AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Tundra winters are long, dark, and cold, with mean temperatures below 0°C for six to 10 months of the year. The temperatures are so cold that there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface, called permafrost. This permafrost is a defining characteristic of the tundra biome.

Detailed explanation-2: -If you dig down through the arctic tundra, you’ll soon strike a rock-like layer of frozen soil. Even on the warmest summer day, this permafrost layer lies anywhere from a few inches to a few feet below the tundra surface, never thawing.

Detailed explanation-3: -Tundra ecosystems are treeless regions found in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains, where the climate is cold and windy, and rainfall is scant. Tundra lands are covered with snow for much of the year, but summer brings bursts of wildflowers.

Detailed explanation-4: -Encyclopedic Entry Vocabulary. For most of the year, the tundra biome is a cold, frozen landscape. This biome has a short growing season, followed by harsh conditions that the plants and animals in the region need special adaptations to survive. Tundra form in two distinct cold and dry regions.

Detailed explanation-5: -The soil beneath the taiga often contains permafrost-a layer of permanently frozen soil. In other areas, a layer of bedrock lies just beneath the soil. Both permafrost and rock prevent water from draining from the top layers of soil. This creates shallow bogs known as muskegs.