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The word tundra derives from the Finnish word for barren or treeless land. The tundra is the simplest biome in terms of species composition and food chains

Tundra comes from the Finnish word tunturi, meaning treeless plain.

Animals that live in the tundra have special adaptations that allow them to survive the extreme temperatures and conditions that are present in a tundra.  A good example of an animal with special adaptations is the Arctic Fox.  The Arctic Fox has short ears and a short, round body with a thick coat to minimize the amount of skin exposed to the frigid air.  There is a low amount of biodiversity in the tundra so fluctuations in one animal population will effect populations in another.  An example of this would be that if in a certain year there is a lower amount of Lemmings than usual, then the population of Snowy Owls, who feed mostly on Lemmings, will also decrease.

What is a Biome?     A biome is a large area with similar flora, fauna, and microorganisms.  Most of us are familiar with the tropical rainforests, tundra in the arctic regions, and the evergreen trees in the coniferous forests. Each of these large communities contain species that are adapted to its varying conditions of water, heat, and soil.  For instance, polar bears thrive in the arctic while cactus plants have a thick skin to help preserve water in the hot desert.  To learn more about each of the major biomes, click on the appropriate heading to the right.  What is an Ecosystem?     Most of us are confused when it comes to the words ecosystem and biome.  What's the difference?  There is a slight difference between the two words.  An ecosystem is much smaller than a biome.  Conversely, a biome can be thought of many similar ecosystems throughout the world grouped together.  An ecosystem can be as large as the Sahara Desert, or as small as a puddle or vernal pool.     Ecosystems are dynamic interactions between plants, animals, and microorganisms and their environment working together as a functional unit.  Ecosystems will fail if they do not remain in balance.  No community can carry more organisms than its food, water, and shelter can accomodate.  Food and territory are often balanced by natural phenomena such as fire, disease, and the number of predators.  Each organism has its own niche, or role, to play.

About a metre under the top layer of soil there is ground that is permanently frozen, called permafrost.

A biome is a large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment. The climate and geography of a region determines what type of biome can exist in that region. Major biomes include deserts, forests, grasslands, tundra, and several types of aquatic environments. Each biome consists of many ecosystems whose communities have adapted to the small differences in climate and the environment inside the biome. All living things are closely related to their environment. Any change in one part of an environment, like an increase or decrease of a species of animal or plant, causes a ripple effect of change in through other parts of the environment. The earth includes a huge variety of living things, from complex plants and animals to very simple, one-celled organisms. But large or small, simple or complex, no organism lives alone. Each depends in some way on other living and nonliving things in its surroundings.

The four major types of biomes are aquatic, grasslands, forests, and desert. Aquatic biomes are probably the most important of all the biomes. Their medium, water, is a major natural resource. Aquatic biomes can be subdivided into freshwater, seawater and atmospheric biomes. Grasslands can be subdivided into savanna, temperate grasslands (prairie) and tundra. This classification corresponds to decreasing average temperatures. Forests receive more precipitation than other biomes and vary from boreal, to temperate, to rainforest. This classification corresponds to increasing temperatures. Deserts have the fewest species and the most extreme climate

A biome is an area on the earth's surface that has a certain set of characteristics. There are seven kinds of biomes in the world: tundra, taiga, temperate forest, tropical rainforest, desert, grassland, and ocean. The map above shows where each of these biomes can be found around the world. Although it does not appear in the key, the ocean is represented by the blue area on the map.

The taiga or coniferous forest is probably the world's largest land biome. It is located south of the tundra and stretches across portions of North America. Europe and Asia. During the summers, the soil remains very wet and is suitable for lichens and mosses. Fir and spruce trees grow well in this environment. The trees provide homes for many birds including the crossbill, which is capable of cracking cones to eat the seeds. A variety of animals are found in the taiga. They include moose, weasels. wolves, deer. Lynx, caribou, porcupines, beaver, mink and bears.