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Introduction
The tundra biome has several ecosystems as well as numerous different kinds of flora and fauna species. It is quite frigid all year long in such a biome, and usually, the environment is blanketed in snow. Neither the daytime nor the nighttime is light throughout the winter period of the calendar year. The given biome has a significantly lower humid atmosphere but has intense storms that make the air even dryer (Simpson, 2019).
Discussion
The varieties of wildlife species that may exist in the tundra are limited by temperatures, which is a prominent abiotic element in the area. The mean temperature in the northern wintertime is below 25 °F, and the mean summertime temperature barely rises above 50 °F (Simpson, 2019). Highly stormy and with little precipitation, highland, and arctic regions have many features (Simpson, 2019). Arctic ice, a coating of subsoil that has been hardened for years, is another abiotic element present in both the highland and arctic biome.
Although the level of permafrost fluctuates with the months and geographical locations, it is constantly present in practically all tundra environments. Tundra flora production and diversity in the North adapt quickly to environmental changes. These modifications may then lessen or accelerate glacial melt (Heijmans et al., 2022). The flora of the tundra is frequently sparse and low-growing, including shrubs, and graminoids, such as herbaceous plants, lichens, and moss (Heijmans et al., 2022). Regional differences in soil moisture associated with the microtopography of the terrain are the major determinants of Tundra vegetation patterns.
The food chain in this that would likely be found in this biome still does not lack any elements. For example, there are producers at the bottom of the food chain, which, as has been mentioned, are limited. These representatives include lichens (Foliose), grasses (Poaceae), and caribou moss (Cladonia rangiferina) (Olofsson & Post, 2018). The producers are then eaten by the consumers, mainly herbivores, such as the arctic hare (Lepus arcticus) and lemmings (Lemmini). These consumers are part of the carnivore diet, the prominent example of which is the arctic fox (Vulpes Lagopus) (Olofsson & Post, 2018). The secondary carnivores, snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus), and arctic wolves (Canis lupus arctos), eat the primary ones (Olofsson & Post, 2018). What is noteworthy about the food chain in the tundra is that on top of it is human since the fur and meat of the aforementioned fauna representatives are valued.
Though the flora and fauna of the biome are diverse, it is in danger and might be drastically altered by a warming climate. Possible cycles brought on by heating might induce greater instability of tundra ecosystems (Olofsson & Post, 2018). This biomes ecosystems are impacted by polluted air in several ways. According to new research, air pollution makes clouds more susceptible to forming in the Arctic and exerts a blanketing influence (Olofsson & Post, 2018). Snow may accumulate black carbon from internal combustion engines, wildfires, and other forms of burning, which reduces snows capacity to reflect solar light and will, in turn, hasten glacier melting (Olofsson & Post, 2018).
Conclusion
Lastly, the mining and petroleum sectors have the potential to harm delicate tundra environments. Permafrost may be thawed by boreholes, but heavy machinery and pipeline projects can harm the soil and hinder the regrowth of plants. Still, this action raises the possibility of harmful leaks and damage.
References
Heijmans, M. M., Magnússon, R. Ã., Lara, M. J., Frost, G. V., Myers-Smith, I. H., van Huissteden, J.,& & Limpens, J. (2022). Tundra vegetation change and impacts on permafrost. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 3(1), 68-84.
Olofsson, J., & Post, E. (2018). Effects of large herbivores on tundra vegetation in a changing climate, and implications for rewilding. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 373(1761), 1-8.
Simpson, P. (2019). Tundra biomes around the world. Capstone.
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