Photos of people in the tundra in summer. Tundra natural zone - characteristics, birds, animals, vegetation, types

Tundra is a treeless flat hill, translated from Finnish.

The tundra is an area characterized by permafrost, short summers and long winters.

Geographical position

Tundra is located in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, located in the northern part of the Eurasian continent, North America, islands that are part of the subpolar geographical zone.

They occupy almost 5% of all land on the planet. The borders are the Arctic - from the south, the Arctic deserts - in the north.

Characteristics of the tundra

The tundra is represented by three subspecies that differ in vegetation:

• Forest tundra or southern, where willows, berries, mushrooms, shrubs grow, represented by dwarf birch and bushy alder;
• Arctic, dominated by swamps and wetlands, mosses and lichens;
• Subarctic or typical medium, which is characterized by mosses, shrubs, lichens, berries.

tundra summer photo

The Arctic tundra is located between the North Pole and the taiga. Winter here is very severe, it differs in that the water always freezes, and the whole territory resembles a desert. In summer, the soil can only warm up to 40 to 60 centimeters deep. Summer is dull and gray, greenery does not appear everywhere, and from a distance it resembles spots.

In the southern tundra, summer is somewhat longer, and this contributes to a deeper warming of the earth. Therefore, shrubs, mosses and lichens are able to grow on them. Summer is also characterized by the opening of rivers and lakes, which are surrounded by lush and colorful vegetation.

dwarf birches in the tundra photo

Somewhere in the middle of summer, the Polar day may come (the sun does not set beyond the horizon), lasting several months. During this period, herbaceous plants bloom here, shrubs and small trees are covered with leaves. Their height is not more than 50 centimeters.

Tundra climate

The climate of the tundra belongs to the subarctic, which is characterized by the absence of summer as a season. When it comes, it can last only a few weeks and is cool, with temperatures ranging from 10 to 15 degrees Celsius, and there are frosts at night.

In summer, precipitation falls, which is slightly more than in winter. The average annual rainfall in the tundra is 200 - 400mm. Moisture significantly exceeds evaporation, which contributes to the formation of wetlands. Winter is very long and cold. The temperature drops to -50 degrees. Snow cover in the tundra lies from October to June.

Soils

The area is represented by several types:

• rocky;
• Peaty;
• Swampy.

The soils are waterlogged, therefore they are represented by arctic tundra (north) and gel tundra (center and south). The gel process is very active, so the soils are blue and green.

There is very little humus in the soils, since few shrubs and plants grow on the surface, the processes of humification and mineralization are very slow. Therefore, the peat layer is very thin.

Among other features of tundra soils, it is worth noting the impossibility of finding soil horizons, since they are constantly moving, which is associated with the following processes:

• swelling;
• outpourings.

The permafrost becomes larger at the northern borders. Soils are acidic and lack minerals and nutrients.

Flora and fauna of the tundra

The plant world is scarce here. These are mainly mosses and lichens, shrubs. Dwarf trees (birch, alder, willow) are found on the southern border of the tundra. But flowers bloom in summer that survived the harsh winter (buttercups, polar poppies, wild rosemary, forget-me-nots). Beautiful in August and September - the berries ripen, and the greenery changes its outfit to red, then to yellow.

tundra plants photo

Where the taiga has already ended, but the Arctic has not yet begun, the tundra zone stretches. This territory occupies more than three million squares, has a width of about 500 kilometers. What does the permafrost zone look like, there are almost no plants, very few animals. This mysterious territory keeps many amazing secrets.

tundra zone

The tundra zone stretches along the shores of the northern seas. Wherever you look, a cold plain stretches for thousands of kilometers, completely devoid of forest. The polar night lasts for two months. Summer is very short and cold. And even with the onset, frosts often occur. Cold, sharp winds blow across the tundra every year. For many days in a row in winter, a blizzard is the mistress of the plains.

The top layer of soil thaws only 50 centimeters deep during the cold, unkind summer. Below this level lies a layer of permafrost that never melts. Neither melt water nor rain water passes to the depth. The tundra zone is a huge number of lakes and swamps, the soil is wet everywhere, because due to low temperatures, water evaporates extremely slowly. A very harsh climate in the tundra, creating almost unbearable conditions for all living things. However, life here is somewhat more diverse than in the Arctic.

Vegetable world

What does the tundra look like? Its surface is mostly very large bumps. Their size reaches a height of up to 14 meters and up to 15 meters wide. The sides are steep, they consist of peat, the inner part is almost always frozen. Between the mounds, at intervals of up to 2.5 meters, there are swamps, the so-called Yersei Samoyeds. The sides of the hillocks are covered with mosses and lichens, cloudberries are often found right there. Their body is formed by mosses and tundra shrubs.

Closer to the rivers, to the south, where tundra forests can be observed, the hilly zone turns into sphagnum peat bogs. Cloudberry, bagun, cranberry, gonobol, birch yernik grow here. go deep into the forest zone. To the east of the Taman Ridge, mounds are very rare, only in low, wetlands.

Tundra subzones

The flat regions of Siberia are occupied by peaty tundra. Mosses and tundra shrubs stretch like a continuous film over the surface of the earth. Mostly reindeer moss covers the ground, but cloudberry meadows can also be found. This type of tundra is especially common between Pechora and Timan.

In high places, where water does not stagnate, but the wind roams freely, there is a fissured tundra. The dry, cracked soil is broken up into small patches containing nothing but frozen earth. Grasses, shrubs and saxifrages can hide in cracks.

For those who are interested in what the tundra looks like, it will be useful to know that there is also fertile soil here. The herbaceous-shrub tundra is rich in shrubs, mosses and lichens are almost absent.

Moss moss and lichen are the most characteristic of this natural zone, due to which the tundra is painted in a light gray color. In addition, small shrubs huddle to the ground, standing out against the background of reindeer moss in spots. The southern regions boast small islands of forest. Dwarf species of willows and birch dwarf birch are fairly common.

Animal world

The way the tundra looks does not affect the number of animals permanently residing in this region. One of the usual inhabitants of the tundra - upland nests right on the ground or rocks. The white-tailed eagle - a native of the tundra - lives on the seashore. Gyrfalcon, found in the northernmost regions of the region, is the most common bird in the region. All birds prey on partridges and small rodents.

Not only birds live in this natural zone, but also furry ones, and of different sizes. So, of the largest is this species, which is most adapted to climate conditions. In Europe, it almost died out, there were representatives only in Norway. Deer are also rare on the Kola Peninsula. They were replaced by domestic deer.

Deer, in addition to humans, also have a natural enemy - the wolf. These predators have a much thicker undercoat than their forest counterparts. In addition to these animals, polar bears, musk oxen, arctic foxes, Parry's ground squirrels, lemmings, white hares and wolverines are found in the tundra.

Climate

The climate of the tundra is very harsh. The temperature in a short summer does not rise above 10 degrees, the average temperature in winter is not higher than minus 50. A thick layer of snow falls already by September, only increasing the layers every month.

Despite the fact that the sun hardly appears above the horizon during the entire long winter night, impenetrable darkness does not reign here. What does the tundra look like on a polar night? Even in moonless periods, it is quite light. After all, dazzling white snow lies around, perfectly reflecting the light of distant stars. In addition, the northern lights give excellent lighting, decorating the sky with different colors. At some hours, thanks to him, it becomes light as day.

What does the tundra look like in summer and winter

In general, summer can hardly be called warm, because the average temperature does not rise above 10 degrees. In such months, the sun does not leave the sky at all, trying to have time to warm the frozen earth at least a little. But what does the tundra look like in summer?

In relatively warm months, water covers the tundra, turning vast territories into huge swamps. The natural zone of the tundra is covered with lush color at the very beginning of summer. Given that it is very short, all plants tend to have time to complete the development cycle as soon as possible.

In winter, there is a very thick layer of snow on the ground. Since almost the entire territory lies beyond the Arctic Circle, the natural tundra zone is deprived of sunlight for most of the year. Winter lasts a long time, much longer than in other areas of the globe. In this territory there are no adjacent seasons, that is, neither spring nor autumn.

Wonders of the Tundra

The most famous miracle is, of course, the northern lights. On a dark January night, stripes of bright colors suddenly light up against the black background of a velvet sky. Green and blue columns, flecked with pink and red, glide across the sky. The dance of radiance is like the flashes of a giant bonfire that has reached the sky. People who saw the Northern Lights for the first time will never again be able to forget this amazing spectacle that has been disturbing the minds of people for thousands of years.

Our ancestors believed that the lights in the sky bring happiness, as they are a manifestation of the celebration of the gods. And if the gods have a holiday, they will certainly give gifts to people. Others thought that the radiance was the wrath of the god of fire, who was angry with the human race, so they expected only troubles and even misfortunes from the multi-colored heavenly splashes.

Whatever you think, seeing the northern lights is worth it. If the opportunity ever arises, it is better to be in the tundra in January, when the northern lights flare up especially often in the sky.

Tundra is a cold, treeless plain located south of the arctic desert zone. Natural conditions in the tundra are less severe than in the Arctic deserts. Therefore, the flora and fauna are richer here.

Using the map in the textbook, paint over the tundra zone on the contour map (World around 4th grade, pp. 36-37). To select a color, you can use, as in the previous lesson, the "key" below.

2. Do you know the living world of the tundra? Cut out the pictures from the Application and arrange them correctly. Check yourself on the picture in the textbook.

Tundra

Arrange a mini-exam for your desk mate. Arrange the pictures so that there are 2-3 mistakes. Let the neighbor find them and fix them (put the pictures correctly).

Ask your desk mate to arrange the same exam for you. When you are confident in your knowledge, stick the pictures in your notebook.

Question Ant dreams of eating tundra berries, but does not know what they look like. Consider the drawings. Compare the appearance of cloudberries, blueberries and lingonberries. Explain to the Ant by what signs these plants can be recognized in nature.

You can find additional information about blueberries and lingonberries in the atlas-determinant "From Earth to Heaven" (pp. 90-91).

Make a diagram of the food chain characteristic of the tundra. Compare it with the scheme proposed by a neighbor on the desk. Use these diagrams to tell about ecological connections in the tundra zone.

Twigs of dwarf birch - Lemming - Snowy Owl
Yagel - Reindeer - Wolf
Cloudberry - Ptarmigan - Gyrfalcon
Arctic Willow Buds - Lemming - Arctic Fox - Wolf

Think what environmental problems in the tundra zone are expressed by these signs. Formulate and write down.

Suggest conservation measures to help solve these problems for class discussion.

Continue filling out the poster "The Red Book of Russia", which was drawn by Seryozha and Nadia's dad. Find rare animals of the tundra on the poster and write their names.

White crane (Siberian crane), tundra swan, red-throated goose, gyrfalcon

7. Here you can complete the drawing as instructed by the textbook (p. 93).

Draw how you imagine the tundra

As instructed by the textbook (p. 93), prepare a report about one of the plants or animals of the tundra.

Message subject: Polar Mouse (Lemming)

Important information to report: Perhaps the most numerous inhabitants of the tundra are lemmings, or polar mice. In summer, they live in shallow burrows (and would be happy to hide more securely, but the permafrost does not let them in) or under lichen-covered rocks. In winter, lemmings build their nests of grass and moss under a layer of snow, but they don’t even think about hibernating, but busily scurry back and forth through a real labyrinth of tunnels carefully laid in the snow, only occasionally crawling out to feast on buds, twigs and bark dwarf tundra plants. Here, snowy owls are waiting for them, sitting in ambush on top of the snowdrifts. Do not disdain polar mice and polar foxes - arctic foxes.
The most amazing thing is that on a long and cold polar night, lemmings successfully breed in their nests under the snow. Females can raise from three to five broods. At this time, the main enemies of lemmings are not owls and arctic foxes, but nimble ermines, easily penetrating the intricate network of passages dug by rodents and even impudently using their nests for rest and reproduction.

Source(s) of information: Encyclopedia. Wondering about the unknown

In winter, they are so severe that all living things tend to leave it for this time of the year: reindeer migrate south to the “edge of the forest”; wolves follow the deer; snow buntings descend even further, which are ordinary winter guests of our middle zone, where they like to stay in flocks along the roads, pecking out grains from horse manure, and the snowy owl is found in winter not only in the steppes of Europe, but also in Central Asia. Even arctic foxes, these indigenous inhabitants of the tundra, begin to "flow" to the south, into the taiga, penetrating deep into it, partly migrate north to the shore of the open sea, where they pick up surf emissions.

But there is no rule without exception. This exception is made by lemmings, otherwise arctic fox mice, widely known in literature under the Norwegian name of lemmings. They not only continue to make their snow passages with snow, but, as it was found out recently, they even continue to breed in winter. The reason for such prosperity of pied beetles is that in the tundra there are relatively many evergreens that overwinter under the snow in a conserved state, having fully developed leaves and buds, and fruits and seeds at various degrees of ripeness. This phenomenon is a remarkable adaptation to the short summer, during which many plants do not have time to complete their life cycle. Thanks to this, pieds have a full-fledged food all year round. Under the dense snow, where they flock for the winter, they are not afraid of either frost or blizzards.

On the contrary, only due to the fact that the snow cover of the tundra is shallow in winter and large accumulations of it, the so-called faces, are formed only in depressions, mainly along ravines, in the tundra, reindeer, white hares, snowy and Lapland plantains, tundra and ptarmigans. Thus, snow, on the one hand, prevents partridges from getting food, on the other hand, it gives them shelter from winter blizzards. But for a number of animals, snow cover is favorable in all cases: it is only thanks to it that lemmings, voles and numerous shrews in the tundra and taiga can live without falling into hibernation, and lemmings and voles even breed in winter. This is explained by the fact that under the snow the air is warmer than on the surface. Experience shows that the animals listed above, released on a frosty day, quickly freeze. In turn, due to the presence of these animals in the tundra, a certain number of predators still remain for the winter: wolves, arctic foxes, snowy owls, buzzards, or upland buzzards. The gyrfalcons remain, continuing to beat their favorite prey in flight - white partridges. Finally, the omnivorous raven remains - this truly ubiquitous bird.

The tundra is where the taiga already ends but Antarctica has not yet begun, this strip is the Tundra. Permafrost reigns in the tundra, there is virtually no vegetation here, and the tundra is endowed with many other interesting facts, in general, see below. The tundra is located a little to the north. ( 11 beautiful photos of the tundra)

In general, the area of ​​the tundra is about 3 million square kilometers, and the width of the tundra reaches 500 km. The territory of the tundra extends not only in, but also in other countries, for example, in. But we will look exclusively at the Russian tundra.

The exceptional features of the tundra is permafrost, here the soil freezes up to 160 cm deep, and the tundra is also a constant wind of monstrous force. In Russia, the tundra has allocated for itself a territory of 15% percent of the entire vast country. Some part of the tundra is located even on. In Siberia, marshy tundra prevails.

The tundra is almost always an endless plain with a large number of lakes, swamps and rivers on it. Mountain tundras are rare. In general, tundra can be divided into 5 types: flat, swampy, sandy, rocky, mountainous.

As for the climate, the climate here is very harsh, the temperature in winter can reach -50 ° C, and this despite the fact that strong winds blow here that simply blow off all the vegetation from the ground. The thickness of the snow is generally small, again, due to strong winds, the snow is blown away, and in some places you can find real snowdrifts of several meters.

In the tundra zone, in principle, there is no summer, well, it is, but it seems to be connected with autumn, let's say the warm period in the tundra begins in May and ends in September. In May, the snow in the tundra is already melting, and the warmest period begins, it lasts about 2 months, during which time all plants open their leaves and lay seeds at an accelerated pace. And in October, winter is already in full swing here.

The temperature of the warmest month "summer" is at best +15 °C. Let's talk about the vegetation in the tundra, we don’t even have to talk about some kind of forests in the tundra, because of the strong wind and the harsh climate, trees do not grow here, you can rarely find “dwarf birch”. The flora of the tundra is very scarce, and its height rarely exceeds 50 cm in height.

The bulk of the vegetation is the well-known lichens and mosses. Reindeer moss predominates, popularly known as reindeer food. You can also meet, but less often, small, not picky herbs. If you look at the tundra from an airplane, you can see only a gray-brown cover underlying the entire territory.

The fauna in the tundra is also not rich, since there is nothing to eat and, accordingly, there are few animals. Only reindeer (small), foxes, bighorn sheep, wolves, small rodents, and hares live here. There are several species of birds: snow bunting, snowy owl, white partridge, etc.

Currently, the Russian government is somewhat concerned about the tundra ecosystem, the fact is that oil pipelines pass through the tundra, naturally, they periodically “break” and a large amount of oil enters the soil, because it is quite problematic for repairmen to get to the leak site. And other factors of human life have a negative impact on the life of the tundra.