alpine tundra
High-altitude treeless zone
Alpine tundra is the treeless zone found on mountains above the timberline, where cold temperatures, high winds, and thin soil prevent trees from growing.
Unlike arctic tundra, which occurs at high latitudes, alpine tundra appears at high elevations on peaks worldwide.
The landscape features low-growing plants, grasses, and lichens adapted to harsh conditions: We hiked through alpine tundra near the summit.
- lichenSymbiotic rock dweller
- rocky outcropExposed rock mass protruding
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- ptarmiganArctic ground bird
- treelineElevation limit for forests
altitudinal zonation · ecotone · ridge · summit · mountainous · marmot · ice · pika · mountain goat · arctic · moraine · snowfield · hardy plants · mosses · windswept · wind chill · exposed · glacier
- biomesdesert, forest, grassland, jungle, taiga
- RockiesRocky Mountain National Park, Continental Divide, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming
- wildlife habitatswildlife refuge, breeding grounds, nesting sites, forests, game reserve
- YellowstoneOld Faithful, geysers, geyser, Yellowstone Lake, hot spring
- tundrapermafrost, permafrost layer, frozen ground, reindeer moss, polar desert
- Central European ecologyAlps, Carpathians, Danube, beech forests, temperate forests
alpine tundratropical rainforest
Humid equatorial biome with dense vegetation
forested slopes · jungle · boreal forest · cloud forest · temperate forest
alpine tundratropical rainforest
Humid equatorial biome with dense vegetation
tropical paradise · temperate zone · fertile valley · equatorial region · savanna
alpine tundratropical rainforest
Humid equatorial biome with dense vegetation
Amazon rainforest · jungle · mangrove swamp · temperate rainforest · wetland
tundra, alpine, alpinist, montane, tundras, alpines, subalpine, alpinists