The Karelian word "tundra" (in Finnish "tunturi") means treeless space.
The conditions here are too harsh for trees: low temperatures, permafrost, a short frost-free period and strong winds. Only in individual trees appear. Tundra vegetation consists of perennial low-growing plants: mosses, lichens, shrubs, dwarf shrubs and a small number of perennial grasses. Annual plants cannot survive here. In a few cool weeks, they do not have time to go through the full life cycle - from seed germination to the formation of new seeds. In tundra perennials, wintering buds with rudiments of leaves, and sometimes buds, form already in autumn. This allows plants to start flowering and fruiting faster. Plants can grow in the North only due to the fact that they have developed a whole range of adaptations to the harsh weather. Frost resistance is promoted by a high concentration of cell sap or the ability to harden. The cells of hardening plants freeze and thereby save themselves from dehydration. One of the most important adaptations is short stature. Dwarf species are common both among shrubs and shrubs, and among herbs. They are flattened on the ground, the roots grow in a horizontal direction and do not go deep. Clinging to the ground, plants make the best use of the heat of the surface layer of air. In winter, dwarf growth allows you not to rise above the "blanket". In the summer, short stature protects against excessive evaporation caused by them, since their speed at the surface is less.
And tundra plants have to fight for water, despite its abundance in. This is due to the close occurrence. Cold soil in summer makes it difficult for roots to absorb moisture. The ground parts are located in the warm surface layer of air. Here conditions for active evaporation arise. Therefore, many plants for the economical use of water, in addition to short stature, have developed other adaptations. These are small leaves that reduce the evaporating surface, dense pubescence on the underside of the leaf, where stomata are located, etc. The owners of the tundra - mosses and lichens - can winter even without snow cover. To avoid frost damage, they dehydrate in winter. These plants cover even bare rocks, as they do not need soil. They absorb nutrients and water directly from the air. The vegetation cover of the tundra is heterogeneous. Biodiversity increases from north to south. In about 50 species of plants, in the north of the tundra - 100-150 species, in the south - up to 250 species. In the same direction, the biological mass of plants also increases. There are very few plants in the arctic deserts. These are mosses, lichens, algae, rare dwarf flowering - arctic grasses, saxifrage, buttercups, polar poppy. Plants do not form a closed cover. Separate clumps are separated by extensive patches of bare ground. In the tundra, from north to south, subzones of arctic, moss-lichen and shrub tundra are distinguished. The Arctic tundra is a transition zone from the Arctic deserts to the tundra. The vegetation cover here is still sparse. Mosses and lichens predominate, and there are many areas devoid of vegetation. Moss-lichen tundras already have more lush vegetation. Green mosses and bushy lichens dominate. However, there are quite a lot of dwarf willows and birches, shrubs (lingonberries, blueberries, crowberries, dryads) and grasses (highlander viviparous, Rhodiola rosea, mytnik, cereals, sedges, etc.). In heavily swampy areas, hummocky tundras with tussocks of sedge and cotton grass are typical. In the shrub tundra - the kingdom of dwarf birches, willows, wild rosemary, berry shrubs, moss pastures. Single trees appear in the river valleys. The vegetation of the forest-tundra is an alternating area of tundra and forest. Stripes of fairly tall trees stretch along the river valleys. On the interfluves - stunted twisted birches, spruces and larches. Many trees have one-sided "flag" crowns. Forest areas alternate with shrub tundra.
To the south of the ice zone, along the coasts of the northern seas, a tundra zone stretches. For thousands of kilometers from west to east - a cold treeless plain.
Winter in the tundra is long and very severe (frost down to -50). In the middle of winter, the polar night lasts for about 2 months. You can see the polar lights in the sky.
Very strong winds constantly blow in the tundra. In winter, there is often a blizzard and the wind speed reaches 30-40 m per second. Throwing up clouds of snow, knocking people down and overturning sleds with deer, a blizzard rages in the vast expanses of the tundra. Often it lasts 5-6 days. Winds blow snow from hills into hollows, river valleys, and the bare ground freezes heavily.
Corrosion is the mechanical effect of snow driven by strong winds. Corrosion is a powerful stream of solid ice particles that can damage and cut plants protruding from under the snow.
The climate in the tundra is severe, the summer is very short (2-3 months) and cool. The temperature in July does not exceed +14 C. And although the polar day comes, there are often frosts, and sometimes even snow falls. Cold winds blow in the tundra all year round. The tundra zone has a very large extent from west to east. The vegetation cover of this zone is not the same in the western and eastern regions.
By its nature of the landscape, the tundra can be peaty, swampy and rocky. The vegetation is mainly mosses and lichens, sometimes low-growing grasses are found, and very rare representatives are dwarf birches and creeping polar willows. There are no shrubs in the tundra, they are only located on the border with the taiga zone, and to the north, all vegetation spreads near the ground.
During a short summer, the surface of the tundra thaws about 50 cm deep, and below (almost 500 m) lies a layer of permafrost that never thaws.
Permafrost does not let rain and melt water to the depth. And from the surface, water evaporates slowly due to the low temperature. Therefore, there are many swamps and lakes in the tundra, and the soil is moist.
How plants are adapted in the tundra: dwarf forms of plants; their small leaves are often folded, covered with hair, have a wax coating; plants creep along the ground, forming pillows; roots are located close to the surface; many flowering plants tolerate frost; bright color of flowers, attracts insects; perennial plants.
The main representatives of typical tundras are sedges and mosses, which form a closed sod 5-10 cm thick. Mushrooms, lichens live in it, stems and rhizomes of flowering plants are immersed in it. The tundra is dominated by shrubs, perennial grasses, mosses, which tolerate harsh natural conditions well.
Reindeer moss.
Green moss. Peat mosses.
Arctic red bearberry. On the right is a cladonia lichen.
Tundra plants. 1. Blueberry. 2. Lingonberry. 3. Crow is black. 4. Cloudberry. 5. Loydia late. 6. Onion koroda. 7. Princess. 8. Vaginal cottonseed. 9. Sedge swordtail. 10. Dwarf birch. 11. Willow cuneiform.
Sometimes the color of the lichen thallus depends on the color of lichen acids, which are deposited in the form of crystals or grains on the surface of the hyphae.
Most lichen acids are colorless, but some of them are colored, and sometimes very brightly - in yellow, orange, red and other colors. The color of the crystals of these substances determines the color of the entire thallus.
And here the most important factor contributing to the formation of lichen substances is light. The brighter the lighting in the place where the lichen grows, the brighter it is colored.
mushrooms
Cloudberry.
In the short months of summer, the tundra turns into a flower and berry garden. It is replete with bright corollas of petals, beads of lingonberries, cranberries, cloudberries glow with lights, bluish blueberries turn blue. Even ten times as large as now, the population would not be enough to have time to collect and preserve the harvest of edible berries!
Crowberry.
Herbaceous plants are represented by sedges, cotton grasses, and grasses. Dryad, or partridge grass, various types of saxifrage, various polar poppies, and forget-me-not play an important role in vegetation. One of the first to bloom is the ice new version, which is called the arctic rose. Cotton grass.
Novosiversia icy, arctic rose.
Dryad.
Highlander viviparous This plant has developed the ability to viviparous. Bulbs and nodules develop in inflorescences instead of flowers, capable of giving rise to a new plant.
Veronica is gray. Phillodoce.
Veronica is gray. Phillodoce.
Arctic kopeechnik.
The subject of the environment. Message on the topic "The flora and fauna of the tundra of Russia" Grade 3-4
Tundra is a land lying not much south of the Arctic. From the north of Europe, it is located in a narrow strip, starting with the Scandinavian peninsula, and expanding its borders closer to the Taimyr Peninsula. In the region of North America, the tundra takes root in Alaska.
Climate
In the tundra, the temperature is not much higher than in the Arctic, the temperature in this area rarely goes above zero. And the amount of solar heat is several times less than in regions located closer in the central strip. Winter in the tundra is usually 7-8 months of unceasing frost, reservoirs are bound by a thick layer of ice, and the plains turn into an endless white canvas.
Most of the tundra region lies beyond the Arctic Circle, so it is not uncommon to observe one of the most beautiful natural phenomena - the polar night. There is practically no summer in the tundra, and if it does, it is for an extremely short period of time. The highest temperature mark in summer is 10-15 degrees Celsius. Frosts are a natural occurrence in the area, as are extended periods of cloudy days.
Features of the flora of the tundra
With the beginning of the thaw, all the local flora (vegetation) comes to life. Spring here is considered to be only one month a year, this is May. Just like spring, autumn is also in no hurry to linger, and as a rule, there is only one month on the pass between autumn and winter - September. The snow cover in the tundra is very unstable, and is constantly carried by winds from place to place.
The soil was bound by "permafrost" many, many meters deep, so that all vegetation growing in the area is forced to take root no deeper than one meter. Permafrost is the result of thousands of years of frost, because of such a huge layer of frozen soil, plants with a large root system are simply not able to take root. On a larger stretch of the tundra, mosses and lichens mostly grow. Huge expanses were captured by "deer lichen" and reindeer moss, but in some places there are not tall grasses with the same low shrubs.
The nature of the tundra is very diverse, here you can meet the following plants: alpine bearberry, forget-me-nots, polar poppy, bluebells, speedwell, dryad, dwarf birch, dwarf willow. Closer to the taiga zone, where the influence of "permafrost" is weakening, trees that are quite common for a temperate climate, such as birch and larch, grow.
The dwarf birch and dwarf willow are amazing. Tundra plants are stunted, many of them creep along the ground. So they adapted to life in the tundra. After all, the surface of the earth is warmer, the wind is weaker. And in winter, snow completely covers undersized plants and protects them from frost and winds.
In this area, the layer of frozen soil is much lower than in the rest of the polar regions, but it is still capable of influencing vegetation; it is difficult to find a tree here whose height would exceed six meters. Despite the harsh climate, the plants in the tundra are mostly "evergreen", even though they grow very slowly.
The tundra is very beautiful in spring. Quickly, as if by the wave of a magic wand, everything comes to life. Many plants are in a hurry to bloom, form fruits and seeds. After all, in a few months the snow will cover the ground again.
Flowers of local plants are usually very bright and at the same time large. The extraordinary and very bright color palette of the local flora attracts a large number of pollinating insects, which are not so many, this ensures the continued survival of most plants as a species. In the tundra, in addition to herbaceous plants, you can also meet "northern" berries: cloudberries, cranberries, blueberries, lingonberries.
Cloudberry Fruiting plants in the tundra. Murmansk region, Kola Peninsula.
dwarf birch
Cowberry
Animal world of the tundra
Numerous reservoirs, in the vicinity of which suitable for nesting, an abundance of shrubs and berries, create favorable conditions for birds. In summer, about eighty species of birds live here. This is not a very large indicator, but the number of each of the species is quite large. Swans alone are enough to cover most of the small lakes with a white tablecloth. In the spring, when the water level in the lakes rises as a result of a thaw, the season of mass emigration of such species as swans, sandpipers, cranes, geese and ducks begins in the tundra.
In the summer, cranes, geese, swans, sandpipers fly to the tundra. Here, these birds breed chicks, and fly away to warmer climes for the winter. Other birds - ptarmigan and snowy owl - constantly live in the tundra.
The most stately and beautiful animal of the tundra is considered to be the reindeer. Comparatively wider hooves allow him to run very quickly through the snow and get food from under the snow. When winter comes, the hair on the hooves of the reindeer begins to grow, thanks to which the reindeer are able to move on the ice without any problems.
In the summer, the reindeer suffers greatly from attacks from insects: midges, mosquitoes, cobwebs, horseflies and gadflies. But besides blood-sucking insects, the reindeer has an even more serious enemy, this is the wolf. The diet of the reindeer includes lichen and reindeer moss, the deer is able to get it even from under the snow.
There are few permanent "residents" in this northern country, only a few individuals can be noted: arctic fox, hare, ptarmigan, lemming and snowy owl. But snowy owls, as well as white partridges, for the most part migrate closer to the forest zone of the tundra for the wintering period, but a small percentage of individuals of these species remain to winter in place.
Lemmings are small animals that do not hibernate in winter and even breed offspring under the snow.
The life of predatory animals, Arctic foxes, largely depends on lemmings. Owls and arctic foxes eat lemmings themselves and feed them to their offspring. In years when there are few lemmings, owls lay few eggs, and foxes give birth to few cubs. But when there are a lot of lemmings, the offspring of owls and arctic foxes is large and there is enough food for all the kids.
Tundra, this is a place that is difficult to describe in simple words, these endless plains that look like huge grassy oceans, and every winter, as if by magic, turn into a frosty sea shining with the color of an emerald. The nature of the tundra is harsh. But before the person she is defenseless. Mastering the northern region, people should not forget about it.
Tundra is a natural zone that lies north of the forest zone. On the territory of Russia, it stretches from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka.
Climate
The tundra is divided into three types:
- South - closest to the forest zone.
- Middle - north of south.
- Arctic - the coldest, northern part of this natural belt. It borders on the zone of eternal snows.
Winter in this climate 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, frost and snow can fall here.
The summer temperature never exceeds +10˚ C. The earth thaws by only a few centimeters. In the southern part, in summer it can be up to + 11˚ C. The earth thaws deeper there and therefore many swamps and lakes form.
In winter, the snow cover does not exceed 15-30 cm. very strong winds. Therefore, the snow does not lie, but is constantly moving. From any hills it is blown away completely.
There is little precipitation, but there is still more than the amount of water evaporated from the earth. So the soil is saturated with moisture.
The soil
In the tundra there is sandy, clay, peaty, stony soil. In the west of Russia, these are clay-sandy plains with many rivers, swamps and lakes. in the east there are mountain ranges and rocks.
Tundra soils are completely barren. In high places, where the snow is blown away by the wind, the soil has no vegetation at all. Only frozen clay or sand comes 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 shrubs, as if cutting them. So plants cannot grow tall. Only in the lowlands of the southern tundra there are trees and shrubs as tall as a man.
They mostly grow here. herbs, mosses and lichens. The further north - the less grass and more mosses. In the middle zone there are creeping willows and. In the Arctic - creeping shrubs.
Mosses and grasses grow on clay soils, and on stony and sandy soils. Mosses, berries and creeping trees predominate on peat soils. All plants in the tundra not enough heat. Therefore, the roots of plants do not grow deep, but along the surface.
Animal world
Aviation and all-terrain vehicles are used for communication in the tundra. ATVs severely damage fragile vegetation, which then recovers for decades. The best transport of northerners is reindeer teams.
Although the tundra is poorer than other natural areas, it able to feed polar animals and migratory birds. Therefore, it is necessary to protect its nature.
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The tundra zone is located in the north of our country in a strip without gaps from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka. It occupies 14% of the country's territory. Vegetation in the tundra is not easy. Winter lasts 7-8 months, and summer is short and cold. In summer, the soil warms up only a few centimeters. From this it follows that, in the tundra, only the uppermost layer of soil and the lowest layer of air, near the ground, are more favorable for the existence of plants. Then it is not surprising that most of the tundra vegetation is very low, they are flattened on the ground, and their roots grow mainly in the upper soil layer and hardly move into the depths.
A typical tundra is a treeless area with a stunted and not always continuous flora. Mosses and lichens underlie it, against their background, undersized flowering plants develop - shrubs, shrubs, grasses. There are no trees in the natural tundra - the circumstances of existence here are too harsh for them. Only in the very south of the tundra region, in more suitable climatic conditions, can one come across individual trees.
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 large spaces. Both mosses and lichens perfectly tolerate the harsh conditions of the tundra. The soil layer as a source of water and nutrients for mosses and lichens is almost not required - they get everything they need in the main from the atmosphere. They do not have full-fledged roots, but only thin filamentous offspring are formed, their main purpose is to attach plants to the soil. After all, mosses and lichens, due to their low altitude, make the best use of the warmest layer of air in summer.
The key mass of flowering plants in the tundra are shrubs, dwarf shrubs and perennial herbs. Shrubs differ from shrubs only in smaller dimensions - their height is almost the same as that of grass. Despite this, their branches become lignified, covered with a thin layer of protective cork tissue on the outside and carry wintering buds. Among these plants, you can often find some dwarf species of willows (herbaceous willow), wild rosemary, blueberry, crowberry, dwarf birch.
Almost all herbaceous plants in the tundra are perennial. Some cereals are found among them, for example: squat fescue, alpine meadow grass, arctic bluegrass, alpine foxtail, etc. You can find hard sedge, and other sedges. Legumes are also represented by several samples: umbrella astragalus, obscure kopeechnik, dirty hollywort. However, most plant species belong to the so-called forbs - representatives of various families of dicotyledonous plants. From this group of plants, one can single out the viviparous mountaineer, Eder's mytnik, bathing suits - European and Asian, alpine cornflower, Rhodiola rosea, geraniums - white-flowered and forest.
Below we will take a closer look at some of the plants.
Dwarf birch or dwarf birch.
The height of the dwarf birch is small - rarely more than 70 centimeters. It grows not like a tree, but like a tree-like shrub. Its branches do not rise high, and in most cases they simply spread out on the ground. The width of its sheet is often longer, and the shape of the sheet is rounded.
Blueberry, or gonobobel.
This is a small shrub. A sign that distinguishes this plant is foliage with a bluish tint. Deciduous shrub. Blueberry flowers are inconspicuous, soft, white, and sometimes pink. Blueberry fruits are bluish, spherical berries with a bluish coating.
Cloudberry.
Raspberries are the closest relative of cloudberries. Dioecious plant fruits consist of several small juicy fruitlets, connected to each other into one. Each fruit is a bit like a tiny cherry: the outside is pulp, and the inside is a stone. The fruits contain about 3-6% sugar and citric acid.
Moss lichen or reindeer moss
This lichen is one of the largest, it can reach 10-15 cm in height. It resembles a miniature tree - it has a thicker "trunk" growing from the ground, and small thin winding "branches".
