Above the Arctic circle, temperatures are so low that only animals and plants that have adapted to the climate can survive. The land is tundra, characterized by permafrost, a layer of soil that remains frozen year-round. So how do tundra plants survive? Plant Life of the Tundra Are there plants in the Artic? There are more than a few plants. Some 1,700 species of plants live in this ecosystem, and these include flowering plants, dwarf shrubs, herbs, grasses, mosses, and lichens. Since much of the soil is permanently frozen, plants only have a thin soil layer – termed the active layer – that thaws every summer, making shallow roots a necessary adaptation. The active layer of soil is free from ice for only 50 to 90 days. Plants from the Arctic Tundra You’ll see no trees in the Arctic given the shallow soil, the cold temperatures, and the short growing […]
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