--- title: "Tundra Ecosystem: Definition, Plants & Animals | Pixcellence" description: Tundra is a cold, treeless biome with permafrost and a 50–60 day growing season. Climate, plants, animals, food webs, threats and Scotland's Cairngorms. image: https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-ecosystems-guide-hero-hero-1.webp --- [![Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png?width=312&height=75&name=Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png) ![Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png?width=312&height=75&name=Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png)](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/) [![Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png?width=312&height=75&name=Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png)](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/) - [Topics](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-topics) - [Biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-is-biodiversity) - [UK Ecosystems & Habitats](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/ecosystems-types-examples-uk-guide) - [Climate & Nature](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/climate-change-what-is-it-uk-guide) - [Wildlife & the Law](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/protected-species-uk-guide) - [For Students & Teachers](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-students) - [About](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-about) - [All Guides](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog) - [Topics](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-topics) - [Topics](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-topics) - [Biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-is-biodiversity) - [UK Ecosystems & Habitats](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/ecosystems-types-examples-uk-guide) - [Climate & Nature](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/climate-change-what-is-it-uk-guide) - [Wildlife & the Law](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/protected-species-uk-guide) - [For Students & Teachers](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-students) - [About](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-about) - [All Guides](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog) [Pixcellence Blog](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog) Categories **Browse All Categories** - [biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/biodiversity) - [conservation](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/conservation) - [definition](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/definition) - [climate change](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/climate-change) - [photography](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/photography) ![Clwyd Probert](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/authors/clwyd-probert-watercolour-400.webp) By [Clwyd Probert](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert) on October 28, 2026 [biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/biodiversity), [conservation](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/conservation) # Tundra Ecosystem: Definition, Climate, Plants, Animals and the UK's Arctic Habitat **A tundra ecosystem is a cold, treeless biome where only low-growing plants such as mosses, lichens, sedges and dwarf shrubs can survive, because winters are long and dark, the growing season lasts only 50 to 60 days and, in the Arctic, the ground beneath is permanently frozen.** Tundra covers roughly a tenth of Earth's surface, mostly in a band around the Arctic Ocean and on high mountains above the tree line ([Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra)). The UK has no true Arctic tundra, but the Cairngorms plateau in Scotland is the closest thing to it: the UK's largest area of alpine-arctic habitat ([RSPB](https://www.rspb.org.uk/helping-nature/what-we-do/influence-government-and-business/casework/protection-of-the-cairngorm-plateau)). This guide explains what makes an ecosystem tundra, the three types, the climate, permafrost, the plants and animals that live there and how its food web works. It then looks at the tundra-like mountain habitats of Scotland, the threats tundra faces from a fast-warming Arctic and what is being done to protect it. It is written to support GCSE, A-level and undergraduate geography and biology, and every figure links to its source. ~10% Of Earth's surface is tundra Britannica 50–60 days Arctic tundra growing season Britannica ~2× Carbon in permafrost vs the atmosphere 1,460–1,600 billion tonnes, NOAA 3.8× Arctic warming vs the global average 1979–2021, Rantanen et al. Sources: [Britannica, tundra](https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra); [Britannica, tundra facts](https://www.britannica.com/facts/tundra); [NOAA Arctic Report Card 2019](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2019/permafrost-and-the-global-carbon-cycle/); [Rantanen et al. (2022)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00498-3). Key Takeaway Tundra is defined by **cold summers**, not just cold winters: where the warmest month averages below 10°C, trees cannot grow. Life is low, slow and tightly linked, so tundra food webs are simple and easily disrupted. The Arctic is now warming several times faster than the planet as a whole, which is thawing permafrost that holds about twice as much carbon as the atmosphere. In this guide - [What is a tundra ecosystem?](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#what-is-tundra) - [The three types of tundra](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#types) - [What is the tundra climate like?](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#climate) - [Permafrost and the active layer](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#permafrost) - [Tundra plants and their adaptations](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#plants) - [Tundra animals and their adaptations](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#animals) - [How the tundra food web works](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#food-web) - [Does the UK have tundra?](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#uk) - [Threats to tundra ecosystems](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#threats) - [How tundra is being protected](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#protection) - [FAQs](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#faq) ## What is a tundra ecosystem? A tundra ecosystem is a community of cold-adapted plants, animals, fungi and microbes living beyond the point where trees can grow, together with the frozen soils, snow and meltwater they depend on. It is one of the world's major [types of ecosystem](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/ecosystems-types-examples-uk-guide), and a biome in its own right. The simplest test is temperature. In the Köppen climate classification, a place has a tundra climate if **its warmest month averages between 0°C and 10°C**. Below 10°C, summers are too short and cool for trees; above 0°C, there is still a brief season in which smaller plants can grow ([Met Office](https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/climate-explained/climate-zones)). That is why the edge of the tundra is drawn at the **tree line**: the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment defines the Arctic as the land north of it, about 7.1 million km², or 4.8% of Earth's land surface ([CAFF](https://arcticbiodiversity.is/index.php/the-report/chapters/introduction)). The word itself came into English via Russian, from a Sámi word for a treeless upland; the Finnish *tunturi*, a bare fell, is a close relative ([Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tundra)). Many textbooks simplify this to "from the Finnish for treeless plain", which captures the meaning well enough for an exam answer. If a test question describes "a cold, treeless biome with low-growing vegetation and permanently frozen ground", the answer is tundra. If it describes a cold biome *with* coniferous trees, it is taiga (boreal forest), which lies immediately to the south. ## What are the three types of tundra? Ecologists usually recognise three types of tundra. They share the same basic conditions (cold, wind, a short growing season and no trees) but differ in where they are found and in what lies beneath the surface. | Type | Where | Permafrost? | Typical life | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Arctic tundra | North of the tree line across Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia and Russia | Yes, widespread | Sedges, cotton grass, dwarf willow and birch, lichens; caribou, lemmings, Arctic fox, snowy owl | | Alpine tundra | Above the tree line on high mountains worldwide, from the Rockies and Alps to the Himalayas | Usually not; soils are thin but better drained | Cushion plants, grasses, mountain heath; marmots, pikas, ptarmigan | | Antarctic tundra | Ice-free parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands such as the South Orkneys and South Shetlands | Yes, in places | Mosses, lichens and just two native flowering plants; seabirds and seals on the coast | Antarctica is the extreme case: it has no trees or shrubs, and only two native flowering plants, Antarctic hair grass and Antarctic pearlwort ([British Antarctic Survey](https://legacy.bas.ac.uk/about_antarctica/wildlife/plants/index.php)). Alpine tundra is the type with a UK connection, covered [below](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#uk). ## What is the climate like in the tundra? ![Watercolour of an Arctic tundra plain in low evening light, its ground broken into polygons of mossy turf by frost cracks, with distant flat-topped hills and a pale sky.](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-climate-permafrost-ground-body-1.webp) Arctic tundra has long, very cold winters and short, cool summers: - temperatures usually range from about **−40°C in winter to 18°C** on the warmest summer days ([NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/mission-biomes/biotundra/)); - temperatures can stay **below freezing for six to ten months** of the year ([Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra)); - the summer growing season lasts only **50 to 60 days** ([Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/facts/tundra)); - yearly precipitation, including melted snow, is only **150 to 250 mm** ([NASA](https://science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/mission-biomes/biotundra/)), as little as many deserts receive. North of the Arctic Circle the sun does not set at midsummer and does not rise at midwinter, so plants and animals pack a year's growth and breeding into a few weeks of almost continuous daylight. Low precipitation does not mean dry ground. Because the soil below is frozen, summer meltwater cannot drain away, so lowland Arctic tundra is often waterlogged, dotted with pools and bogs that make ideal breeding grounds for insects and the birds that feed on them. ## What is permafrost, and why does it matter? **Permafrost is ground that stays at or below 0°C for at least two years in a row** ([NSIDC](https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost)). Above it sits the **active layer**, which thaws each summer and refreezes each winter. Almost all tundra life happens in that thin active layer: roots cannot push into the frozen ground below, burrowing animals cannot dig through it and water cannot soak down into it. Permafrost matters far beyond the Arctic because it is a giant freezer of carbon. Plants that grew over thousands of years were frozen before they could rot. **Northern permafrost soils hold an estimated 1,460 to 1,600 billion tonnes of organic carbon, about twice as much as is currently in the atmosphere** ([NOAA Arctic Report Card 2019](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2019/permafrost-and-the-global-carbon-cycle/)). When permafrost thaws, microbes start to break that material down and release it as carbon dioxide and, in waterlogged ground, methane. Over 20 years, methane traps more than 80 times as much heat as the same mass of carbon dioxide ([IPCC AR6](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-7/)). Modelling by the [Max Planck Institute for Meteorology](https://mpimet.mpg.de/en/communication/news/how-permafrost-thaw-diminishes-the-remaining-carbon-budget) found that once permafrost emissions are counted, the carbon budget left this century for holding warming to 2°C shrinks by about a fifth. The permafrost feedback loop Warmer air thaws permafrost → microbes decompose the newly thawed plant remains → carbon dioxide and methane are released → the atmosphere traps more heat → the Arctic warms further → more permafrost thaws. This is a **positive feedback**: each turn of the loop makes the next one stronger. ## What plants grow in the tundra? The Arctic has around **2,218 species of vascular plants**, less than 1% of the world's total, alongside hundreds of mosses and lichens ([Arctic Biodiversity Assessment](https://arcticbiodiversity.is/the-report/chapters/plants)). There are no trees, but there are plenty of woody plants: they simply grow sideways rather than upwards. Typical tundra plants include: - **Reindeer lichen** (*Cladonia rangiferina*), a lichen despite its other name of reindeer moss, and an essential winter food for caribou and reindeer; - **Arctic willow** (*Salix arctica*) and **dwarf birch** (*Betula nana*), relatives of the willows and birches of British woodland, but growing as low, creeping shrubs; - **cotton grass** (*Eriophorum*), whose white seed heads dot wet tundra in summer; - **Arctic poppy** (*Papaver radicatum*), whose cup-shaped flowers turn to follow the sun; - **cushion plants** such as moss campion, which grow as tight domes that trap warmth. Tundra plants share a set of adaptations that make them good examples for coursework: | Adaptation | How it helps | | --- | --- | | Growing low to the ground | Keeps out of the wind, stays under insulating snow in winter and sits in the warmest air layer in summer | | Shallow, spreading roots | Roots stay in the thin active layer above the permafrost | | Being perennial | Plants do not have to grow from seed every year in a 50–60 day season; many spread by runners instead | | Hairy or dark leaves and stems | Hairs trap a layer of still, warmer air; dark colours absorb more of the sun's heat | | Flowering quickly | Many form flower buds the year before, so they can bloom as soon as the snow melts | ## What animals live in the tundra? ![Watercolour of an Arctic fox in its white winter coat standing on a lichen-covered rock above a frozen coast, with snow-streaked hills behind.](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-arctic-fox-wildlife-img-1.webp) Tundra has few species compared with warmer biomes, but some of them occur in huge numbers. The Arctic is home to **67 species of land mammal** and roughly **200 species of breeding bird**, most of which arrive for the summer only ([Arctic Biodiversity Assessment](https://arcticbiodiversity.is/index.php/the-report/chapters/birds)). In all, the Arctic supports more than 21,000 known species of animals, plants, fungi and microbes ([Arctic Council](https://arctic-council.org/explore/topics/biodiversity/)). Reptiles are absent from the Arctic zone, and amphibians almost so: the **wood frog** is the only amphibian found north of the Arctic Circle, surviving winter by freezing almost solid and thawing out in spring ([Alaska Department of Fish and Game](https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/education/wns/frogs_and_toads.pdf)). Cold-blooded fish such as Arctic char do live in tundra lakes and rivers. Two tundra animals hold migration records. Tracked **Arctic terns** have flown up to about 80,000 km in a year between Arctic breeding grounds and Antarctic waters ([US National Park Service](https://www.nps.gov/articles/aps-v14-i2-c3.htm)). **Caribou** make the longest migrations of any land animal, and some individuals move as much as 4,868 km in total over a year ([Joly et al., 2019](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51884-5)). | Animal | Key adaptation | Role in the ecosystem | | --- | --- | --- | | Caribou / reindeer | Hollow, insulating hairs; broad hooves for snow and bog; long seasonal migrations | Main large herbivore; grazing keeps shrubs in check | | Lemming | Lives and even breeds in tunnels under the snow, where it is warmer | Key prey; its population cycles drive predator numbers | | Arctic fox | Thick fur, short ears and muzzle to cut heat loss; brown or grey summer coat turns white in winter | Predator and scavenger | | Snowy owl | Feathered feet; hunts in daylight during the 24-hour summer sun | Top avian predator of lemmings | | Musk ox | Very fine woolly underfur (qiviut) beneath long guard hairs | Grazer of sedges and willows | | Ptarmigan | Feathered feet like snowshoes; white plumage in winter, mottled in summer | Plant-eater; prey for foxes and eagles. Also lives in Scotland | For the largest Arctic predator, see our guide to [what polar bears eat](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-do-polar-bears-eat-diet-hunting-guide). Polar bears spend most of their lives on sea ice rather than on the tundra itself. ## How does the tundra food web work? Tundra food webs are short and simple compared with those of a woodland or rainforest, which makes them a favourite example in exams. 1. **Producers**: lichens, mosses, sedges, grasses and dwarf shrubs capture sunlight during the brief summer. 2. **Primary consumers**: lemmings, voles, Arctic hares, caribou, musk oxen, ptarmigan and summer-visiting geese eat the plants. Swarms of insects feed migrant birds. 3. **Secondary consumers**: Arctic foxes, stoats, snowy owls, skuas and wolves eat the herbivores. 4. **Decomposers**: bacteria and fungi recycle dead material, but only slowly, because of the cold. That is why plant remains build up as peat and become locked into permafrost. A classic tundra food chain is: *sedge → lemming → snowy owl*. Because each predator depends heavily on a few prey species, a change at one level travels quickly through the rest. Lemming numbers rise and crash in cycles, typically peaking every three to four years ([Britannica](https://www.britannica.com/animal/lemming)). In peak years snowy owls and Arctic foxes raise large broods; in crash years many do not breed at all. Studying ecosystems for coursework? Compare tundra with the UK's own ecosystems, from chalk streams to ancient woodland, in our illustrated guide with examples of each type. [See UK ecosystem examples](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/uk-ecosystem-examples-guide) ## Does the UK have tundra? ![Watercolour of a rock ptarmigan in mottled summer plumage among mountain heath, woolly fringe-moss and crowberry on the Cairngorms plateau, with a late snow patch in a corrie behind.](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-cairngorms-ptarmigan-20261028-20261028-235348.webp) The UK has no true Arctic tundra and no permafrost, but it does have a small area of **tundra-like alpine habitat** on its highest mountains. The best example by far is the **Cairngorms plateau** in Scotland, much of it above 1,000 metres. The Cairngorms National Park Authority calls the area the most extensive "arctic" area in the UK, and NatureScot describes the Cairngorms as the most arctic-like area in Britain, holding Britain's best example of a mountain bird community ([Cairngorms National Park Authority](https://cairngorms.co.uk/the-national-park/landscapes/mountains-and-the-plateaux); [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/593/sssi-citation.pdf)). The plants are an alpine-tundra mix: wind-clipped mountain heath, woolly fringe-moss, crowberry, lichens and late-lying snow beds. Dwarf birch, a classic Arctic shrub, survives as part of the Highland mountain shrub community from Perthshire northwards through the Cairngorms ([Trees for Life](https://treesforlife.org.uk/into-the-forest/trees-plants-animals/trees/birch/dwarf-birch-facts/)). Several birds link the plateau directly to the Arctic. The park authority lists **snow bunting, dotterel and ptarmigan** in its "semi-tundra habitats" ([Cairngorms National Park Authority](https://cairngorms.co.uk/the-national-park/wildlife/birds)). Fewer than 100 pairs of snow bunting breed in the UK, almost all on the highest Scottish mountains ([BTO](https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/snow-bunting)). The **mountain hare**, which turns white in winter like its Arctic relatives, completes the picture. The UK's tundra birds are in trouble The latest national survey estimated just **112 breeding male dotterel** in the UK, down from 981 in 1987–88: an **89% decline**. The RSPB names climate change as a likely key driver, as warmer, drier conditions degrade mountain vegetation and the insects dotterel feed on ([RSPB](https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/beautiful-high-mountain-plover-facing-huge-threats-and-could-be-lost-from-uk)). Ptarmigan is now Red-listed in the UK, and its breeding range shrank by 11.3% between the 1968–72 and 2008–11 bird atlases ([BTO](https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/ptarmigan)). Snow cover in the Cairngorms declined between 1969 and 2005, and projections show it falling substantially later this century ([Cairngorms National Park Authority](https://cairngorms.co.uk/documents/snow-cover-and-climate-change-in-the-cairngorms-national-park-summary-assessment/html)). Because Scotland is the southern edge of these species' ranges, there is no higher ground for them to retreat to. Much of the plateau is protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area for birds ([NatureScot SiteLink](https://sitelink.nature.scot/site/288)). For the wider picture of how warming is reshaping UK wildlife, see [climate change and UK biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/climate-change-what-is-it-uk-guide) and our list of the [species most at risk from climate change](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/climate-species-affected). ## What threats do tundra ecosystems face? ![Watercolour of thawing permafrost on the Arctic tundra: collapsed, slumping peat banks around new meltwater pools, with tussocks of cotton grass and a hazy line of hills.](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-permafrost-thaw-carbon-body-1.webp) **Climate change is the biggest threat to tundra ecosystems.** The Arctic warmed 3.8 times faster than the global average between 1979 and 2021 ([Rantanen et al., 2022](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00498-3)); NOAA's own record puts it at nearly three times faster since 1980 ([NOAA](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2025/surface-air-temperature-2025/)). The difference comes from the datasets and periods used; either way, the Arctic is warming several times faster than the planet as a whole. The [NOAA Arctic Report Card 2025](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2025/) found that: - October 2024 to September 2025 was the **warmest year in the Arctic in a record going back to 1900**, with the warmest autumn and the second-warmest winter in that record; - Arctic sea ice reached its **lowest winter maximum in the 47-year satellite record** in March 2025; - tundra "greenness" in 2025 was the **third highest in the 26-year satellite record**, and the five highest values have all come since 2020. "Greening" sounds positive, but it mostly reflects **shrubification**: taller shrubs spreading into open tundra, shading out low-growing flowers, lichens and mosses, and trapping snow that keeps the ground warmer in winter. Lichen loss hits caribou, which rely on it for winter food. Other threats include: - **Permafrost thaw**, which releases greenhouse gases and causes the ground to collapse, damaging roads, buildings and pipelines and releasing pollutants from old industrial sites; - **Wildfires**, which are becoming more frequent in the Arctic and burn into carbon-rich peat; - **Oil, gas and mining development**, including roads and pipelines that cut across migration routes; - **Species moving north**, such as red foxes pushing into the range of Arctic foxes as the climate warms. These are the same five drivers that threaten nature everywhere; see [the five drivers of biodiversity loss](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/loss-of-biodiversity-causes) for how they play out in the UK. ## How are tundra ecosystems being protected? Because the greatest threat is a warming climate, **the most important protection for tundra is cutting greenhouse gas emissions**. Local action helps, but it cannot keep permafrost frozen on its own. Alongside that, three kinds of action are making a difference: 1. **Indigenous-led conservation.** In Canada's Northwest Territories, the *Our Land for the Future* agreement, signed in November 2024, aims to conserve and steward up to 380,000 km² of land and inland waters, backed by up to C$375 million. It is one of the largest Indigenous-led conservation projects in the world ([Government of Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2025/07/canada-signs-300-million-grant-to-launch-one-of-the-worlds-largest-indigenous-led-land-conservation-projects.html)). 2. **International agreements.** The UN High Seas Treaty entered into force on 17 January 2026, creating the first legal framework for marine protected areas beyond national borders, including parts of the central Arctic Ocean ([UN Treaty Collection](https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?chapter=21&clang=_en&mtdsg_no=XXI-10&src=TREATY)). 3. **Protected sites and monitoring at home.** In Scotland, the Cairngorms plateau is protected as an SSSI and Special Protection Area, and long-term bird surveys such as the RSPB's dotterel counts show whether protection is working. Restoring peatland, the UK's own great carbon store, uses the same logic as protecting permafrost: keep the carbon in the ground. For practical things anyone can do, see our guide to [how to protect biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/how-to-protect-biodiversity). ## Frequently asked questions about tundra ecosystems ### What is a tundra ecosystem in simple words? A tundra ecosystem is a cold, windy, treeless place where only small plants such as mosses, lichens, grasses and dwarf shrubs can grow, and where animals such as caribou, lemmings and Arctic foxes are adapted to long winters and a very short summer. ### Which biome is cold and treeless with low-growing vegetation? The tundra. It is the biome found beyond the tree line, in the far north and on high mountains, where the warmest month averages below 10°C. In the Arctic it also has permafrost, ground that stays frozen all year. ### Are there any trees in the tundra? No full-sized trees grow on the tundra. Some tree species do grow there, such as Arctic willow and dwarf birch, but only as low, creeping shrubs a few centimetres to a few tens of centimetres high. ### What are the three types of tundra? Arctic tundra, around the Arctic Ocean; alpine tundra, above the tree line on high mountains; and Antarctic tundra, on ice-free parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands. Arctic tundra is by far the largest. ### Does the tundra have permafrost? Arctic tundra does: permafrost is ground that stays at or below 0°C for at least two years. Most alpine tundra does not, because mountain soils are thinner and better drained. Only the top layer, called the active layer, thaws each summer. ### How cold is the tundra? Arctic tundra temperatures usually range from about −40°C in winter to 18°C on the warmest summer days, according to NASA, and can stay below freezing for six to ten months of the year. The warmest month averages below 10°C, which is too cold for trees. ### Does the UK have tundra? Not true Arctic tundra, but the Cairngorms plateau in Scotland is the UK's largest area of alpine-arctic habitat. It supports tundra species such as ptarmigan, dotterel and snow bunting, all of which are threatened by a warming climate. ### Why is the tundra important for the climate? Northern permafrost holds 1,460 to 1,600 billion tonnes of organic carbon, about twice as much as the atmosphere. If it thaws, it releases carbon dioxide and methane, which speeds up global warming. Explore more of the world's ecosystems From tundra to tropical forest, plain-English guides with examples, sources and watercolour illustrations. [See 10 types of ecosystems](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/ecosystems-types-examples-uk-guide) [Browse all guides](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog) Sources: [Britannica, tundra](https://www.britannica.com/science/tundra); [NASA, Mission: Biomes (tundra)](https://science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/mission-biomes/biotundra/); [Britannica, tundra facts](https://www.britannica.com/facts/tundra); [Met Office, climate zones](https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/climate-explained/climate-zones); [CAFF Arctic Biodiversity Assessment (2013)](https://arcticbiodiversity.is/); [NSIDC](https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/frozen-ground-permafrost); [NOAA Arctic Report Card 2019](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2019/permafrost-and-the-global-carbon-cycle/); [NOAA Arctic Report Card 2025](https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2025/); [Rantanen et al. (2022)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00498-3); [Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (2025)](https://mpimet.mpg.de/en/communication/news/how-permafrost-thaw-diminishes-the-remaining-carbon-budget); [IPCC AR6 WG1, ch.7](https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/chapter/chapter-7/); [British Antarctic Survey](https://legacy.bas.ac.uk/about_antarctica/wildlife/plants/index.php); [Joly et al. (2019)](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-51884-5); [RSPB dotterel survey (2026)](https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/beautiful-high-mountain-plover-facing-huge-threats-and-could-be-lost-from-uk); [BTO](https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/ptarmigan); [Cairngorms National Park Authority](https://cairngorms.co.uk/the-national-park/wildlife/birds); [NatureScot](https://www.nature.scot/sites/default/files/site-special-scientific-interest/593/sssi-citation.pdf); [Government of Canada](https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/news/2025/07/canada-signs-300-million-grant-to-launch-one-of-the-worlds-largest-indigenous-led-land-conservation-projects.html); [UN Treaty Collection](https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?chapter=21&clang=_en&mtdsg_no=XXI-10&src=TREATY). 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Meaning, Types and UK Examples](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-is-biodiversity) [![](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/biodiversity-loss-hero-uk-contrast-20260513-115613.webp) Read More](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-is-loss-of-biodiversity) [biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/biodiversity) By [Clwyd Probert](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert) on October 28, 2026 ### [What Is Biodiversity Loss? Meaning, UK Evidence and 12 Examples](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/what-is-loss-of-biodiversity) [![](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/chalk-streams-uk-hero.webp) Read More](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/chalk-streams-uk-freshwater-ecosystem) [biodiversity](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tag/biodiversity) By [Clwyd Probert](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert) on October 28, 2026 ### [Chalk Streams: The UK's Globally Rare Freshwater Ecosystem (2026)](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/chalk-streams-uk-freshwater-ecosystem) ![Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png?width=251&height=75&name=Pixcellence-Logo-CLR-Sidelock.png) - [Topics](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-topics) - [For Students & Teachers](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-students) - [About](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#px-about) - [All Guides](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog) ©2026 Pixcellence, Inc. 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[Privacy Policy](https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Clwyd Probert", "url" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert" }, "datePublished" : "2026-10-29T00:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Tundra Ecosystem: Definition, Plants & Animals | Pixcellence", "image" : [ "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-ecosystems-guide-hero-hero-1.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/pixcellence-logo.png" }, "name" : "Pixcellence" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#article", "@type" : "Article", "about" : [ { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Tundra", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tundra" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Permafrost", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permafrost" }, { "@type" : "Place", "name" : "Cairngorms", "sameAs" : "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairngorms" } ], "author" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert#person", "@type" : "Person", "jobTitle" : "Founder and Editor", "name" : "Clwyd Probert", "url" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/author/clwyd-probert", "worksFor" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#organization" } }, "citation" : [ "https://science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/mission-biomes/biotundra/", "https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2025/", "https://arctic.noaa.gov/report-card/report-card-2019/permafrost-and-the-global-carbon-cycle/", "https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-022-00498-3", "https://arcticbiodiversity.is/the-report/chapters/plants", "https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/beautiful-high-mountain-plover-facing-huge-threats-and-could-be-lost-from-uk" ], "dateModified" : "2026-10-29T00:10:00Z", "datePublished" : "2026-05-02T16:17:23Z", "description" : "Tundra is a cold, treeless biome with permafrost and a 50–60 day growing season. Its climate, plants, animals, food web, threats and the UK's tundra-like Cairngorms.", "educationalLevel" : "GCSE, A-level, undergraduate", "headline" : "Tundra Ecosystem: Definition, Climate, Plants, Animals and the UK's Arctic Habitat", "image" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-ecosystems-guide-hero-hero-1.webp", "inLanguage" : "en-GB", "keywords" : [ "tundra ecosystem", "tundra biome", "arctic tundra", "alpine tundra", "permafrost", "tundra plants", "tundra animals", "tundra food web", "Cairngorms" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#webpage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#organization" }, "wordCount" : 3411 } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#webpage", "@type" : "WebPage", "about" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#article" }, "breadcrumb" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#breadcrumb" }, "inLanguage" : "en-GB", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/#website" }, "name" : "Tundra Ecosystem: Definition, Plants & Animals | Pixcellence", "primaryImageOfPage" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/hubfs/blog/images/tundra-ecosystems-guide-hero-hero-1.webp" }, "url" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#breadcrumb", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog", "name" : "Blog", "position" : 2 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide", "name" : "Tundra Ecosystems", "position" : 3 } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.pixcellence.co.uk/blog/tundra-ecosystems-complete-guide#faq", "@type" : "FAQPage", "mainEntity" : [ { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "A tundra ecosystem is a cold, windy, treeless place where only small plants such as mosses, lichens, grasses and dwarf shrubs can grow, and where animals such as caribou, lemmings and Arctic foxes are adapted to long winters and a very short summer." }, "name" : "What is a tundra ecosystem in simple words?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "The tundra. It is the biome found beyond the tree line, in the far north and on high mountains, where the warmest month averages below 10°C. In the Arctic it also has permafrost, ground that stays frozen all year." }, "name" : "Which biome is cold and treeless with low-growing vegetation?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "No full-sized trees grow on the tundra. Some tree species do grow there, such as Arctic willow and dwarf birch, but only as low, creeping shrubs a few centimetres to a few tens of centimetres high." }, "name" : "Are there any trees in the tundra?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Arctic tundra, around the Arctic Ocean; alpine tundra, above the tree line on high mountains; and Antarctic tundra, on ice-free parts of the Antarctic Peninsula and nearby islands. Arctic tundra is by far the largest." }, "name" : "What are the three types of tundra?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Arctic tundra does: permafrost is ground that stays at or below 0°C for at least two years. Most alpine tundra does not, because mountain soils are thinner and better drained. Only the top layer, called the active layer, thaws each summer." }, "name" : "Does the tundra have permafrost?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Arctic tundra temperatures usually range from about −40°C in winter to 18°C on the warmest summer days, according to NASA, and can stay below freezing for six to ten months of the year. The warmest month averages below 10°C, which is too cold for trees." }, "name" : "How cold is the tundra?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Not true Arctic tundra, but the Cairngorms plateau in Scotland is the UK's largest area of alpine-arctic habitat. It supports tundra species such as ptarmigan, dotterel and snow bunting, all of which are threatened by a warming climate." }, "name" : "Does the UK have tundra?" }, { "@type" : "Question", "acceptedAnswer" : { "@type" : "Answer", "text" : "Northern permafrost holds 1,460 to 1,600 billion tonnes of organic carbon, about twice as much as the atmosphere. 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