Tundra Ecosystems
What Is the Tundra?
Word of the Week
Permafrost
Permafrost is soil that stays frozen for most of the year.
Permafrost is found far away from the equator near the poles or at the top of tall mountains. It is challenging for plants to grow in permafrost!
Species Spotlight
Polar Bear | Ursus maritimus
Polar bears are the largest meat-eating animal on land! Large males can weigh almost 1,000-lbs and stand 9-ft tall when standing upright. They feed mostly on seals and any fish they can get their paws on. Polar bears eat fatty foods to build up a thick layer of blubber (fat) that helps them stay warm in the freezing arctic. Their noses are an extremely powerful tool allowing them to smell seals from miles away!
While it might seem that polar bears have white fur, their fur is actually clear! When the sun refracts off of their fur, it makes them appear white, allowing them to camouflage into the ice. Their thick fur also keeps them warm and is water-resistant so they can dry off quickly after a hunt. Polar bears use their wide, paddle-like feet to swim great distances. One bear was recorded swimming more than 60 miles! Unfortunately, polar bear populations are shrinking because of climate change, which is causing their sea ice habitat to melt.
Conservation Corner
Climate Change
How You Can Protect the Tundra
Plants and animals in the arctic are facing a big problem. The temperature is warming causing their habitat to change quicker than they can adapt. These changes are happening because greenhouse gases are trapping heat near the surface of the Earth.
Greenhouse gases are produced by burning fossil fuels and other nonrenewable resources to create energy. These gases are released when we heat or cool our homes, drive our cars, watch TV, and even when we make new products. To create new clothes, toys, and other products, we need energy. The obvious way we can reduce greenhouse gases is by using less energy. We can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by buying fewer products, which reduces the demand for energy used to make more.
BRAIN BLAST
Make a list of how you use energy in your daily life. Think about what electricity you use, what products you buy, how to move from place to place. Discuss as a group how you can reduce your energy use to help save polar bears!
Tough Enough for the Tundra
Animals have many adaptations that help them survive in the tundra. Identify if the adaptations below would be helpful or harmful in the tundra.
Tundra Challenges
Arctic Adaptations
For centuries, humans have designed tools and other inventions based on things we find in nature! Many of the inventions we use to survive in freezing climates have the same job as adaptations seen in tundra animals.
In this challenge, you will be identifying human inventions that have the same job as tundra animal adaptations!
Glossary
Abiotic
A part of an ecosystem that is nonliving.
Arctic
Freezing cold region surrounding the North Pole.
Biotic
A living organism.
Boreal Forest
A large ecosystem found in arctic regions characterized by freezing temperatures and dense evergreen trees. It is also known as the taiga.
Camouflage
A strategy used by many animals that allows them to blend into their environment.
Ecosystem
An area of the planet filled with living and nonliving things that interact.
Migration
The process of an animal moving to a new location often during a specific season.
Transpiration
The process of water vapor escaping a plant through small pores in the leaves and stems.
Tundra
An ecosystem characterized by freezing cold temperatures and a mostly barren landscape.
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