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 Cold and Delicate (Tundra)The artic is a cold, dry region. Winters are long, dark, and bitterly cold, with strong, icy winds. The low annual precipitation occurs mostly as snow which covers the tundra in winter. The tundra is noted for its permafrost-soil which is frozen except for the top few inches which thaw during the short summer. The ground is carpeted by a thick, spongy mat of low growing plants such as lichens, sedges, mosses, and shrubs. The Tundra is delicate due to the shallow soil and the slow growth rate of its plants. Tire ruts, like the ones on the left, may last for decades. Caribou and the Tundra With the rest of the herd in the background, this male, female and young caribou browse on moss, grasses, lichen, birch, and other plants abundant during the short arctic summer. Caribou, also known as reindeer, are one of the few migratory mammals, moving each season in search of food. Unlike other members of the deer family, both the male and female caribou have antlers. Threats to Tundra...Threats to Caribou  Caribou require tundra as their primary habitat; our increasing needs for energy often threaten the tundra.In Eastern Canada, where this herd lives, habitats are threatened by development for hydroelectric power. Oil development is a threat in Alaska, where pipelines and service roads can interface with the grazing habitats and annual migration of caribou. Without suitable habitats, caribou decline. Today, there are approximately one million caribou in North America, less than half the population of one hundred years ago.
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