How to Make a Tundra Food Web


The harsh climate of the Artic region is a frozen tundra. On the surface it may seem unlikely that anything could survive here. On the contrary, there are animals that do. They have adapted to the temperatures and scarcity of food. All the animals that live her play an important role. They are either predator or prey. The two are co dependent. By making a model diagram of the food chain in the tundra, it will help clear up the way animals interact in this icy climate.

Things You’ll Need:

  • Sheet of white printer paper
  • Ruler
  • Package of colored pencils or markers, 16-count
  • Nature magazines (National Geographic or similar)
  • Set of encyclopedias
  • Scissors
  • Glue


Step 1

On a piece of paper write Tundra Food Web at the very top. This is your title. Under it write ‘Artic Wolf’, ‘Polar Bear’ and ‘Snowy Owl’. Write then next to each other in different color. Center the names on the paper and leave a 1 inch space between them.

Step 2

Write the words “Artic Fox” and “Brown Bear” in a straight line in another color three inches under the names in the previous step. These are considerd secondary carnivores. Nowm, write “Pika”, “Musk Ox”, “Caribou Moss”, “Caribou”, “Lemming” and “Artic Hare” in a fourth color of your choice. These aanimals re your herbivores.

Step 3

Now write “Liverwort”, “Grasses”, “Caribou Moss” and “Lichens” under the previous set of animal names. Use a different color marker or pencil for this. These are your producers.

Step 4

Look through nature magazines or on the internet for pictures of animals and plants.

Step 5

Draw arrows to connect the animals. On the first level, draw an arrow leadinf from the Pika to the Liverwort. Draw another arrow from the Pika to the grass, Musk Ox, Caribou, Brown Bears and Lemmings. Draw an arrow from the Caribou Moss to the Caribou. Finally, draw an arrow from the Lemmings to the Artic Hare. These arrows are indicators of predators and prey.  The arrows should begin at the prey and point to the animal that hunts them for food.

Step 6

Now, we need to connect the levels. The second level should be connected to the third and fourth levels. The Pika should be connected to both the Brown Bear and Artic Fox. Connect the Musk Ox to the Artic Wolf, too. The Caribou also should be connected to the Artic Wolf. The Lemmings should be connected to the Snowy Owl, Brown Bear and Artic Fox. The Artic Hare should be connected to the Snowly Owl and Brown Bear. These arrows show the interactions betwwen predator and prey.

Filed Under: Science & Nature

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About the Author: Daniel Sherwin holds a degree in Chemistry and plans to be a scientist sometime soon. He finds himself very close to the nature. Currently, he is living in New York, USA.

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