Tundra vs. Desert - Opposite worlds or Sister lands.
Tundra vs. Desert:
Opposite worlds or Sister lands
Our planet exhibits several different biomes, each one defining its self by the area's unique climate, weather, geological history, biotic and abiotic factors and much more. By observing the many biomes it may seem apparent that the desert and the tundra are the most unlike, however they may be more similar than it seems. How can arctic areas with temperatures normally sitting at -40 compare with regions whose temperature is about 80 degrees higher?
The most significant similarity is the lack of precipitation. You may imagine the tundra as a land covered in mass amounts of snow and ice, but actually both desert and the tundra usually receive less than 25cm of precipitation per year. This affects a great deal of the factors that make up a biome.
Firstly, the organisms living in these biomes all need to be adapt to finding and retaining water. Plants of both the desert and the tundra, although are quite different due to temperature, have some common characteristics in order to survive with the lack of water. Most of these plants have few or no leaves in order to reduce transpiration and avoid loosing their water to the atmosphere. Their roots or stems may be swollen with the water stored in Its cells. Most other water-conservation adaptations are specific to the biome. However, due to the harsh winds found in the tundra and desert alike, plants share the common characteristic of being short and growing close to the ground. Otherwise they would be increasing the amount of surface area(of plant) exposed to the freezing or scorching winds (respectively). The strong winds would also cause the plants to topple over if their stems extended high above the ground.
A natural occurrence in the tundra called permafrost serves useful to supplying the plants with water as well as creating a balance between biotic and abiotic factors. Permafrost is a layer of permanently frozen soil which usually extends about 3 feet, but can be much deeper in some locations. The top few inches of the ground is unfrozen for the summer months, in enabling the plants to grow, bloom and set seeds before winter. When it does snow, water is trapped in this top layer because the frozen ground beneath is not capable of absorbing it. This allows ...
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A natural occurrence in the tundra called permafrost serves useful to supplying the plants with water as well as creating a balance between biotic and abiotic factors. Permafrost is a layer of permanently frozen soil which usually extends about 3 feet, but can be much deeper in some locations. The top few inches of the ground is unfrozen for the summer months, in enabling the plants to grow, bloom and set seeds before winter. When it does snow, water is trapped in this top layer because the frozen ground beneath is not capable of absorbing it. This allows the plants to suck up the water since they can't extend their roots into the frozen soil. In turn, the plants act as insulation to the soil against the sun so only that no more than the surface of the earth will melt.
This mutually benefiting process allows the biotic and abiotic factors to collaborate in stabilizing the biome.
Furthermore, the tundra plants are usually covered in a thin coat of hair allowing them to store more heat. During the winter months, the plants are protected by any snow that may be surrounding them from the bitter cold wind. You'll often find plants growing in clusters in the tundra for this same reason. As a result of the short growing season, plants do not have the opportunity to decompose once dead because by that time the temperatures are too low. This causes the carbon dioxide possessed by the plant to be trapped within itself instead of being released back into the atmosphere like normally. With the coming of summer the dead plant finally decomposes and the CO 2 is released. It is because of this that the tundra is one of Earth's three biomass's which take in more carbon dioxide than it releases.
In the desert, plants need to be just as adapt to resist the sweltering heat and the frequent dry winds. Contrary from the arctic lands, desert plants have very long roots allowing them to obtain moisture from where the ground below the land surface which is saturated with water (a water table)after rainfall. Most desert perennial seeds have a behavioral adaptation which enables them to be dormant during the dry periods of the year and come to life after heavy rainfall when water becomes available. Most annual plants also only germinate after a heavy rainfall and then reproduce quickly in order to bloom for a few weeks.
When thinking of the desert, cacti often comes to mind. This is for a good reason because cacti is one of the most adapt plants in the desert. A cactus stores water in its stem, has waxy skin to seal in moisture and has spines to protect it from animals and shade it from the sun. In addition, its roots can not only suck up a lot of water in a short time (since it will quickly dry up) but can store the water from one rainfall for years of drought enabling it to survive. The Cactus is not the only well adapted desert plant; The Creosote Bush has the ability to close its small leaves during the day to avoid water loss through transpiration, and open them at dusk to absorb any humidity in the atmosphere.
Although they are quite resilient, even bacteria take action against the intense conditions found in these biomes. Some bacteria exhibit co-operative behavior, making them stronger and more resistant to the weather and climate. In extreme cases, some bacteria even become dormant during very dry periods or when trapped within the frozen earth of the tundra. During this state, they function with a low metabolism and do not undergo cell division.
All biomes are home to many different types of animals and although it is rough living, there remains a wide variety of life habiting both the desert and the tundra. Although the species of animals from these biomes are very different, like the plants they too have similarities. The tundra is home to animals such as the caribou, musk-ox and polar bears. These mammals have to stay warm. to survive the freezing winter, and they each have their own special adaptation to do so. Caribou migrate south for the winter along with most of the Arctic's birds. Musk-ox grow a thick layer of fat for the winter by eating a great deal more in fall. This provides insulation and is stored as energy since food becomes more scarce in the winter. They also have a heavy coat of fur to provide extra warmth from the bitter cold. Polar bears also have fat to provide warmth, however their body is exceptionally designed in giving it further protection. The arctic bears not only have black skin to absorb extra heat from the sun's rays but they also have white fur which reflects the heat back onto the skin acting as a greenhouse affect. Some of the other animals living in this biome have brown fur that changes to white in winter so it can blend in with the snow. These animals include the snowy owl, hares and the artic fox. Also commonly found are lemmings and the harlequin duck. which are commonly found. There aren't many species of insects in the tundra, however among the few found are mosquitoes. Their bodies function in a way that the water contained inside themselves is replaced with a chemical called glycerol(which acts like anti-freeze). This keeps the insects from freezing and allows them to survive under the snow during winter.
As for the desert animals, they too have a wide variety of adaptations. These creatures include coyotes, foxes, bobcats, many species of reptiles including snakes and lizards, along with many more. These animals survive in many ways, many types of desert animals find ways to dissipate heat. The jackrabbit releases heat through its large ears when resting in a shady area, while vultures and storks urinate on their legs to cool down through its evaporation. A more common escape from the heat is to live nocturnally as to avoid the sun and conserve the body's energy. During the day many small animals and reptiles burrow into the sand/soil, while larger mammals retreat to caves or lay in the shade of the scarce vegetation. At night when the desert comes alive, the sand cools quickly because it cannot hold in heat after the sun has fallen.
There are countless ways in which animals, plants, bacteria and all branches of life adapt to the conditions of the biome in which it lives. They are all in need of the abiotic factors which help make up our world, in order to live and sustain their species.
As you can see there are many similarities between the lands which seem so different. Their differences however are needed to make up the world as it was meant to be before humans interfered. Let us not destroy these lands with our carelessness, let us instead use our growth and knowledge to help our environment, because we too rely on every natural living and nonliving factor in this world.
