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Life in the Polar Regions
A short survey of plants and
animals found in the Arctic and
Antarctic Regions
Challenges to Life at the Poles
• Plants and Animals must adapt to:
– Cold
– Drought
– Short growing season
– Long days, Long nights
• More recently, small changes in climate
can mean dramatic changes for life at
the poles
Map of Arctic Region
Basic Arctic Biomes
Taiga Tundra
www.runet.edu
www.ulapland.fi/
Tundra
www.mbgnet.net
Tussock Sedge, dwarf shrub, Low Shrub
moss
Sedge grass, moss wetland Low grass, forbs, low shrub
www.arcticatlas.org
Tundra Plants
Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga Arctic Willow (Salix arctica)
oppositifolia)
Arctic Moss (Calliergon giganteum) Reindeer Lichen / Caribou Moss
(Cladonia rangiferina)
www.iwebquest.com
Tundra Plant Facts
– Often reproduce by rootstocks or runner
– Grow in clumps to create microclimates
– May bloom from buds that are one to two
years old
– Seed may germinate and grow while still
attached to parent plant
– Similar to desert plants, aerial parts reduced
in favor of root mass, larger roots capable of
storing enough energy and minerals to allow
instant growth in spring
www.world-builders.org
Taiga
www.runet.edu
White and Black
Spruce Picea glauca,
Picea mariana
Jack Pine, Pinus banksiana
Balsam Fir, Abies balsamia
www.blueplanetbiomes.org
Taiga Ecology
• Lower plant and animal diversity
compared to tundra
• Often succeeds tundra over long
periods of time or due to changing
climate (accelerated)
• Typically needle leaf plants adapted to
cold and drought
Common Arctic Birds
• Arctic tern (Sterna paradisea)
• Common Eider (Somateria mollissima)
• Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
• Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus)
• Herring gull (Larus argentatus)
• Alcids (Guillemot, Puffin, Auk, Murre)
• Ptarmigan (Lagopus spp.)
• Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus)
• Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca)
• Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea )
Less Common Arctic Birds
• Loons (common, pacific, Red billed, yellow
billed)
• Plovers (American golden, Black bellied)
• Sandpipers e.g. Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria
interpres)
• Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
• Northern Fulmar (Fulmaris glacialis)
• Laysan Albatross (Diomedea immutabilis)
Birds by Habitat
Marine/Coastal – auks, puffins, gulls,
terns, loons, ducks, geese, swans
Terrestrial – sparrows (primarily tundra),
owls, hawks, eagles, falcons , plovers,
ravens
Spotlight on..
Gyrfalcon
one of the only
birds to winter in
the Arctic, found
only above
treeline, hatch
early to “outhunt”
other birds of prey,
hunt by flying low
to ground and
chasing prey
Tundra (or Whistling) Swan
arctic.uoguelph.ca
Before ballpoint or fountain pens, the quills of the whistling
swans were a common implement for writing. Thousands of
these birds were killed for their feathers and the whistling
swan was driven almost to extinction. However, because of
their isolation, Arctic populations have persisted.
arctic.uoguelph.ca
Herring Gull
One of the larger members of the family,
monogamous, nesting on rocky coastlines,
cosmopolitan feeding habits, have a good memory for
predators
USFWS
Arctic Tern
Only species migrating from arctic to
Antarctic, live in large colonies +100 pairs,
can dive up to 10 meters to feed. Live 30
years or more
Migration of Arctic Tern
• Long distance trip between
~late-July and October by an
Arctic Tern banded as chick
Direct flight = ~6165 miles
Spotlight Puffin – surface
dives to swim after small
on.. fish, catching and holding
in its bill until it has a full
load – known to have
carried 61 fish in a single
trip. Arranges fish
crosswise in its bill using its
raspy tongue to hold
against the roof of its
mouth while catching the
next fish. Roof of its mouth
has rearward-pointing
spines to help hold the fish.
Not graceful flyers, but can
reach speeds of up to 88
km/hour. When arriving on
land often end up crash
landing!
arctic.uoguelph.ca
Common Redpoll (Finch)
Smallest bird to overwinter
in Arctic. (although some
do migrate as far south as
Central U.S.) Some breed
as far north as Ellesmere
Island. In the winter it
survives by inhabiting the
tunnels of lemmings,
which run along the
surface of the ground
under the snow, where it
is protected from harsh
winds and can find seeds
to eat.
American Migration of American
Golden Plover Golden Plover
Migrates along Atlantic
Flyway- stops over in
New England
Arctic Fish
• Eels, Slatjaw cutthroat
(Synaphobranchus kaupi), longfin
• Lake chub (Couesius plumbeus) sawpalate, (Serrivomer parabeani)
• Burbot (Lota lota) • Eelpouts (many)*
• Arctic lamprey (Lampetra japonica) • Banded gunnel (Pholis fasciata),
• Salmon (Whitefish, Trout, Arctic Pricklebacks
Grayling, Arctic Cisco, Herring, • Atlantic hagfish (Myxine glutinosa)
Arctic Char)
• Lanternfish
• Sculpins
• Haeckel's chimaera (Harriotta
• Smelt (including argentines) haeckeli)
• Stickleback • Lumpfish and Snailfish
• Lake sturgeon (Acipenser • Alligatorfish
fulvescens)
• Halibut and Flounder
• Longnose sucker (Catostomus
catostomus) • Sand Lance
• Dragonfish • Deepwater redfish (Sebastes
mentella)
• Barracudina
• Skates
• Bristlemouths
• Sleeper sharks (Greenland shark,
• Cods, Mora’s and Grenadiers Somniosus microcephalus)
• Daggertooth (Anotopterus pharao)* • Wolffish
Black scabbardfish (Aphanopus
carbo) • Alaska Blackfish *also found in Antarctic
Spotlight on:
Lanternfish: deep sea fish - vertically migrate, possess photophores –
light organs – on head and body. Level of light they emit is low enough to
match the light coming from the surface of the sea and conceal the fish's
presence from predators below, Swim in schools so large sonar pulses from
boat navigational equipment often bounce off their swim bladders, giving
the impression of a false ocean bottom!
arctic.uoguelph.ca
Greenland Shark: largest
fish in northern waters,
Scientific name, Somniosus
microcephalus – the tiny
headed sleeper . Swims so
slowly - often difficult to
tell whether or not it is
alive, this immense shark is
a scavenger, shearing huge
hunks of flesh off dead
seals and whales or
munching on the remains of
dead fish or other marine
organisms.
Arctic Cod: most northerly range of any marine
species, swim in gigantic schools that can stretch for
kilometers. The smallest of all the cods, now found
encroaching on cod habitat in North Atlantic. One of the last
remaining commercially viable cod species.
Arctic Char: most northerly range of any freshwater fish in
the world, huge morphological adaptability – ranging from 10-100kg,
must migrate out of oceans (fear of freezing)
Alaska Blackfish
• a type of mudminnow, living in low-lying
mossy ponds with soft bottoms. Capable of
living without oxygen for a day and without
food for a whole year. Can survive
temperatures of -20 degrees C (4 F) and the
complete freezing of some body parts,
including their heads, for up to several days.
Use a chemical much like antifreeze to
prevent crystal formation in the blood.
Coastal/Marine Arctic Food web
Arctic Mammals (charismatic
macrospecies!)
• Whales (Beaked, Grey, Right, • Grey wolf (Canis lupis)
Sperm, White, Roqual)* • Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
• Dolphins (Orca, Long-finned, • Yakut Horse
White-beaked, Atlantic)* + • Lemmings and Voles (Norway
Harbour porpoise (Phocoena Lemming, Lemmus lemmus, Brown
phocoena) Lemming, Lemmus sibiricus)
• Seals (Harbour, Harp, • Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus)
Hooded, Bearded, Ringed)*
• Shrews
• Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)
• Arctic ground squirrel, Citellus parryi
• Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
• Ermine (Mustela erminea)
• Polar bear (Ursus maritimus)
• Least weasel (Mustela nivalis)
• Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos
horribilis) • Wolverine (Gulo gulo)
• Caribou (Rangifer tarandus)
• Muskox (Ovibos moschatus)
• Arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) * Also found in Antarctic
Spotlight on:
Caribou Four sub-
species in far north. Found
primarily on tundra, spend
winter in taiga. Their
unpredictable migration
patterns led many native
cultures to herd them.
Have countercurrent
circulation like some birds
and also extra phosphates
in their blood to increase
oxygen uptake in cold
temps.
epe.lac-bac.gc.ca, www.athropolis.com,
Lemming
Smallest mammal in the arctic, brown in
summer, white in winter. Do not
hibernate – overwinter by burrowing into
tunnels under snow and continuing to
feed.
Walrus
Very social – gather by the hundreds. Ranking established by tusk
size. While diving, blood flow is diverted away from its skin and
blubber; when it basks in the sun after a long dive in cold water,
blood flow to the surface of the blubber is increased, allowing heat
gain.
Arctic Fox
Lung branches longer with
more surface area than
temperate relatives. Lung
structure enhances warming
and mixing of cold inhaled
air with warm exhaled air,
improving heat conservation.
Dens can have 4-12
entrances and cover up to
30 sq. m (323 sq. ft.). Some
dens may be used for
centuries, by many
generations, and eventually
become huge, with over 100
entrances.
Rare Animals in Arctic
• Eskimo Curlew (Numenius borealis) (rarest of all) Allegedly,
guided Columbus to the New World six centuries ago, on its way to its breeding
grounds on the arctic tundra. Pigeon-sized, sickle-billed shorebird once a
dominant species in arctic. Its one pound, fat-laden body was appreciated by
North American settlers who hunted this bird in the 1800s for food. Such a
popular target, it was hunted to near extinction.
• Pelican gulper (Eurypharynx pelecanoides) a type of eel, mouth 4
X larger than rest of body. Ambush hunter, lures prey by waving the luminescent
organ at the tip of its tail in front of its mouth, once prey is close, fish lunges,
opening its mouth at the last second. Water rushes into the mouth, ballooning
out the pelican-like pouch. Once the prey is swept into the mouth with the
current, the jaws snap shut. Water escapes through tiny gill openings. Found
only in the Davis Strait in the arctic.
• Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiacus) Unlike most owl species, snowy hunts
mainly in daytime. Small – only weighing 2-4 pounds. Highly nomadic,
movements tied to abundance of primary prey species, lemmings. Local
numbers high when lemming population is high, lower when lemming population
is low. Protected under the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
• Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) isolated sub-
species of beluga, noted for white color – found only in the Cook Inlet.
Threatened by hunting and, increasingly by estuary pollution, population not
bouncing back as expected. Listed as Endangered Species, the IUCN lists it as
critically endangered.
What About Invertebrates?
• 2,000 species overall, 550 in the high arctic
• Diptera (flies), Hymenoptera (ants, wasps,
bees), Lepidoptera (moths, butterflies), some
ectoparasites of warm-blooded vertebrates,
mites and Collembola (springtails), relatively
more successful.
• In extreme arctic and alpine environments,
where cold limits the period suitable for flight,
some species have reduced wings or
antennae.
Map of Antarctica
www.map-of-
antarctica.us/
Antarctica Characteristics
• Covered in ice and snow – little ice-free land for plant
colonization
• “Summer growing season” (Dec. – Feb.) near freezing.
• High winds all year round
• A virtual desert inland, several meters of snow fall along
coast annually
• No trees or shrubs, only two species flowering plants,( in
South Orkney Islands, the South Shetland Islands and
western Antarctic Peninsula.)
• Moss and lichen in wetter areas.
• Greatest species diversity along western side of
Antarctic Peninsula, where climate is generally warmer
and wetter.
Plant Life in the Antarctic
Region
Antarctic Pearlwort
Colobanthus quitensis
Hairgrass Deschampsia
antarctica
Tussock Grass,
Falkland Islands
Lichens, Verrucaria, Xanthoria, Turgidosculum
(Mastodia), Lecanora
Mosses, Muelleriella crassifolia
Tussock Grass Puccinellia macquariensis
Photographs by Rob Seppelt
Adapted and Reproduced with permission from Elizabeth Anne Viaulizabeth Anne
Antarctic Birds
• Petrels (Wilson’s storm, Cape, Snow)
• Albatross (black browed, grey headed,
light mantled
• Blue-eyed cormorant (Phalacrocorax
atriceps)
• Penguins (Emperor, Adelie, Chinstrap,
King, Royal)
• Arctic Tern
Spotlight on Penguins
Macaroni, Eudyptes
chrysolophus, most
numerous of all the world's
penguins, with an estimated world
population of over 9 million
breeding pairs. Breed on
peninsula and many outlying
islands Photo by Yan Ropert-Coudert
Emperor, Aptenodytes forsteri - largest,
found on mainland only
www.seaworld.org
Adélie, Pygoscelis adeliae
Most highly studied, named after an area of the
Peninsula called Adelie Land (Adele, wife of explorer
Jules Dumont d’Urville) Least conspicuous, very good
camouflage from predators. Estimated at 2.5 million
pairs, largest populatin near Ross Sea.
King, Aptenodytes patagonicus
Like Emperors, King penguins make no nest, and instead lay a single egg of around 310g, which
they hold on their feet for the entire incubation period of about 55 days. This adaptation allows
breeding in much colder terrain than would be the case for species that lay their eggs on the
ground, and negates the need for nesting material. The eggs are brooded by both parents in turn,
with shift changes of 6 to 18 days; the non-brooding parent going to sea on extended foraging trips.
Found on islands around peninsula.
Antarctic Fish and other sea
creatures
• Patagonian Toothfish (Dissostichus
eleginoides)
• Squid
• Antarctic Ice Fish
• Jellyfish
• Starfish
Spotlight on
Antarctic Ice Fish have
antifreeze proteins that keep their
blood from freezing, instead
absorbing oxygen through their
skin. Some lack hemoglobin
(Thus the blood is more fluid and
the animals save energy
otherwise needed to pump blood
through their body),.
Julian Gutt, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research
Antarctic Mammals
• Seals (Leopard, Ross, Weddell,,
Crabeater) *
• Whales (Baleen – Blue, Humpback,
Toothed - Sperm)*
• Orca (in the dolphin family, referred to
as toothed whale)*
*Also found in Arctic
Whales
Orca Blue Whale
Seals
Leopard – Most ferocious Weddell – Most well known
Invertebrates
• On the whole Antarctic continent, the only creatures
that really live on the land are insects.
• Midges and mites live in patches of moss that grow
on rocky mountain sides, in spots that are sheltered
from the wind, the insect eggs stay frozen all winter,
and thaw and hatch the next year. The moss they live
in often grows near bird rookeries, where it is
fertilized by bird excrement -- called "guano.“
• Ticks and lice also live on the sea birds, penguins,
and seals
• The largest land-living creature on the entire
continent is the wingless fly, about six mm long
(about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch). Project Explore, Val Olnes, Univ. of Minn.
Basic Adaptation Response
Avoidance or Confrontation
• Migration
• Resistance
• Hibernation
– Poikilotherms
– Homeotherms
Bird Adaptations to Cold
Environments
• Antifreeze eggs
• Cold Feet, warm heart
• Cozy homes
• Dressing down
• Feathered snowshoes
• Knobbly feet
• Posing for warmth
Arctic and Antarctic: Perfect
Laboratories
• In particular, Antarctic Peninsula excellent
place to study evolution – home to many
amazing adaptations.
• Arctic – Historical Records deep in the ice –
CO2
Climate Change Impacts on Biota:
Some Hypotheses
• Lemming Population Dynamics affected by snow
and ice conditions – food sources entombed in
ice/decrease snow depth impairs sheltering
• Sea Ice Extent: Antarctic - Adelie Penguins,
Arctic Polar Bears
• Warmer Winters=Decreases in Krill populations
• Successional Changes in Tundra/Taiga
Resources
• Information on Tundra food web http://www.world-
builders.org/lessons/less/biomes/tundra/tundra.html
• Source for Food Web Game http://mudface.net/
• Arctic Lesson Plans http://www.nps.gov/akso/ParkWise
• Compendium of Arctic Species
http://www.arctic.uoguelph.ca/cpl/organisms/orgframe.htm
• Updates on Biotic Indicators in Arctic
http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/index.html
• Antarctic Lesson Plans http://www.classroom.antarctica.gov.au
• Biotic research from UCAR http://www.windows.ucar.edu
• Live krill cam in Antarctic -
http://www.aad.gov.au/webcams/krill/
Tapping into Ongoing work
• SATELLITES – students and teachers, part of GLOBE
project
• TEA Armada – Teachers Experiencing the Antarctic and
Arctic (www.tea.armadaproject)
• PolarTREC – Nationwide and here at UMass – Julie
Brigham Grette (Lake El’gygytgyn)
http://www.polartrec.com/geologic-climate-research-in-
siberia
• NASA Explorer School Teams
• Antarctic research by local student, Maggie Waldron –
Studying at and around Palmer Station (until late March) doing
bacteria productivity studies in the bay and helping with penguin
research. maggie.r.waldron@gmail.com, webcam of station -
http://pal.lternet.edu/
