain region devoid of trees. The tundra plants consist mostly of mosses, grasses, lichens, sedges, and shrubs.
Lichen is a decomposer made of plants and fungus working together. What type of plants live in the tundra?
About 400 types of flowers bloom in the growing season, which lasts just for 50-60 days. There are also a few fish species.
Alpine tundra is still a treeless plain, but without the permafrost, this biome has better draining soils that support a wider variety of plant life.
Alpine tundra ecosystems are located on various mountain regions throughout the world at elevations above the tree line. Tundra - Tundra - Animal life: Organisms of the northern alpine tundra probably evolved before those of the Arctic tundra, appearing first in the Mongolo-Tibetan Plateau. The biodiversity of tundra is low: 1,700 species of vascular plants and only 48 species of land mammals can be found, although millions of birds migrate there each year for the marshes.
While Arctic and Antarctic tundra exist near the Earth's northern and southern poles, respectively, alpine tundra exists in mountains, usually between the treeline and snowline.
Plants of Arctic Tundra. Many tundra plants have cup-shaped flowers that move with the sun. One of the main types of tundra plants is lichen – there are over a thousand different kinds in British Columbia, however, only three or four grow in the cold arctic tundra. The Arctic is rich in plant life, but most of the plants living on the tundra have adapted to the Arctic environment by growing small, close together and low to the ground.