Habitat of my organism

ARCTIC TUNDRA:

Arctic tundra is located in the northern hemisphere, encircling the north pole and extending south to the coniferous forests of the taiga. The arctic is known for its cold, desert-like conditions. The growing season ranges from 50 to 60 days. The average winter temperature is -34° C (-30° F), but the average summer temperature is 3-12° C (37-54° F) which enables this biome to sustain life. Rainfall may vary in different regions of the arctic. Yearly precipitation, including melting snow, is 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches). Soil is formed slowly. A layer of permanently frozen subsoil called permafrost exists, consisting mostly of gravel and finer material. When water saturates the upper surface, bogs and ponds may form, providing moisture for plants. There are no deep root systems in the vegetation of the arctic tundra, however, there are still a wide variety of plants that are able to resist the cold climate. There are about 1,700 kinds of plants in the arctic and subarctic, and these include:

• low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses
• 400 varieties of flowers
• crustose and foliose lichen

All of the plants are adapted to sweeping winds and disturbances of the soil. Plants are short and group together to resist the cold temperatures and are protected by the snow during the winter. They can carry out photosynthesis at low temperatures and low light intensities. The growing seasons are short and most plants reproduce by budding and division rather than sexually by flowering. The fauna in the arctic is also diverse:

• Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
• Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
• Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and various species of gulls
• Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
• Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout

Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer. Animals such as mammals and birds also have additional insulation from fat. Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant. Another alternative is to migrate south in the winter, like birds do. Reptiles and amphibians are few or absent because of the extremely cold temperatures. Because of constant immigration and emigration, the population continually oscillates.

(Habitats:)Within the tundra biome a latitudinal zonation of communities is realized:

* High Arctic Tundra: essentially confined to the islands of the Arctic Ocean and characterized by scattered lichens and mosses on coarse rock surfaces and perennial forbs growing in protected crannies among sharp, ice-fractured rock debris.

* Middle Arctic Tundra: restricted to the Arctic Coastal plain where level terrain, a thin active layer, and freeze and thaw result in or rock polygons. The sorting of particles by freeze-thaw activity results in a waterlogged center to the polygons, a microhabitat conducive to sphagnum moss and sedges; and an outer ring that is drier and provides a microhabitat favorable to forbs and some dwarf heaths.

* Low Arctic Tundra: the majority of the tundra lies on better drained slopes with greater depth to permafrost than is encountered on the Arctic coastal plain. Here there is a greater frequency of woody shrubs: willow, birch, and various berry-bearing members of the heath family. Along streams willows and alders may be 10 feet high. On south-facing slopes needleleaf evergreen trees (spruce and fir) are established and represent the northernmost extensions of the great boreal forest to the south. (Such areas where two biomes interdigitate are known as.)

Its microhabitat is behind a pile of rocks on the snow covered meadow. It sleeps behind the pile of rocks the rocks being used as a cover up for the organism so that its predators would not spot it easily. It uses the rocks around it as a place to store its food during summer for winter as food is scarce during the winter.

Physical Factors

• Habitat: [Light- In the Arctic Tundra, sunlight is usually very limited this is so as most Arctic Tundra are found in Alaska; as we all know some part of Alaska does not experience night time.
• Temperature- During winter the average temperature is -28 degrees Celsius; in some cases it may even drop to -50 degrees Celsius.
• Water-Since the arctic tundra is so cold ,all the water there will turn to become permafrosts . And since there is no water there . The water cycle does not occur . It only occurs during summer when the temperature is high enough to melt the permafrosts and the water cycle takes place .
• Salinity-The salinity level in the arctic tundra is very low . We can only identify the salinity level by looking at the ice or permafrosts .Ice that has no salinity will have rounded corners and blue-ish colour .
• Air- Air pollution in the arctic tundra can cause smog clouds which will contaminate lichen, a significant food source for many animal. As you can see, the result of the air pollution would be fatal to not only small animals like lichen but also large animals when they prey on the lichen for food.
• pH of the environment-  pH is the reading of how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH less then 7 is acidic while a pH more then 7 is alkaline. The pH level for then arctic tundra's environment is 5.5 which means the arctic tundra is acidic.
• mineral salts -defined by soil moisture content, it overlies snow cover, or location; it's defined solely by temperature.It is below the freezing point of water(0°C)