GEG 3107 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Arctic Vegetation, Arctic Wolf, Arctic Circle
5 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
Focus on the arctic, there isn"t much going on in antarctica. Sun producers (plants, algae) primary consumers (lemming) secondary consumers (arctic fox) tertiary consumers (arctic wolf) All die and decompose & return nutrients to plants. In the arctic there is a limited number of species in each trophic level, however the number of trophic levels is fairly similar to the rest of the globe (4-5 levels) Polar bears are a part of the marine ecosystem (do not eat while on land) There are 8 aspects that plants must cope with. Low winter temperatures (least important cold is cold) Low summer temperatures (esp. in antarctica) large role. Short summers (length of time for growth and reproduction) In many parts of the arctic the snow free period is only 2 months. Strong winds (snow accumulation, cools air, drying effect) Above arctic circle = 24h of sunlight in summer. Low recycling of nutrients (buildup of biomass [peat] rather than decomposition)
