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Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets lower until it reaches sea level, and alpine tundra merges with polar tundra .
The vegetation is alpine and subalpine. The ground cover is 23% low herbaceous cover, 19% shrub, 17% is closed evergreen forest, 11% is open forest, and 28% is bare or has sparse vegetation. [3] The open forest is characterized by discontinuous stands of white spruce (Picea glauca), alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta).
Consisting of the arctic, alpine, and Antarctic regions, and stemming from the Samer language, tundra literally means a "high and dry place". The arctic tundra has an exceptionally short growing period, minimal sunlight, and limited resources, creating a brutal environment for plants and animals.
Alpine tundra in the North Cascades of Washington, United States. Alpine tundra does not contain trees because the climate and soils at high altitude block tree growth. [26]: 51 The cold climate of the alpine tundra is caused by the low air temperatures, and is similar to polar climate. Alpine tundra is generally better drained than arctic ...
An alpine mire in the Swiss Alps. The adaptations for survival of drying winds and cold may make tundra vegetation seem very hardy, but in some respects the tundra is very fragile. Repeated footsteps often destroy tundra plants, leaving exposed soil to blow away, and recovery may take hundreds of years. [37]
The Interior Yukon–Alaska alpine tundra ecoregion (WWF ID: NA1111) covers alpine, sub-alpine, and boreal forest areas along the cordillera (chain of mountain ranges) of Interior Alaska and south-central Yukon Territory. Geologically, they are the disjunct uplands of the Yukon–Tanana terrane plus a southern extension of the Brooks Range. The ...
Mount Elbert rises through multiple biotic zones, with alpine tundra at its peak.. The Rocky Mountains range in latitude between the Liard River in British Columbia (at 59° N) and the Rio Grande in New Mexico (at 35° N), and in height up to the highest peak, Mount Elbert at 14,440 feet (4,400 m), taking in great valleys such as the Rocky Mountain Trench and San Luis Valley.
North Tibetan Plateau–Kunlun Mountains alpine desert: China: Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows: China, India, Pakistan: Ordos Plateau steppe: China: Pamir alpine desert and tundra: Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Qilian Mountains subalpine meadows: China: Sayan alpine meadows and tundra: Mongolia, Russia: Southeast ...