Importance of Biodiversity in the Tundra

Biodiversity is the variety of life within an ecosystem. We need a variety of habitats for all the different species because each species is adapted to a certain set of environmental conditions. All species depend on each other to survive, so if one becomes extinct another species that relies on it could go extinct as well. Individual traits can allow some species to adapt to environmental changes, but many species cannot adapt if their habitat and food chains are greatly altered.  The Tundra plays a large role in the temperature regulation of the planet. As warm air rises from the tropical zone it is cooled in the Tundra causing it to sink back down to the equator. This causes weather and air currents.  Without this system climate as we know it would change drastically around the world. Areas that once could support life may not anymore. It is also a winter home for many species of birds. If they were to disappear from the food chain it would cause devastating changes to other species dependent on the. the

Many species of plants and animals live in polar regions -- from minute algae and lichen on bare rocks and ice to spectacular polar bears and falcons. In addition, the Arctic regions provide food and shelter for many migrating bird species from other parts of the world for important parts of their life cycles. Some Arctic and sub-Arctic areas are rich in oil and minerals. Extracting these natural resources without proper concern for the ecology, conservationists fear, could pose more of a threat to current forms of Arctic life than the cold, snow, and ice.