International Hope School Bangladesh
2024 – 2025 ACADEMIC YEAR
Class: 7 Subject: Geography
Student Name: IHSB:
Case Study 1: Tundra Biome Total Marks 15
There are several different kinds of plants and animals living on the Earth. But, only certain kinds of
them are naturally found at any particular place. For example, cacti are found in the deserts, polar bears
are found in the Arctic regions, and elephants are found in the central Africa and also in India.
Why it is so?. It is because, these animals are not adapted to live in the average weather conditions
found in other places. These average weather conditions here refers to the range of temperature and
rainfall that typically occur in a particular location. Some climates are hot, some are cold, some are wet
and some are dry. The term "Adapted", here, means that a plant or animal has inherited to certain
characteristics that enable it to live in one type of climate or another. If we see the polar bears, they
have a layer of fat under their skin and a heavy fur coat to help them to withstand the coldness of that
climate. The same Polar bear would have a difficult time to survive in a very hot climatic zone.
Plants and animals don't live in isolation. They live together with other plants and animals in an
interdependent group called as an ecological community. If we think about it for a moment, we will
realize that all of the plants and animals in a particular ecological community, must be adapted to the
same climatic condition so that they can all live in the same location.
A distinct ecological community of plants and animals, living together in a particular climate, is called as
a "biome." The geographical distribution (and productivity) of the various biomes is controlled primarily
by two main climatic variables. One is precipitation and the other one is temperature. This is in addition
to the global distribution of air, land and water. Based on these factors, scientists have divided the
broad spectrum of climates and ecological communities found on Earth into various biomes.
The world’s Biomes are defined as "the major communities, classified according to two parameters.
One is the predominant vegetation and the other one is the characteristic adaptations of organisms to
a particular environment".
Most of the classified biomes are identified based on three major factors as:
a) the climate of the region,
b) the dominant plants and their adaptations and
c) dominant animals and their adaptations.
This Tundra Biome is an extremely cold, frozen and treeless landscape. A study of this is a very essential
part in not only Physical geography but also in biogeography.
BIOME CHARACTERISTICS OF TUNDRA
The word ‘tundra’ originates from the Finnish ‘tunturia’, meaning ‘barren land’. Another meaning from
term ‘tundar’, means ‘treeless mountain track’ or ‘uplands’.
The characteristics features of the Tundra Biomes are:
1. Fully frozen, too dry and cold regions and a treeless landscape.
2. High altitude and top of mountains.
3. The most inhospitable and chaotic conditions.
4. Short summer with full sun shine of 24 hours- land of midnight sun. Long winter.
5. Simplest biome with species composition and food chain.
6. Long cold and dark winters- nights can last for weeks.
7. Low levels of precipitation.- snow falls. No true soils. Soils with little nutrients and minerals.
8. Very fragile environment. Low in biodiversity.
9. Unique animal adaptations- large compact bodies, thick insulating cover of feathers and furs.
10. Ground-hugging and warmth preserving plant forms.
The tundra ecosystem is also very low in biodiversity. There are only about 1700 varieties of plants and
about 48 varieties of land mammals found in the tundra region. Such a situation exists only in a few
regions of the world. They are the Arctic and Antarctic regions and their adjacent areas of the world.
The fauna in the arctic is also diverse:
Herbivorous mammals: lemmings, voles, caribou, arctic hares and squirrels
Carnivorous mammals: arctic foxes, wolves, and polar bears
Migratory birds: ravens, snow buntings, falcons, loons, ravens, sandpipers, terns, snow birds, and
various species of gulls
Insects: mosquitoes, flies, moths, grasshoppers, blackflies and arctic bumble bees
Fish: cod, flatfish, salmon, and trout.
Animals are adapted to handle long, cold winters and to breed and raise young quickly in the summer.
Animals such as mammals and birds also have additional insulation from fat. The main animal
population in the Arctic Tundra consists of reindeer, polar bears, arctic fox, arctic hare, snowy owls,
lemmings and musk ox . Many animals hibernate during the winter because food is not abundant.
Another alternative method is to migrate towards south in the winter, like birds do. Reptiles and
amphibians are few or absent because of the extremely cold temperatures. Because of constant
immigration and emigration, the population continually oscillates. It is interesting to note that the
Tundra region is also a vast storehouse of natural resources such as oil and uranium. The tundra biome
is characterized by extremely cold temperatures and treeless, frozen landscapes. The ecology of the
tundra is controlled by the extreme cold climate and the high northern latitude. The unique climate,
soil structure, permafrost conditions, life forms and inhospitable situation dominate the biology of
Tundra.
1. Short Questions:
a. What is meant by the term 'adaptation' in the context of plants and animals?
(Explain how adaptations help organisms survive in specific climates.) [1]
b. List four major characteristics of the Tundra biome. [2]
c. Describe how animals in the Tundra biome are specially adapted to handle the cold.
[2]
2. True or False [5 points]
Read each statement and write "True" or "False." If the statement is false, correct it.
a. The Tundra has a very high biodiversity, with a large variety of plants and animals.
b. Polar bears and reindeer are examples of animals that are adapted to survive in the cold
Tundra environment.
c. The Tundra biome has long, hot summers and mild winters.
d. The soil in the Tundra is rich in nutrients and minerals, making it ideal for plant growth.
e. Many animals in the Tundra migrate south in winter to avoid the harsh conditions.
3. Imagine you are an ecologist studying the Tundra biome. Research and write about one
animal that lives in the Tundra. Include its physical adaptations to survive in the harsh
environment. [5]
