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The flora of the alpine tundra is characterized by plants that grow close to the ground, including perennial grasses, sedges, forbs, cushion plants, mosses, and lichens. [28] The flora is adapted to the harsh conditions of the alpine environment, which include low temperatures, dryness, ultraviolet radiation, and a short growing season.
Both plant species and animal species have become endangered. The Aleutian shield fern is a plant species that have been endangered due to caribou tramping and grazing, slumping from growing substrate, and human foot traffic. [9] Animal species that are endangered in the tundra include the Arctic fox, caribou, and polar bears.
Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets lower until it reaches sea level, and alpine tundra merges with polar tundra .
Arctic vegetation is largely controlled by the mean temperature in July, the warmest month. Arctic vegetation occurs in the tundra climate, where trees cannot grow.Tundra climate has two boundaries: the snow line, where permanent year-round snow and ice are on the ground, and the tree line, where the climate becomes warm enough for trees to grow. [7]
The southern edge of the Canadian Arctic tundra is met by an arboreal tree line - the Arctic forest tundra transition zone. In order to adapt to the extreme conditions of the Arctic, plants have: reduced leaf size to minimize water loss to wind; fuzzy hair-like structures or alternatively grow in mats to protect themselves from snow and wind damage
While 50-60% of the island was covered in vegetation at the time of human arrival, the decline to the current 25% has been the result of soil loss caused by deforestation for firewood and timber, and overgrazing by sheep. In recent years, however, the nation has pursued afforestation and soil conservation programs that have stopped and reversed ...
The science of silent snowflakes: The most common type of snowflake, called a dendrite, has six "arms" extending out from the center of the flake. While falling toward the ground, these dendrites ...
In the north, only the hardiest cold-tolerant vascular plants can survive, such as sedge and cotton grass . In a few low-lying, protected areas there can be small stands of Arctic willow ( Salix arctica ), Dryas species, and low-growing purple saxifrage ( Saxifraga oppositifolia ), Kobresia species and arctic poppy ( Papaver radicatum ).