The tundra

Question 1

Where does the tundra lie?

Answer 1

In the hudson bay lowland physiographic region

Question 2

What are the northern and southern boundaries

Answer 2

Northern=hudson bay

Southern= tree line

Question 3

Trees in the tundra

Answer 3

The tundra lacks a tree canopy, but it does have trees the dominant type are willows (arctic willows are indicator species for the tundra)

Question 4

What is the average temperature of the tundra?

Answer 4

Cold: -6 degrees C

Question 5

How does the temperature effect the soil?

Answer 5

Permafrost; few nutrients and little decomposition so no soil build up

Question 6

What is the land like?

Answer 6

Flat, with low elevation (0-60) above sea level. But it is rising

Question 7

What is present because of the tyrell sea?

Answer 7

Lots of clay and silt deposits that range from 5-75m thick

Question 8

What is Ontario’s largest park?

Answer 8

Polar bear provincial park

Question 9

Ponds are habitats in the tundra for what kind of animals?

Answer 9

Northern ducks such as greater scaup, long tailed duck, scoters swans (native swan called tundra swan) geese (canada goose and snow goose)

Question 10

Why are there lots of geese in the Tundra?

Answer 10

Transformation of forest to farmland and prairies to corn fields, which gives geese lots of resources so when they fly back to the tundra they can lay eggs because they are well fed

Question 11

What kind of negative effect do geese have on the tundra?

Answer 11

They constantly dig up the surface of the land. Dig up plant tubers=physical disturbance. Defecation adds nitrogen to the ecosystem.

Question 12

What two types of frogs live in the tundra?

Answer 12

Wood frogs and boreal chorus frogs, they are freeze tolerant

Question 13

What does the height of the land determine?

Answer 13

Which direction water flows, the arctic water shed (north) and the atlantic water shed (south)

Question 14

What is one challenge Hudson bay presents?

Answer 14

Salt (from the oceans around the edges). Loons eat salt water fish, so salt gland remove the salt

Question 15

What season are Aquatic birds present in the tundra?

Answer 15

summer

Question 16

What marine mammals are present?

Answer 16

Ringed and bearded seals (indicator species), walruses, beluga whales (indicator species). Seals and walruses are food for polar bears

Question 17

What does the tundra have the southern most population for?

Answer 17

polar bears

Question 18

Raised beach ridges are important habitats for?

Answer 18

many plants and animals including polar bears. The ridges offer nesting sites for arctic terns, jaegers that live along the coast.

Question 19

What is the name for a salt tolerant plant?

Answer 19

Halophytic. salt tolerant palnts have thick fleshy leaves which can be protective against harsh abrasive particles and can retain water, one indiator plant is seaside lugwort, the lawn is goosegrass

Question 20

Stranded beach sites are habitats for what animals?

Answer 20

arctic fox

Question 21

Sphagnum mosses

Answer 21

are important wetland colonizers, they help keep the ground frozen and create their own habitat: peatland. When growth is greater than decompisition the moss layer gets thicker creating its own form of soil.

Question 22

Caribou

Answer 22

they head north into the tundra in the summer and feed on lichens and then into the fall they head back south again (woodland caribou)

Question 23

What is bergman’s rule?

Answer 23

Surface area to volume is equal ratio

Question 24

What birds would you not find in the tundra?

Answer 24

Woodpeckers or any birds that nest in trees

Question 25

What birds would you find?

Answer 25

ground nesting sparrow like american pippits, lapland longspurs (long toenail for scratching seeds out of the ground), horned lark.

Question 26

What type of bird stays year round?

Answer 26

willow ptarmigan

Question 27

What adaptations do plants have for this cold environment?

Answer 27

Cold hardiness, small size (dwarf birch, arctic willow and labrador tea exhibit dwarfism), Low creeping, sprawling growth (crowberry), Clump growth, retain leaves year round, dark colours absorb “warmer” wavelengths of light, hairy undersides to prevent desiccation, hair absorbs heat, grow in a sheltered site

Question 28

Insect gleaning birds that don’t nest on the ground

Answer 28

Yellow warblers, some songbirds, hoary redpolls, American tree sparrows

Question 29

What features do northern small mammals like lemmings have?

Answer 29

Plump bodies (bergmans rule) and short extremities (allens rule)

Question 30

Whats special about meadow jumping mouse?

Answer 30

Lives in both northern and southern regions, it can do this because it is a true hibernator (as well as groundhogs, they live along the edge of HB winisk is cree for gorundhog)

Question 31

Whats special about meadow voles?

Answer 31

They undergo the greatest population cycles of any mammal in the world. the population cycles greatly affect their predators.

Question 32

What do arctic fox and birds of prey eat?

Answer 32

Small mammals. Birds of prey include short eared owl, northern harriers.

Question 33

What is endemic to Hudson bay?

Answer 33

Lepage wild flax