Scientists are still learning about what else the permafrost harbors, and what could be released as it thaws. Recently a study found that it is also the largest store of mercury on the planet and could release the toxic heavy metal into the environment, to harmful effect. All rights reserved. What Are Tundras?
Plants and animals in tundras Mountain goats, sheep, marmots, and birds live in mountain—or alpine—tundra and feed on the low-lying plants and insects.
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Many animals, both predator and prey, develop white fur or feathers in the winter months for camouflage in ice and snow. Tundra insects have also developed adaptations for the cold; mosquitoes Aedes nigripes , for example, have a chemical compound that acts as antifreeze, lowering the freezing temperature in their bodily fluids. Though the tundra is remote, it is increasingly threatened as people encroach on it to build or drill for oil, for example.
Perhaps the greatest danger, however, comes from climate change. Warming temperatures could disrupt the cold tundra biome and the life in it, as well as thaw its underlying permafrost, releasing greenhouse gases that would further accelerate global warming.
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