Ecology of Alaska/Tundra By Henry Sisson

Tundra Region The Tundra ecosystems are treeless regions found in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains, where the climate is cold, windy and rainfall is scarce.

Food web Like all ecosystems, life on the tundra is connected; for instance the polar bears couldn’t survive if the grasses died. The polar bears eat the arctic foxes, which eat the lemmings, which eat the grasses.

Natural Threats Global warming melts the ice, which makes it difficult for the animals to reproduce. They have less time to reproduce since they have to migrate quicker to where the ice doesn't melt in the summer.

Man Made Threats Dams are a man made threat because they block the salmon’s migration upstream to lay their eggs. If the salmon can’t reproduce, one of the bears’ food sources is reduced.

Animals/Adaptations Bears Thick fur to keep warm. Keen sense of smell for hunting. Sharp claws for gathering food. Hibernating. Scavenging campgrounds and garbage cans. Eagle Hollow bones for flying. Fur on legs to keep warm. Sharp talons for hunting. Sharp beak to tear food.

Animals/Adaptations… cont. Arctic Hare White in winter to camouflage. Fur with undercoat to keep warm. Shorter ears that regular rabbits to keep warm. Large feet to run in snow.

Plants/Adaptations Caribou moss Grows close to the ground to absorb the heat from ground that came from the sun’s energy. Lichen Dark pigment to absorb heat. Riverwort Can raise capsule above ground to release spores.

Definitions Producers- living thing that makes it’s own food from the energy of the sun. Consumer – A living thing that gets energy from eating other living things. Herbivore – An animal that eats plants. Omnivore – An animal that eats plants and animals. Carnivore – An animal that eats other animals (meat). Decomposer – A living thing that eats rotting things. Adaptation – A feature that helps a living thing survive. Camouflage – A pattern or coloring that helps a living thing blend in with its surroundings.

Definitions…cont. Extinct – No living longer living. Habitat – An animals’ home. Hibernate – Deep sleep during which animals use little energy. Migrate – To move from place to place. Mimicry – To copy another animals’ habits to scare other living things away. Niche – A kind of food a living thing uses to get energy or conditions that it needs to survive. Species – A group of living things. Reproduction – Making more of one kind. Metamorphosis – a complete change of form, structure, or substance as if transformed by magic.

Definitions…cont. Incomplete metamorphosis- The animal has not gone through many changes. Complete Metamorphosis-total change in form.