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Alpine Vegetation
reference: Körner, Ch. 1999. Alpine Plant Life. Springer Verlag, Berlin
Some slides courtesy of Bill BowmanMountain Research Station, INSTAAR
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MOUNTAINS
• Have the highest plant species diversity
• High mountain environments have a high percentage of endemic plants
• Alpine areas have a much high plant diversity than forested areas
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Boulder County: 1550 species(50% of flora of Colorado)
Weld County: ~600 species
Regional scale plant diversity in S. Rockies; the influence of mountains:
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Nival
Alpine
treelineSubalpine
Montane
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Mixed Aspen - Lodgepole Pine Forest : 8,500 to 10,000 feet
•yellow - green color
foliage •dense trees•straight, pole-like
•Used by humans since prehistoric times
•light construction, finishing lumber, poles
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Lodgepole pine
• needles attached to twigs in bunches
• paired, twisted
• long, green
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Aspen
• only deciduous tree at this altitude
• grow in a variety of soil conditions from wet to dry
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Subalpine Forest: 10,000 -11,000 ft
spruce and fir dominate.
narrow crowns
dark green color
cool,dark, humid
E.g. Engelmann Spruce
Humans have seldom used these forest due to their remoteness
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Engelmann Spruce
• short needles attached to twigs
• rounded, spiky
• Spruce bark is reddish and outer layer flakes off
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Rocky Mtn. Douglas Fir
• short needles attached to twigs;
• flat needles• smooth bark
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Forest- Tundra Transition: CLIMATE
• Situated between timberline and treeline
(lower) (upper)• Windier and colder• mean annual soil temps ~ 0 deg.
• Snow covered
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Forest-tundra transition: VEGETATION
"Krummholz”: crooked woodslow growth (few inches trunk)
”Flag trees”
Windsnow
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Forest-tundra transition: TREE ISLANDS
• Trees grow into bands
• form microsites -- reproduction occurs
Windward side:wind
Lee side:snow
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World’s highest tree?
Quenual, up to 4,800m
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Nival
Alpine
treeline
Subalpine
Montane
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Elevation of treeline corresponds
with:1) minimum growing season
temperature around 6 °C
2) wind zone
3) geomorphic disturbance- avalanches
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Global distribution of treeline
large variation in altitude at mid-latitudes
associated with continentality- treelines lower in moist, maritime locations
from Körner, 1999
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Nival
Alpine
treelineSubalpine
Montane
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Alpine Tundra: 11,200 to 12,000 ft
• Definition:
windswept, treeless area found at highest altitudes in the mountains
Niwot Ridge in May
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cold (<0 deg C)
temperatures may change rapidly
windy (mainly temperate zone) 100 mph at Niwot Ridge!
Precipitation as snow
Alpine environmental conditions: CLIMATE
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Alpine environmental conditions: SOIL
• low nutrients in soil
• Rocky
• Thin soil cover
• low soil temperature
ice present in the ground --creates periglacial features“polygons”
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Alpine Tundra distribution
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Alpine is a globally distributed biome-plants have similar "growth forms:"
graminoids (grasses, sedges)
forbs (broad leaved plants)
prostrate shrubs
flowers
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Major life forms of alpine vegetation
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Cushion plants – Coropuna, Peruvian altiplano
Incas used them asfuel source
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Puya Raimondi, Pastoruri (Peru)Blooms evey 40 years!
Note the leaves
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Alpine environment summarized:
Cold + windysnowy!short growing seasonlow nutrient availabilityHigh UV radiation
How do plants survive in these conditions?
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Plant adaptation to alpine environment
(1) evolutionary adaptation
(2) ontogenetic modifications, which are non-reversible during the life of an individual
(3) reversible adjustment, often termed “acclimation”
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4 things plants need:
• Liquid water
• nutrients
• warmth
• light
Limiting factors in alpine and arctic tundra
Limiting factor in arctic tundra only
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Adaptations to cold
1) Cushion plants: grow in small, rounded humps– conserve heat– reduce wind chill
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Adaptations to cold
2) Develop a blanket of white hairs– protect them from cold at
night
– White to reflect radiation during the day
– e.g. Giant Lobelia, in Kenya
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Adaptations to cold
3) Keep dead leaves on the stem– prevents ground from freezing– e.g. Groundsel
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Adaptations to cold
4) Grow short and small– to avoid harsh winds
and crushing snow
– the air temperature is warmer 10-15cm above the soil.
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Adaptations to cold
5) Grow in balls that roll around w/frost heave, eg. Kenya moss
deal w/expansion and contraction
of soil due to freezing and thawing.
Stone circles
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Adaptations to cold
6) Rosette plants
• cabbage-like
• leaves surround a central bud
• winter: central bud is protected by the remaining vegetation.
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More adaptations to cold
high investment into belowground biomass (high root:shoot ratio)
tolerance to low temperatures
(= intolerance of high temperatures)
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Cold-tolerant species examples
• Heaths: hard evergreen leaves that can withstand drying winds and cold temperatures.
• Common heaths: cranberries, blueberries, and rhododendrons
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II. Adaptations to dry conditions
• Many high mountains plants are succulents, with water stored in thick leaves;
• minimize evaporation
E.g. cactus
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Adaptations to High UV irradiance
• Cover their leaves with white hairs (reflect the suns rays).
• Some plants contain a red pigment called anthocyanin which absorbs UV sunlight before it has a chance to damage the leaves.
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Short growing season
• Cold nights• short daylight hours• 180 days/year
The Fireweed's seeds are plume-
shaped. This allows them to ride
on the wind before falling to the ground
where they can take root.
Adaptation:•start to grow as soon as the snows melts•store food during the summer months•pollination strategies?
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Summary
• Cold - grow short, close to ground
- grow horizontally
-cushion trees
• wind - grow in clumps (island trees)
• low nutrients -carnivorous
• UV -white hairs; antocyanin
• low growing seasons - grow fast; store nutrients;
-pollination strategies
• dry -wax leaves
LIMITATIONS ADAPTATION