Animals That Live in the Alpine Tundra

LOCATION: What exercise you think of when you lot hear the word "tall"? Maybe mountains or skiing? Well, y'all are right. Tall biomes are found in mountain regions worldwide, including the Andes, Alps, and Rocky Mountains. The alpine biome usually lies betwixt an altitude of about x,000 anxiety (3,000 meters), and the place where the snow line of a mountain begins. Combined, the Alpine and Arctic biomes cover xvi% of the globe's surface area.

WEATHER: In the summertime boilerplate temperatures range from 40 to sixty°F (iv.five to 15.5°C). In the winter the temperatures are well below freezing. More often than not, as the altitude increases, the temperature gets colder. Temperatures in the alpine biome are dynamic and can likewise change from warm to freezing in 1 day. The winter season lasts from effectually October to May. The summer season may last from June to September. The alpine biome is fairly dry out with an average precipitation of 12 inches (30 cm) each year.

PLANTS: The alpine biome is a tough place for plants to live. It's windy, cold, and the sunlight at these high altitudes is very potent. In that location are only most 200 species of tall plants. At the high altitudes where these plants alive, there is very little carbon dioxide, which is necessary for plants to carry on photosynthesis. Because of the blustery atmospheric condition, almost plants are small groundcover plants, which grow and reproduce slowly. They protect themselves from the cold and wind by hugging close to the ground. When plants die the cold weather makes it hard for them to decompose quickly. This makes for poor soil conditions. Nearly alpine plants are adjusted to grow in sandy and rocky soil. Plants take likewise adapted to the dry atmospheric condition of the alpine biome. Some of the plants found here are tussock grasses, small-leafed shrubs, and dwarf trees. The bristlecone pine is an amazing constitute of the alpine biome. It lives in scattered, arid mountain regions of half dozen western states of America ranging from Colorado to California. Many are found in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Wood in the White Mountains of California. These trees merely grow to near lx feet (xviii meters). That may seem tall, but for its age 60 feet (eighteen meters) is short! Bristlecone pines tin can live to be over 4,000 years old. That is almost every bit sometime as the Great Sphinx of Ancient Egypt!

ANIMALS: Tin y'all imagine living in a cold, windy place without much shelter? Animals that alive in the alpine biome must have special adaptations to survive the common cold, snowy conditions. They as well take to deal with high UV light exposure from the sun and thin temper. Mostly warm-blooded animals live hither, simply a few types of insects likewise make the alpine biome abode. Alpine animals adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to warmer areas, or insulating their bodies with layers of fat and fur. Their bodies tend to have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lungs, more blood cells, and blood that can deal with the lower levels of oxygen at college altitudes. Some animals in the tall biome are mountain goats, sheep, elk, beetles, grasshoppers and butterflies. Which of these animals exercise you call back leaves the alpine biome in the wintertime?

1 interesting tall animal is the chinchilla. Mayhap you've seen one of these small, grey, furry creatures in a nature centre or zoo. In the wild, chinchillas live in the Andes tall regions, only they are non easily institute. Chinchillas are herbivores. Their diet in the wild consists of plants, roots, and grasses. As altitude increases, the temperature decreases, and so in these regions the chinchilla has even denser fur. Chinchillas used to exist hunted for their soft, beautiful fur. People used their pelts to brand coats until they became nearly extinct in the 1940s. It takes over 100 pelts to brand one chinchilla coat! Now they are on the endangered species list, and protected by police from hunting and people. The snowshoe rabbit and ptarmigan bird are also alpine animals. They are adapted to be less visible when snow covers the footing through camouflage. The showshoe rabbit has brown fur in the summertime, but in the winter it turns white. What do yous remember the ptarmigan does to camouflage? It's like the snowshoe hare! In the summer the ptarmigan has brown feathers and in the wintertime its feathers are white to hibernate in the snowy environment.

PEOPLE AND THE Tall BIOME: You lot've probably heard of mount Everest and the Sherpas who assistance people climb it. The Sherpas are naturally born mountaineers! They live in the Himalayas and are the world's highest living population. They are physically adjusted to live in the alpine biome. Sherpas have larger lungs and more than hemoglobin in their blood to cope with the increased pressure and lack of oxygen at loftier altitudes. The Indians of the Andes Mountains in South America accept as well adjusted to living in the alpine biome.

LINKS:

Blue Planet Biomes: Alpine

GF Crawly: Subalpine Ecosystems

Back to Biomes Index