The Structure of an Ecosystem

PART II

The Tundra Ecosystem

VII. Read and translate the text.

Tundra plants can be, classified into five main groups. Lichens are primitive plants without stems, leaves, or roots. They are a combination of algae and fungi that grow on rocks and the ground. A second group of plants are the mosses, which are usually found in cracks in rocks. Arctic cotton grass is a kind of grass, the third group of alpine plants, which produces a ball of white fluff that helps the plant stay warm. The tundra's most delicate-looking plants—the small flowering plants—are often the toughest. For example, the Arctic poppy has thin petals that remain on the flower even when it is extremely windy. Finally, a typical shrub in the alpine tundra is the ground willow.

Birds in the tundra are either migratory or permanent. The snowy owl, the ptarmigan, and the raven are birds that live in the tundra all year long. They have learned to survive the cold and the darkness of the winter. Two of these birds, the snowy owl and the ptarmigan, turn white in the winter. They change color so that they match the snowy background, which will help protect them from predators. With the coming of spring, however, other birds migrate to the tundra. Some of these typical migratory birds include geese, ducks, and terns.

Mammals are also both migratory and permanent residents of the tundra. The permanent residents can be further classified into three types: mammals that roam the open tundra year-round, mammals that hibernate, or mammals that dig tunnels under the snow. A typical migratory animal is the caribou, which migrates from the taiga in the spring. The chief predator of the caribou is the wolf, and this animal roams the open tundra year-round. Two other animals that roam the open tundra year-round are the Arctic hare—or snowshoe hare—and the Arctic fox. The hare and the fox turn white in the winter, just like the snowy owl and the ptarmigan, to protect themselves from predators or to surprise their prey. Grizzly bears and ground squirrels are animals that hibernate, but bears will sometimes come out of their dens during the winter. Finally, lemmings, which are small furry herbivores that look like hamsters, dig tunnels under the snow and live their lives much as they do above the ground in the summer

Vocabulary:

1. energy - энергия

2. matter – материя, вещество

3. gas - газ

4. photosynthesis - фотосинтез

5. solid – твёрдый

6. respiration - дыхание

7. liquid – жидкий, жидкость

8. element - элемент

9. decomposer – редуцент, деструктор, биоредуктор (организм, разлагающий биологические вещества)

10. oxygen - кислород

11. evaporation - испарение

12. food chain – пищевая цепь

13. reservoir – водохранилище, резервуар, водоём

14. condensation - конденсация

15. producer - продуцент

16. heterotroph – гетеротроф, гетеротрофный организм

17. hydrological - гидрологический

18. carbon - углерод

19. herbivorous – травоядный, растительноядный

20. chlorophyll - хлорофилл

21. nitrogen - азот

22. molecule - молекула

23. carnivore (pl. carnivora) – плотоядное животное, хищник

24. omnivore – всеядное животное

25. consumer - консумент

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