Arctic foothills tundra

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Arctic Foothills Tundra
Brooks Range Mountains ANWR.jpg
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, looking south toward the Brooks Range
Arctic foothills tundra map.svg
1104. Arctic Foothills Tundra
Ecology
Realm Nearctic
Biome Tundra
Borders Arctic coastal tundra, Brooks-British Range tundra, Interior Alaska-Yukon lowland taiga and Northwest Territories taiga
Bird species64 [1]
Mammal species31 [1]
Geography
Area123,512 km2 (47,688 sq mi)
Country United States
State Alaska
Rivers Noatak River, Colville River
Conservation
Conservation status Relatively Stable/Intact [2]
Global 200 Yes
Habitat loss0% [1]
Protected67.8% [1]

The Arctic foothills tundra is an ecoregion of the far north of North America, lying inland from the north coast of Alaska. This is permafrost tundra with an average annual temperature below freezing.

Contents

Setting

This is a hilly area that lies between the boggier Arctic coastal tundra to the north and the Brooks Range to the south, and stretching from the Chukchi Sea east across northern Alaska to the border with Canada's Yukon Territory. The Noatak River valley is the only forested area. [2]

Flora

The main vegetation is the scrubby cottongrass ( Eriophorum vaginatum ), stiff sedge ( Carex bigelowii ) and shrubs such as Betula nana , Empetrum nigrum , Rhododendron subarcticum , and the berry Vaccinium vitis-idaea .

Fauna

The Colville River is a migration route for wildlife including moose, and a breeding area for gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon, and rough-legged hawks. The ecoregion is also home to a number of waterbirds. Mammals include the large ungulates moose (Alces alces) and caribou (Rangifer tarandus), the predators brown bear (Ursus arctos) and wolf (Canis lupus) breed here, while smaller mammals include Alaskan hare (Lepus othus) and Arctic ground squirrel (Spermophilus parryi).

Threats and preservation

This ecoregion is unspoilt except that it is crossed by the Dalton Highway and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which can disrupt migratory behaviour of some wildlife. The east end of the ecoregion is part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Eastern Canadian Shield taiga Taiga ecoregion of Labrador and Quebec, Canada

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Arctic coastal tundra Tundra ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Arctic coastal tundra is an ecoregion of the far north of North America, an important breeding ground for a great deal of wildlife.

Beringia lowland tundra Tundra ecoregion of Alaska, United States

The Beringia lowland tundra is a tundra ecoregion of North America, on the west coast of Alaska, mostly covered in wetland.

Northeast Siberian taiga

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Southern Hudson Bay taiga Taiga ecoregion of Canada

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Pacific Coastal Mountain icefields and tundra Tundra ecoregion of Canada and the United States

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Northwest Territories taiga

The Northwest Territories taiga ecoregion (WWF:NA0614) is located in the Northwest Territories and Yukon provinces of Canada. It covers forest and tundra along the Mackenzie River Valley and the surrounding highlands in the southern portion of the valley.

Interior Yukon–Alaska alpine tundra

The Interior Yukon-Alaska alpine tundra ecoregion covers alpine, sub-alpine, and boreal forest areas along the cordillera of Interior Alaska and south-central Yukon Territory. Geologically, they are the disjunct uplands of the Yukon-Tanana Terrane plus a southern extension of the Brooks Range. The cover is extensive 'dark taiga' of closed spruce forest, open forest of other species, and alpine vegetation at higher altitudes. The region is mostly wilderness and relatively untouched by human development.

Low Arctic tundra Tundra ecoregion of Canada

The Low Arctic tundra ecoregion covers a rolling landscape of shrubby tundra vegetation along the northern edge of mainland Canada along the border of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, and a small portion in Quebec on the northeast coast of Hudson Bay. The region is important for large herds of caribou and other large mammals, and for large nesting colonies of birds such as snow geese. The region is mostly intact, with 95% remaining intact.

Ogilvie–MacKenzie alpine tundra Tundra ecoregion of Canada and the United States

The Ogilvie-MacKenzie alpine tundra ecoregion covers the mountainous middle of the Yukon Territory in Canada, with extensions into the Northwest Territories. The vegetation is alpine and subalpine open forest of stunted spruce, fir and pine. The area is rugged but sections appear to have been unglaciated in the late Pleistocene and there are therefore relic species in the region. The area is remote and supports large, sustainable predator-prey systems.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Atlas of Global Conservation". maps.tnc.org. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
  2. 1 2 "Arctic foothills tundra". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.