Research on Plants in the Tundra

Plants in the Tundra:

I used a lot of websites to find my information for this group project, and I checked my information using some of the books we used in class.

Most of the plants in the tundra are called low-lying plants because they lay very close to the ground. This helps them stay warm and keeps them away from strong winds. Some plants in the tundra are the Arctic poppy, reindeer moss, Arctic willow, and cotton grass. One adaptation of the Arctic poppy is that it turns its flower to face the sun. This helps it stay warm and gives it more energy to do photosynthesis. Other plants grow on south-facing slopes because this helps them absorb as much sunlight as possible. There is a lot of moss in the tundra and it grows in thick mats to stay warm. Some plants have little hairs on their roots and stems to help trap heat. Because of the permafrost and the lack of water and minerals in the ground, many plants have horizontal root systems. This means their roots are under the ground but close to the surface so they can get as much water and minerals as they can when it seeps into the soil.