Polar Biodiversity Polar environments are in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Arctic regions are in the northern hemisphere, and it contains land and the islands that surround it. Antarctica is in the southern hemisphere and it also contains the land mass, surrounding islands and the ocean. Polar Regions also contain the sub-antarctic and sub-arctic zones which separate the Polar Regions from the temperate regions. Antarctica and the Arctic lie in the polar circles. The polar circles are not visible on the earth but it is shown on maps to be the areas that receive less sunlight due to less radiation. These areas either receive sunlight or shade 24 hours a day because of the earth's tilt. Plants and animals in the Polar Regions are able to withhold living in harsh weather conditions but are facing environmental threats that limit their survival. Arctic has more land than Antarctic. Polar climates are cold, windy and dry. Much of the radiation from the sun that is received is reflected off the snow making the Polar Regions cold. When the radiation is reflected, the heat is also reflected. The Polar Regions reflect 89-90% of the sun radiation that the earth receives. Water is an important part of human survival. Because of its cold temperature much of the earth's water comes from the Polar Regions. 90% of the world’s water comes from the Antarctic ice cap although a lot of this water is not used. Due to the cold weather it is hard for plants to grow. Frozen ground covers most of the polar regions for the majority of the year. Due to the harsh weather in the Polar Regions, there are not many animals. The animals that do exist in the polar region are similar between the Antarctic and Arctic regions. The animals do differ by the temperature. In the Arctic some invertebrates include spiders, mites, mosquitoes and flies. In warmer areas of the Polar Regions moths, butterflies and beetles can be found. Some of the larger animals that exist are foxes, wolves, rabbits, hares, reindeer and caribou. There are various bird species that have been spotted in the Arctic. Eight species of birds reside on the polar tundra year round while only 150 breed in the Arctic. The birds that do breed go to the Arctic between May and July. One of the known birds is the snowy owl. The owl has enough fat on it to be able to survive in the cold temperatures. In the Antarctic some invertebrates that exist are mites, fleas and ticks. Antarctica is the only continent that does not have a land mammal population. There are also no birds that reside in Antarctica. Though, it has been known that various birds from South America have been spotted in Antarctica. There is a wide source of vegetation in the polar region but there are few species in common in the Southern and Northern Polar Regions. The Arctic consists of desert and tundra vegetation. The Antarctic vegetation consists of algae or lichens, and some bacteria and fungi. Mosses and lichens dominate though.
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