Montane ecology is the branch of ecology that studies life systems on mountains or other high elevation regions on the Earth. The ecosystems on mountains are strongly affected by climate, which gets colder as elevation increases. Because of this, mountain ecosystems form life zones, which are stratified according to elevation. Dense forests are common at moderate elevations. However, as the elevation increases, the climate becomes harsher, and the plant community transitions to grasslands or tundra.
Life zones
As elevation increases, the climate becomes cooler, due to a decrease in the greenhouse effect. The characteristic flora and fauna in the mountains tend to strongly depend on elevation, because of the change in climate. This dependency causes life zones to form: bands of similar ecosystems at similar altitude.
One of the typical life zones on mountains is the montane forest: at moderate elevations, the rainfall and temperate climate encourages dense forests to grow. Holdridge defines the climate of montane forest as having a biotemperature of between 6 and 12°C (43 and 54°F), where biotemperature is the mean temperature considering temperatures below 0°C (32°F) to be 0°C (32°F). Above the elevation of the montane forest, the trees thin out in the subalpine zone, become twisted krummholz, and eventually fail to grow. The elevation where trees fail to grow is called the tree line. The biotemperature of the subalpine zone is between 3 and 6°C (37 and 43°F).
LMNP covers an area of 33,201 hectares and a medley of ecosystems, from montane tropical forests and grasslands to sub-montane rainforests, shrub savanna and dry forests.
Steve Jones was born in Iowa, but he found the life he loved in the Vail Valley. Jones, 85, died Oct ... The two began dating and were married in 1972 ... ForestService and the first lodges — the Kiva, the Charter and the Poste Montane — for carriage rides ... .
In a temperate montane forest in southern Québec, all is quiet ...To do this, Messier and her collaborators studied the plants covering the ground in the understory layer, which is the most diverse layer within a temperate forest.
The 48-mile route showcases golden aspens against evergreen forests and snow-capped peaks, traversing diverse ecosystems from montane forests to alpine tundra ... Hike through golden birch forests and ...
"Sa lilim ng luntiang mga dahon ng Banahaw" can, in fact, be construed as "Under the shades of the green forest canopy of Mt ...Igem is a tree that grows in montane forests found in higher elevations.
... than that caused by climate change, which threatens biodiversity and water supply in African montane forests. Montane forests are often cloudy, wet, cold, and occur on isolated mountains in Africa.
These montane forest "islands"—separated from each other by low-elevation deserts and arid grasslands—have evolved in isolation, leading to the origin of numerous short-range endemic species, and ...
Researchers report that deforestation during the last two decades induced a higher warming and cloud level rise than that caused by climate change, which threatens biodiversity and water supply in African montane forests ... .
Conflict with humans becomes common due to the loss and fragmentation of low-land jungles and montane forests at altitudes up to 2,000 metres, which are jaguars’ habitats.</p>.<p>IBCA can ...
... montane epiphytes ... Neotropical montane epiphytes are integral to their ecosystems, providing critical habitats for a variety of wildlife and contributing to the ecological balance of cloud forests.
In late June, monkshood pops up in the moist and mossy areas of the montane and subalpine ... At lower elevations in the montane region, Fremont geranium is one of the first flowers to bring shades of pink to the forests and meadows.
Smokey Bear images used with permission of the USDAForestService... Smokey Bear images used with the permission of the USDA Forest Service ... Kids interact with Smokey Bear at the Munford Montane Longleaf Children’s Forest in Alabama.
The research highlights dozens of types of habitat that contain important conservation sites, among them humid, sub-humid and dry forests in Madagascar, montane grasslands in Ethiopia, lowland ...
We looked at the dry shrubby forests at low elevations and the montane forests at high elevations, all the way through to the snow gum forests that fringe Victoria's alpine peaks. Montane forests have ...
Capital Press
04 Jul 2024
Capital Press
04 Jul 2024