Theyre called
cushion plants b/c
they grow in a low
tight clump and look
like a little cushion.
Theyre more
common in the tundra
where their growth
habitat helps protect
them from the cold.
Classified as Mammals
Theyre fast & can outrun a
caribou over a short distance.
Swims extremely well.
Diet: large and small mammals,
fish, birds, berries, leaves
Carnivores
Habitat: coasts, ice floes
Range: Arctic Ocean to southern
limits of ice floes
President Bush and Congress have tried to push the keys to Alaskas Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge to the oil industry. They tried to dig into the Arctic
to try and get the oil. The Senate rejected this amendment.
Theres approx. 16 billion of barrels, but only 3.2 billion would be recovered. It
would take 10 years for the oil to reach the pump.
The refuge would produce less than 2% of the oil Americans are expected to
use.The small amount of oil would come at an enormous, and irreversible cost.
The oil isnt concentrated in a single, large reservoir. Its spread across the coastal
plain in more than 30 small deposits. This would require vast networks of roads &
pipelines that would fragment the habitat, disturbing and displacing wildlife.
The animals present are not very diverse, but pop up all over
the different tundra locations throughout the globe. Very few
plants can adapt to tundra due to the fact that the soil is poor
and not deep. That leads to a very short season of
reproduction and growth. Many organisms derive their energy
from one of the most abundant sources--dead organic
material.
mbgnet.mobot.org
mgd.nacse.org
realscience.breekschool.org
blueplanetbiomes.com