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The keystone species of the tundra can be as small as a lemming to as large as a musk ox. The low biodiversity means that fluctuation in individual animals can substantially affect the entire ecosystem. The main predators of the tundra are the polar bear, the Arctic wolf, and the Arctic fox.
The biodiversity of tundra is low: 1,700 species of vascular plants and only 48 species of land mammals can be found, although millions of birds migrate there each year for the marshes. [9] There are also a few fish species. There are few species with large populations.
Alpine tundra occurs at high enough altitude at any latitude.Portions of montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions worldwide include alpine tundra. Large regions of alpine tundra occur in the North American Cordillera and parts of the northern Appalachian Mountains in North America, the Alps and Pyrenees of Europe, the Himalaya and Karakoram of Asia, the Andes of South America, the Eastern ...
Domesticated reindeer, or caribou, can be found on ranches and farms across North America and Northern Europe and Asia. However, most of the reindeer population lives in the wild.
Other species found include the northern Labrador tea, Vaccinium ssp., foxtail grass and Luzula multiflora. In the Southern Arctic tundra, shrubs are more regular, consisting of dwarf birch, Arctic willow, northern Labrador tea, Dryas spp., and Vaccinium ssp. In waterlogged areas, moss, willow and sedge cover is substantial.
Many species in higher elevations produce fewer offspring than in lower elevations but spend more time nurturing their young. [10] A white-tailed ptarmigan blends into the alpine tundra east of Glacier Peak. While alpine ecosystems provide challenging abiotic conditions for species there are advantages to animal species to habituate these areas.
Alpine plants occur in a tundra: a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees. Alpine tundra occurs in mountains worldwide. It transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone are known as Krummholz.
Furthermore, changes in the Arctic climate could disrupt ecosystem processes and thus threaten marine biodiversity and the biodiversity of terrestrial species that depend on marine ecosystems. [56] There has been additional evidence found which further demonstrates that Arctic climate change directly impacts terrestrial ecosystems by melting ...