altitudinal zonation
Mountain life layers
Altitudinal zonation is the layering of distinct ecological zones as elevation increases on a mountain.
Temperature drops and conditions change with altitude, creating bands of different vegetation and wildlife—tropical forest at the base might give way to temperate forest, then alpine meadow, then bare rock and ice.
The altitudinal zonation of the Andes supports remarkable biodiversity.
- microclimateLocalized atmospheric zone
- rain shadowPrecipitation-starved leeward region
- HimalayasAsia's highest range
- alpine tundraTreeless high-elevation ecosystem
- cloud forestMist-immersed mountain ecosystem
Andes Mountains · Rocky Mountains · terraced farming · snowline · thermal inversion · boreal forest · biodiversity hotspots · frost line · thin air · temperature drop · treeline · Alps · tropical rainforest · Sierra Nevada · zones · wind patterns · plant communities · tropics
- Mountain Climatethin air, snowfall, temperature extremes, harsh winds, alpine zone
- elevation zonesalpine zone, death zone, alpine tundra, sea level, above sea level
- mountain scienceglaciology, mountain ecosystems, mountain weather, orogenesis, alpine lakes
- biogeographybioregion, species range, endemism, dispersal, native range