WELCOME TO THE TUNDRA!

General Info

The tundra is the coldest, harshest biome.
In the winter, it's usually about -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
It would be best to go in the summer; it's about 34 - 54 degrees Fahrenheit.
The tundra is treeless. Tundra comes from a Finnish word, tunturi, which means "treeless heights". There are other plants there besides trees, though. There are about 1,700 types of plants in the Alaskan Tundra. The tundra has a layer of permanately frozen soil, called permafrost.

Alaskan Tundra Plants

Photo from ndrwfgg on Flickr	Saxifrage Genus:Saxifraga Species:caespitosa Saxifrage is a small perennial that grow in thick mats on the tundra.
Photo from littleBiGsis on flickr	Tundra Rose Genus:Dasiphora Species:floribunda Shrubby cinquefoil is a much-branched, deciduous shrub with a spreading to erect habit. It may attain a height of 10 to 160 cm.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_plant_page.htm	Pasque Flower Genus: Anemone Species: patens Pasque flower is a pretty tundra plant. It is a member of the Ranunculaceae family, which is Latin for little frog. The name was given to the family because a group of plants in this family grow where frogs live.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_plant_page.htm	Tundra Moss Genus: Calliergon Species:giganteum The Calliergon giganteum grows in the arctic tundra which is a harsh cold environment in the Northern Hemisphere within the arctic circle.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/tundra_plant_page.htm	Diamond-leaf Willow Genus: Salix Species: pulcha The twigs on a willow are soft, slender, and they bend easily. A willow has thin branches. The leaves are narrow and grow alternately on the branch. Some leaves have serrated edges.

Alaskan Tundra Animals

Photo by B.K. Dewey on flickr	Arctic fox Also known as polar fox Lives in arctic regoins Genus:Lagopus Species:alopex
Photo By Marke Clinger on Flikr	Arctic Wolf Length: Head and body, 100-150cm. Height: To shoulder, 65-80cm. Lifespan:7 years average. Diet: Arctic hares, caribou, musk ox Genus:Canis Species: lupus arctos
Photo by Zaptel on Flikr	Arctic Hare Long hair for the cold Is longer than the normal Hare Genus:Lepus Species: acrticus
Photo by Gilles Gonthier on Flikr	Blow fly Length: 6 to 14 mm, average Life Span: 2 to 8 weeks Diet: Adult blow flies are attracted to nectar, carrion, garbage and other refuse, soggy, bloody or soiled hair, fur, or wool Genus: Phormia Species:regina
photo by AlbinoFlea	Gyrfalcon Largest true falcon in the world eat mainly ptarmigan and grouse Genus:Falco Species:rusticolus

Conservation

The big question; should we or should we not drill for oil in Alaska? There are good arguments for both sides; if we drill, the gas prices will probably go down, but it will hurt the wildlife.
I say no; it's too harmful to the amazing animals in Alaska.
Photo from marinephotobank



Food Web




























Got Image From www.tulane.edu/.../lessons_and_activities.htm

The food web starts with the producers. The producers of this food web are the Purpule Saxifrage, the Arctic Willow, and some grasses and sedge. The next stage consisits of the herbivore. The only herbivore in the web demostrated above is the arctic hare. The hare eats the plants, but the herbivore only receives ten percent of the plants' energy.
While the Hare is alive, fleas feed off of it. The hare's predators are the Ermine, the Rough-necked Hawk, the gyrfalcon, the snow owl, humans, and the arctic wolf and fox. The hare has many predators while it is alive, and it also has predators when it dies. The species, Blow flies, and the arctic fox are scavengers who will eat at dead and decaying animals. The "pellets" of the arctic hare also acts as a source of nutrition for plants.
The main predators of the hare, the fox and wolf, also have a predator, the human being, making us the top of the food chain.