Tundra is a treeless natural area in northern Eurasia and North America. It is characterized by a harsh climate and occurrence permafrost already at shallow depths. Due to low winter temperatures and frozen soils, trees cannot grow here, even conifers that can withstand the extreme Siberian frosts. What animals live in the tundra under such conditions?
Features of the tundra climate
The tundra zone corresponds to the subarctic climate zone. Here, average January temperatures drop to -40º, and minimum temperatures are even lower. But this is not the case everywhere. For example, on the coast of the Scandinavian Peninsula, where the warm Norwegian Current passes, January temperatures rarely drop below -20º. But winter throughout the tundra lasts a very long time.
Summer here is comparable to our autumn. In the hottest month, the temperature rarely exceeds +10º. Even in July there can be sub-zero temperatures and snow. And this summer lasts for at most a month and a half.
The main feature of the tundra climate is excessive moisture. But not because there is a lot of precipitation, but because of low temperatures and, as a result, insignificant evaporation. As a result, there are many swamps and lakes. And there are also people here strong winds, especially on the North coast Arctic Ocean.
In winter, above the Arctic Circle, the sun does not go below the horizon for several days in a row. In summer it is the turn of the polar day. And to the south the sun shines for so long that the evening dawn gives way to the morning and there is no real darkness. This phenomenon is called "white nights".
Fauna and flora of the tundra
The vegetation of the tundra is very unique. In the south of the zone, where it is warmer, there are still dwarf trees: polar willow, dwarf birch. It is difficult to mistake them for trees, because the thickness of their trunks does not even reach the diameter of a pencil, and they rise only 20-30 cm in height.
The main plants of the tundra are mosses and lichens. They determine the appearance of the tundra landscape. There is enough moisture for them here, and they are unpretentious to heat. True, they grow very slowly.
The most famous tundra plant is moss, or reindeer moss, which is actually not moss, but lichen. This is the source of food for reindeer, which is why it got its popular name.
There are a lot of shrubs in the tundra that overwinter under the snow without shedding their small, dense, leathery leaves. This allows them to begin the growing season immediately after thawing from under the snow. First of all, these are lingonberries, cranberries, blueberries and cloudberries.
Herbaceous plants include sedge, cotton grass and polar poppy. During the short Arctic summer, they manage to go through the full vegetative cycle.
The vegetation here often forms creeping and cushion-shaped forms. This allows you to better use ground heat and preserve it, and protect yourself from strong winds that break the stems.
The fauna of the tundra is not rich in species, but quite large in quantity. What animals live permanently in the tundra? The indigenous inhabitants of the tundra include reindeer, lemmings, arctic foxes, wolves, and birds - the polar owl and the ptarmigan. Very rare animals are musk oxen.
Fauna of the Russian tundra
The most numerous animals of the tundra are lemmings. These rodents feed on seeds, fruits and roots of tundra plants. They can reproduce very quickly, because they mature within 2-3 months after birth. They can produce up to 5-6 litters of up to a dozen cubs each year. It is clear that there is not enough food for everyone. And lemmings undertake large migrations, moving en masse in search of food.
Although lemmings are not used by humans, animal world the tundra cannot do without these animals. After all, they serve as the main food for valuable commercial animals - arctic fox, fox.
The white arctic fox and the wolf are also typical representatives of tundra animals. But while the arctic fox mainly feeds on lemmings, hunts birds and destroys bird nests, the wolf prefers larger prey. And this is why he poses a danger to reindeer. Wolves hunt in large packs, driving herds of deer to remove weakened animals or young calves from the herd.
Reindeer is the main animal of the tundra
Reindeer graze on vast expanses of tundra. They feed not only on reindeer moss, but also on other types of plants. In search of food, they have to wander all the time, because the eaten vegetation takes a very long time to recover. In addition, in winter they migrate to more southern regions tundra and forest-tundra, since here the snow is looser and it is easier to dig out plants with your hoof. And the leaves of dwarf trees are also eaten.
In summer, deer move closer to the ocean coast, the wind from which saves them from midges - blood-sucking insects.
Reindeer have long been domesticated by humans. He is simply an irreplaceable animal in the tundra. Their meat and skins are used; deer transport people and goods. It’s not for nothing that the song says: “But deer are better...”
Reindeer wool is very warm, because the hairs in it are hollow and filled with air. Therefore, deer can easily tolerate very very coldy. And for the inhabitants of the tundra, clothing made from reindeer skins is also necessary.
In North America, caribou live in this zone.
Tundra birds
The fauna of the tundra is also represented by birds. The most famous eider is a large sea duck. It is famous for its exceptionally warm down, which lines the nest and covers the eggs. This gray fluff is very valuable, so it is collected. From one nest from which the chicks have already left, you can get 15-20 grams of pure fluff.
The white partridge is also permanent resident tundra The name suggests that in winter its plumage turns white, which allows the bird to be invisible against the background of snow. It feeds on plant foods, and the chicks are also insectivorous.
The polar owl mainly hunts lemmings. And in summer time it also poses a danger to birds, since chicks are good addition to her diet.
Summer paradise for waterfowl
In summer, the endless expanses of the tundra are literally saturated with water. These include melted snow waters, numerous lakes, swamps, and rivers. Therefore, the fauna of the tundra is replenished with a huge number of waterfowl. They find algae and insect larvae in the water, and they do not refuse the insects themselves.
Geese, ducks, loons, waders, swans - that's far from full list birds feeding and raising their chicks in the far north. And in the fall they take their chicks south, to warmer climes.
Conservation of tundra animals
Animal and vegetable world the tundra is very fragile, because its restoration in harsh conditions requires not years, but decades. Therefore he needs protection.
The Red Book of Russia aims to protect flora and fauna. Animals of the tundra that are included in it:
- Putorana bighorn sheep;
- Chukchi bighorn sheep;
- polar bear;
- white goose;
- white-billed loon;
- white goose;
- lesser goose;
- barnacle;
- red-breasted goose;
- Pacific black goose;
- small swan;
- American swan;
- pink gull;
- Siberian crane, or white crane.
To protect the wildlife of the tundra, nature reserves have been created: Kandalaksha, Lapland, Taimyr, etc.
The tundra zone occupies a vast territory on Far North THE USSR. In the European part of the USSR, it covers the northern half of the Kola Peninsula and further east the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean somewhat north of the Arctic Circle. In Siberia, the southern border of the tundra zone runs along the Arctic Circle to the Yenisei River, where it rises north and stretches east along the 70th parallel to the Kolyma River; Then it descends to the southeast, approximately to the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The tundra zone also covers the islands of Vaygach, Kolguev, Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and etc.
The southern border of the tundra almost completely coincides with the southern border of the cold belt, that is, it follows almost exactly the July air isotherm of +10°.
The space occupied by the tundra is about 3 million. sq. km, or 15% of the entire territory of the USSR.
The study of the tundra zone in our country is devoted great attention. Many of our scientists took part in the research of this vast zone: G. I. Tanfilyev, B. N. Gorodkov, Yu. A. Liverovsky, M. I. Sumgin, E. I. Tsyplenkin, V. N. Sukachev, L. S. Berg , A. A. Grigoriev and others. Nevertheless, the nature of the tundra zone, in particular soil cover it has not yet been sufficiently studied. What has already been done in this direction represents only the first step in understanding this huge, unique and, in its own way, very rich and promising region.
Climate. The climatic conditions of the tundra are characterized by low average annual temperatures, long cold winters, short summers and low precipitation, which is clearly seen from the data given in table. 18.
According to climatic characteristics, the tundra zone can be divided into 5 regions: Western - with a mild maritime climate, Eastern European - with a climate transitional from maritime to continental; West Siberian - from continental climate; East Siberian - with a sharply continental climate; Far Eastern - with a cold maritime climate.
West Side The tundra (north of the European part of the USSR) has the mildest climate. Average annual temperatures here negative, but slightly below zero. Temperatures in January are about -10°, and in July about +11°. Precipitation around 400 mm or more with a clear predominance of winter precipitation over summer.
As you move east, the severity of the tundra climate increases sharply. Thus, already in the east of the European part of the USSR, annual temperatures drop to -4-5° with a January temperature of -18-19°.
Even more drastic changes occur when moving to the Siberian tundra, where average annual temperatures reach -15-17°, and in the extreme east they rise to -9°. In the Chukotka tundra, January temperatures range from -30 to -40°. In the extreme east they rise to -25°. July temperatures are in the range of 11 -13°, i.e. higher than in the west.
Very low winter temperatures in the tundra zone Eastern Siberia caused by the influence of the Asian maximum pressure, which causes clear weather, weak winds and strong cooling of the air over the snow cover. There is also an influx of extremely cold continental air from temperate latitudes.
In the Siberian tundra, annual precipitation decreases sharply, rarely reaching 250 mm, and in many points it drops to 150-120 mm.
Thus, to the east, as in other zones, the continental climate is increasing, which softens somewhat in the extreme east.
In winter, strong dry winds often blow, which freeze all the vegetation protruding from under the snow. The snowy period is very long (up to 280 days), but the thickness of the snow cover is small. The most precipitation falls in July - August and September, the least in February - March.
The evaporation of moisture in this zone is very insignificant and on average does not exceed 50 mm in year. The predominance of precipitation over evaporation creates conditions for high soil moisture, as a result of which water is constantly retained on the surface of the tundra and soil development occurs with excess moisture. The low thickness of the snow cover makes deep freezing of the soil possible.
In the western part of the tundra zone, which is under the influence of warm Gulf Stream currents, in the summer the soil thaws, but most of the tundra zone is bound by permafrost.
Permafrost in the tundra zone is a very important factor.
Under permafrost, as defined by Prof. M.S. Sumgin understands such a layer of soil or soil located at a certain depth from the day surface, which has a negative temperature, lasting continuously for at least 2 years, maximum - millennia and tens of millennia.
Geographical distribution permafrost within our country is very large, especially in the Asian part of the USSR, east of Krasnoyarsk. Here, the southern border of the continuous distribution of permafrost passes south of Irkutsk, Chita, Khabarovsk and the mouth of the Amur.
The permafrost layer varies in thickness, but in many cases its thickness is very significant. For example, off the coast Kara Sea, in Amderma, on northern tip The Pai-Khoi permafrost layer was drilled to a depth of 400 m, in Transbaikalia near Bushulei station the permafrost has a thickness of 66-70 m, on Far East - 50 m etc. To the south, the thickness of the permafrost layer gradually decreases, reaching 1-2 m.
Above the permafrost is a thin layer of soil that freezes in winter and thaws in summer. It is called the active layer. The depth of summer thawing most often fluctuates between 30-150 cm depending on the geographical latitude, as well as on the mechanical composition of the soil and the thickness of the peat. In sandy soils, thawing penetrates to a depth of 100-150 cm, in loamy soils - up to 70-100 cm, in peaty areas up to 30-40 see B In this limited layer, biological processes occur and soils develop.
Permafrost has a huge impact on the active layer overlying it: it cools the soil, does not allow water to penetrate deeper and thereby contributes to the stagnation of water on the soil surface. The presence of permafrost with low precipitation in summer periods often causes a peculiar phenomenon of physiological dryness, which plays a very important role in the life of Arctic plants.
Moisture in the soil permafrost layer is inaccessible to plants; If the ice melts, then the resulting meltwater, having a low temperature, is of little use for plants.
In the tundra there is no sharp line dividing spring and summer, and the transition from spring to summer and from summer to autumn can only be spoken of conditionally. The beginning of summer is usually taken to be the disappearance of snow on most of the tundra, and the end of summer is the first frosts and snowfalls at the end of August.
Summer in the tundra is short and cold, but with long daylight hours; frosts also occur in summer. The sun appears little in the tundra, cloudiness is very high and on average about 3/4 of the sky is constantly covered with clouds. Relative air humidity in winter is very low, and in summer it is very high, often reaching 80-90% in August.
The growing season is on average 2-2.5 months, but with the onset of warmth, thanks to the long daylight hours, the plants develop rapidly and bloom quickly.
Vegetation. Due to the harsh climatic conditions, vegetation in the tundra is poorly developed and consists only of unpretentious northern plants that have adapted to the low temperatures of a short growing season. An essential feature of the tundra, which gives reason to call it the Arctic steppe, is its treelessness.
The word "tundra" (tunduri), taken from Finnish language, denotes treeless places.
Many reasons hinder the development of forests in the tundra, but the main ones are low temperature soil and the presence of permafrost, which thaws only to an insignificant depth during the short summer, strong winds, high relative humidity and significant swampiness. Under these conditions, tree seeds germinate poorly, and their seedlings do not survive.
The flora of the tundra zone is generally very monotonous and poor compared to other natural zones and barely numbers 250-500 different plant species.
Wide use in the tundra there are mosses, lichens, some sedges and grasses, which here, however, do not form a continuous vegetation cover, but grow in separate bushes and turf.
Among the plants, lingonberry-type shrubs, heather-type shrubs, blueberries, blueberries, etc. predominate. All tundra plants show numerous signs of xeromorphism, that is, adaptation to arid living conditions.
Characteristic feature, inherent in tundra vegetation, is the tendency of plants to grow in cushions, or tufts, which gives them better protection from the wind, and therefore from the blowing, so destructive in the tundra. Cohesive turf is found only in lowlands, which are covered with snow in winter and abundantly moistened in summer.
It should also be noted that lichens play an important role in the tundra, especially moss, or reindeer moss, which is the main food for deer.
Soil-forming rocks. The soil-forming rocks in the tundra zone are mainly glacial deposits, then sediments of the boreal marine transgression and, to a large extent, eluvial formations of various crystalline rocks.
In terms of their mechanical composition, they are quite diverse: sometimes they are plastic gray clays, sometimes sandier clays and loams, and sometimes sands. Very often they are layered and contain remains marine fauna, and often boulders.
Among these sediments there are in places outcrops of various bedrocks, including crystalline ones.
In Eastern Siberia, the tundra is located on rocky rocks and their weathering products.
Relief. Significant areas of the tundra zone are represented mainly by plains and low hillocks. The flat relief of the tundra is very often diversified by the presence of closed depressions occupied by lakes, the presence of river valleys and spurs of mountain ranges that intersect this vast zone in many places. Rocky mountain tundra is widespread in the mountainous regions of Siberia.
By natural conditions The tundra zone is not uniform and can be divided into the following subzones: arctic, shrub, southern tundra and forest-tundra.
The Arctic tundra is located along the northern edge of the country, where there are no trees or shrubs; the latter, if they appear, then only along the rivers. Spotted tundra is very common here. Spotted tundra consists of bare clay patches the size of a plate or wheel, usually completely devoid of vegetation. The spots are interspersed in dry tundra covered with vegetation, or are only bordered by a border of mosses, lichens, small sedges, etc.
The origin of these spots has not yet been precisely established. According to most researchers, spots in the tundra are formed as follows. When the exposed clay surface freezes and dries, it cracks and disintegrates into irregular polygons or rounded areas; the edges of the cracks then crumble, and vegetation settles in the resulting hollows, but the surface of the spot remains bare, since due to strong winds the vegetation cannot take root; In spring, bare spots quickly thaw and spread out. In the section of the spots there are no buried plant layers and humus horizon. At the same time, traces of gleying are clearly visible in the soil profile. There are no sphagnum peat bogs in this subzone.
The shrubby, or typical, tundra extends south of the Arctic tundra and occupies vast areas; There are also no trees here, and bushes are found not only along the rivers, but also in the interfluve spaces. The vegetation characteristic of this part of the tundra is divided into 3 tiers: the upper - shrub, the middle - herbaceous and the lower - lichen-moss.
The first layer is dominated by birch birch, wild rosemary, bush willow, blueberry, etc. In the middle, herbaceous layer, sedge, crowberry, fescue, lingonberry, etc. are widely developed. In the lower layer, which directly covers the soil, brown and green mosses and lichens dominate . Sphagnum peat bogs are often found here, usually in the form of mounds 1-3 m high, very characteristic of the so-called hummocky tundra. These peat mounds consist mainly of mosses and lichens.
The surface of the mounds is usually covered with creeping woody plants: wild rosemary, crowberry, blueberry, lingonberry, whiteberry, marsh heather, dwarf birch and dwarf polar willow. Significant areas here are occupied by lichen (resin moss) and lichen-moss associations.
In river valleys the same shrubs grow as on watersheds, but here they reach a greater height, sometimes 1 -1.5 m. On the banks of rivers and lakes there are often thickets of sedges, and in river valleys there are willows; Dwarf birch trees are found in abundance everywhere.
The southern tundra is located south of the bush tundra. A characteristic feature of this subzone is the presence of forest vegetation located only along the rivers. In the watershed areas, isolated trees (spruce, birch and larch) are occasionally found among the bushes. Sphagnum mosses are widespread, forming small peat bogs.
Forest-tundra is a transition zone from the tundra zone to the forest zone. It is located at southern outskirts tundra, on the border with the area of continuous forests. In this subzone, forests grow not only along rivers, but also occur in small islands in the interfluves, in watershed areas.
Polar birch species are usually the first to settle here. And larch, always covered with lichens and severely oppressed. Harsh tundra conditions, poor soils nutrients, the presence of permafrost at shallow depths in most of the tundra greatly impedes the growth and development of woody plants. Trees that are 200-300 years old are stunted, gnarled, gnarled, and have a diameter of about 5-8 cm.
The forests here are usually confined to small, but very numerous sandy and clayey hills, the depressions between which are occupied by swampy spaces or dense thickets of shrubs of small willow, dwarf birch, and where the terrain is higher, also juniper.
In dry places, the soil is covered with lichens, hypnum and other mosses; in wet places there are sphagnum hummocky bogs; tussocks of cotton grass are densely overgrown with cloudberries, moss, birch birch, crowberry, and sometimes juniper. Sphagnum peat bogs are highly developed in this subzone.
Tundra covers northern Russia and Canada. Its nature is quite sparse, and the climate is considered harsh. Because of these characteristics, it received another name - arctic desert. If we consider geographical position tundra, then you can see that this zone includes islands located in the Arctic Ocean and the northern part of Russia and Canada.
Location of the tundra zone
The Arctic desert extends in a wide strip along the entire coast of the Arctic Ocean. Here the climate is not mild and high temperatures, and nature is meager and stunted. In the tundra, winter lasts nine months, and summer is quite cool.
Low temperatures cause the ground to freeze and not thaw completely, but only upper layer may melt. There are no forests or tall trees in such a natural area. This area is rich in swamps, streams, mosses, lichens, low plants and shrubs that can survive in such a harsh climate. Their flexible stems and short height adapt well to piercing cold winds.
Over large areas you can see glaciers or rock deposits. The tundra contains an invaluable array of shallow, small lakes. This can be especially noticeable on the map of Canada, Russia, and Finland. The geographical position of the tundra contributes to the abundant flooding of rivers.
You can note heterogeneous features geographical location of the tundra. From the north to the very south there are three subzones. Near the Arctic Ocean there is an Arctic subzone, then it gives way to moss-lichen; to the south there is an area consisting of dwarf birch trees, cloudberry bushes, and the Tundra itself is very beautiful. In summer you can see it sparkling with bright colors. All thanks to the bushes of blueberries, blueberries, lingonberries, and cranberries.
Climate in Arctic deserts
The latitudes of the tundra zone have low annual radiation balance values. Winter in this zone lasts a long time - eight, or even all nine months. Extraordinarily beautiful polar nights are observed here. During the cold season, frost and wind are a common occurrence. Winter air temperatures in January for the European part of the tundra are up to 10 degrees below zero. However, closer to the east the climate becomes sharply continental. Therefore, January temperatures can reach -50 and below degrees Celsius.
Summer does not last long, it is cold and windy, and there is a long polar day. Usually the air temperature in July is no more than 4 degrees Celsius, and drizzling rain and fog can often be observed. The geographical position of the tundra in Russia is the zone from the western part of the country up to It occupies 1/6 of the entire territory of the country. In Siberia, the greatest extent is observed from north to south.
Severe snowstorms and hurricane winds are common occurrences in this area. They are so impetuous that they can knock down not only a person, but also a deer.
What is the tundra like in summer?
What are the features of the geographical location of the tundra in the summer? At this time of year, you can find edible mushrooms and a variety of delicious berries spread out in a colorful carpet, and you can also spot herds of proud reindeer grazing. In this way they look for food for themselves in the summer. Deer eat everything they see: lichens, leaves of bushes. In winter, too, they will find food in the form
Unique flora
The organic world of the tundra is poor. The tundra-gley soils of this zone can hardly be called fertile, since they are completely frozen. Not all plants can survive in harsh northern conditions, where they have so little warmth and sunlight. The best species that thrive here are lichens and mosses, polar poppy, black crowberry, princess grass, late loidia, sword-leaved sedge, saxifrage, snow buttercup and others. Such plants are an extraordinary delicacy for local wildlife. What other greenery can be seen in this area? About 300 species of flowering plants and almost 800 different species of lichens and mosses.
All plants here are dwarf. The so-called “forest” can only reach your knee, and the “trees” will not be higher than a mushroom. The geographical position of the tundra is completely unsuitable for forests, and all because of the permanent permafrost, which persists for many years in a row.
Animals of the tundra
On the steep rocky shores you can see birds making noise. The geographical location of the tundra natural zone is suitable for those animals that prefer the sea. A large amount of water is an excellent habitat for waterfowl: geese, ducks, loons. You can see passerines, waders, waterfowl, white geese, peregrine falcon, tundra partridge, lark. Here you will not find reptiles, but among the representatives of amphibians you can find frogs. The fauna is also rich in white hares, arctic foxes, weasels, foxes, wolves, polar and brown bears, musk oxen and, of course, reindeer. The lakes of the tundra are rich in a wide variety of fish - salmon, dalia.
Reindeer are another feature of the Arctic deserts
They are not only a feature, but also a symbol that the tundra zone is proud of. The geographical location for these animals is very convenient to live. They exist not only in open, windy areas, but also on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. Moreover, these are the only ungulates that can exist here. We can observe large horns in both males and females. The main source of food for reindeer is tundra plants. These are lichens (moss moss), buds, grass, small shoots of bushes. In winter, they can extract plants from under the snow, breaking it with their hooves.
Deer hair in winter time thick and long, well-developed undercoat (to retain heat in severe frosts). In summer it becomes rarer and lighter. The summer color of deer is from grayish to brown. In winter he is in to a greater extent white. The special structure of the hooves allows reindeer to successfully and quickly move through marshy swamps and deep snow. These are herd and polygamous animals.
In winter, they move to places where there are extensive moss pastures. A hundred or more kilometers from the habitat in summer is not a problem for winter migrations of deer. They shed no more than once a year. This animal is sensitive, has an excellent sense of smell, and can also swim. Deer can freely swim across lakes and rivers.
How are the components of nature interconnected in the tundra zone?
If we consider the geographical position of the tundra, we can note that forests begin in the southern part. This is how the forest-tundra began. It stretched along the entire southern border tundra It is already a little warmer here - in summer the temperature reaches 14 degrees Celsius. It falls in the forest-tundra a large number of precipitation that does not have time to evaporate. This creates wetlands. The main food for the deep local rivers is the first months of summer - the peak of the flood. The geographical position of the tundra zone is gradually giving way to forest-tundra.
Man began to develop the northern region long ago. Gradually, the landscape that stretches beyond was increasingly populated and transformed. Marine fishing is the main occupation of the northern peoples: the Chukchi and Eskimos. Hunting for local animals laid down its own traditions of food and clothing style. Marine meat, venison, fish, and poultry are the main food products. Thanks to reindeer husbandry and hunting, the skins of fur-bearing and other animals are obtained, which are subsequently used as clothing.
How is forest-tundra different from tundra?
Forest-tundra is located in the zone between the tundra and taiga. In the river valleys you can already see more forest with tall trees. This is how the geographical position of tundra and forest-tundra differs. Here between the rivers you can find small islands of low trees covered with lichen. Summers here are warmer and longer. Thanks to the presence of trees, the wind speed here is not felt as strongly as in the tundra, where the area is completely open.
Removing forest-tundra from the ocean contributes to harsh winters with severe frosts. The soils thaw much deeper, and permanent permafrost is observed only in certain areas. The main food for the rivers is also melted snow.
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Tundra is one of the natural areas of our planet. Its territory occupies the northern regions of Eurasia and North America. The word tundra comes from the Finnish language tunturi, which means high treeless.
The nature of these places is not diverse due to the harsh climate. Among the vegetation, you can most often see mosses and lichens, cloudberries, small bushes, blueberries and dwarf birch, not exceeding 1 meter in height. Mosses and lichens serve as food for reindeer.
Large herds of these beautiful animals roam the expanses of the tundra in search of food. In winter, deer go south, into the forest-tundra. It differs from the tundra not big amount trees. With the help of their hooves, reindeer can dig through the snow to get the mosses hidden underneath. In addition to deer, the tundra is home to hares, arctic foxes, wolves, foxes and lemmings - small polar mice. They make their nests right on the ground under the snow. Among the birds most often found in the tundra are the white partridge, the Lapland plantain and the polar owl, which hunts lemmings. Numerous lakes are home to fish accustomed to cold waters. Among them are omul, nelma and vendace. Due to the very cold, long winter and short summer, some lakes freeze completely, so there is no fish in them.
Spring is considered the most beautiful time of year in the tundra. The snow is melting and flowers are blooming everywhere. Birds are making nests and their voices are heard from all sides.
Despite the harsh climate, the tundra is home to some peoples such as the Nenets, Sami, Eskimos, Chukchi and others. They breed reindeer, hunt and fish. Deer for northern peoples is great value. They build houses from its skin, stretching it over special rods, and also sew clothes for themselves.
Recently, minerals such as coal, oil and gas have begun to be mined in the tundra. These regions attract tourists with their unusual northern beauty, who enjoy skiing and admiring the northern lights, which illuminate the sky with bright colors.
(Finnish tunturi - treeless, bare hill) - these are spaces of subarctic latitudes Northern Hemisphere with a predominance of moss-lichen vegetation, as well as low-growing perennial grasses, shrubs and low shrubs. The roots of grasses and trunks of shrubs are hidden in the moss and lichen turf. The main reason for the treelessness of the tundra is low air conditions combined with high relative temperatures, strong winds, and unfavorable conditions for the germination of seeds of woody plants on the moss-lichen cover.
Plants in the tundra zone are pressed to the surface, forming densely intertwined shoots in the shape of a pillow. The leading role here is played by plants such as sedge, buttercups, some cereals, wild rosemary, deciduous shrubs - willow, birch, alder. In July, the tundra is covered with a carpet of flowering plants. On warm areas of the shores and lakes you can find polar golden poppies, dandelions, polar forget-me-nots, chickweeds, pink flowers mytnik.
Based on the predominant vegetation, 3 subzones are distinguished in the tundra:
arctic tundra, which in the north borders the zone of snow and ice. average temperature the warmest month (July) is not higher than +6°C, so the vegetation cover is torn. It consists of lichens, low-growing grasses and shrubs (there are no shrubs here). Vegetation covers only 60% of the entire surface. A significant area is occupied by (mountain) and many lakes. In summer, deer graze in the vast tundra;
Moss-lichen tundra. It is located in the middle part. Areas of moss tundra made up of various types of mosses alternate with lichen tundra made up of sphagnum mosses that do not form a continuous cover. In addition to mosses and lichens, sedge, bluegrass, and creeping willow are found here. As pastures for deer, the most valuable areas of the tundra are those where reindeer moss grows;
Shrub tundra. It is located further south than the moss-lichen zone. The shrub tundra in the south turns into forest-tundra. Average air temperatures in July are up to +11°C, so shrubs are widespread in river valleys. They consist of polar willow and bushy alder. In some places the willow thickets rise to the height of a person. The shrub tundra is rich in dense thickets of dwarf pine. In areas of this tundra subzone, shrubs are an important source of fuel. In the shrub tundra, as in the Arctic, large areas occupied by lakes, moss and sedge bogs, river valleys. The soils of the tundra are thin, tundra-gley and peaty, they are infertile. Frozen soils with a thin active layer are widespread here.
The fauna is represented here reindeer, lemming, arctic fox, ptarmigan, and in summer - many migratory birds.
The tundra includes spaces with permafrost soil that lies beyond the northern limits of forest vegetation and is not flooded by sea or river waters. According to the nature of the surface, the tundra can be rocky, clayey, sandy, peaty, hummocky or swampy. The idea of the tundra as an inaccessible space is true only for swampy tundra, where permafrost can disappear by the end of summer. In the tundra of European Russia, the thawed layer reaches, by September, about 35 cm on peat, about 132 cm on clay, and about 159 cm on sand. In swampy places with standing water, the permafrost drops by mid-summer, depending on the amount of water and the admixture of solid plant residues on depth about 52 – 66 cm.
After very frosty and little snowy winters and in cold summers, the permafrost is, of course, closer to the surface, while after mild and snowy winters and in warm summer the permafrost is subsiding. In addition, on level areas the thawed layer is thinner than on slopes, where permafrost may even disappear completely. On, on and along the coast of the Czech Bay to the Timan Ridge, peat-hilly tundra dominates.
The surface of the tundra here consists of large, about 12–14 m high and up to 10–15 m wide, isolated, steep-sided, extremely dense peat mounds, frozen inside. The spaces between the mounds, about 2–5 m wide, are occupied by a very watery, inaccessible swamp, “ersei” of Samoyeds. The vegetation on the hillocks consists of various lichens and mosses, usually with cloudberries on the slopes. The body of the mound is composed of moss and small tundra shrubs, which can sometimes even predominate.
Peaty-hilly tundra passes to the south or closer to the rivers, where there are already forests, into sphagnum peat bogs with cranberries, cloudberries, gonobol, bagoon, birch dwarf. Sphagnum peat bogs extend very far into the forest area. To the east of the Timan Ridge, peat mounds and ersei are found rarely and only in small areas in low areas where more water accumulates. In the northeast of European Russia and developed following types tundra
Peaty tundra. The peat layer, consisting of mosses and tundra shrubs, is continuous but thin. The surface is covered mainly with a carpet of reindeer moss, but cloudberries and other small shrubs are sometimes found in abundance. This type, developed on more level areas, is widespread especially between the Timan and Rivers.
Bald, fissured tundra very common in places that do not provide conditions for stagnant water and are accessible to the action of blowing away snow and drying out the soil, which becomes covered with cracks. With these cracks, the soil is divided into small (the size of a plate, the size of a wheel, or larger) areas, completely devoid of vegetation, so that frozen clay or frozen sand protrude out. Such areas are separated from each other by strips of small shrubs, grasses and saxifrage sitting in cracks.
Herbaceous-shrub tundra develops where the soil is more fertile. Lichens and mosses recede into the background or disappear completely, and shrubs dominate.
hummocky tundra. The hummocks, up to 30 cm high, consist of cotton grass with mosses, lichens and tundra shrubs. The spaces between the hummocks are occupied by mosses and lichens, and gray lichens also cover the tops of old, dead cotton grass tussocks.
swampy tundra covers large areas in Siberia, where swamps are dominated by various sedges and grasses. Swampy spaces, as already noted, also occupy the spaces between hillocks in the peat-hilly tundra.
rocky tundra developed on rocky mountain outcrops (for example, on Kaninsky and Timansky Kamni). The rocky tundra is covered with lichens and tundra shrubs.
Plants characteristic of the tundra are reindeer moss or lichens, which give the surface of the tundra a light gray color. Other plants, mostly small shrubs clinging to the soil, are usually found in spots against a background of reindeer moss. In the southern parts of the tundra and closer to the rivers, where they are already beginning to appear, birch birch and some willows, about 0.7 - 8 m tall, are widespread in treeless areas.