Misplaced Pages

Montane grasslands and shrublands

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
(Redirected from Alpine grassland) See also: Montane ecosystem Biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund
Extent of montane grasslands and shrublands

Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. The biome includes high elevation grasslands and shrublands around the world. The term "montane" in the name of the biome refers to "high elevation", rather than the ecological term that denotes the region below the treeline.

This biome includes high elevation (montane and alpine) grasslands and shrublands, including the puna and páramo in South America, subalpine heath in New Guinea and East Africa, steppes of the Tibetan plateaus, as well as other similar subalpine habitats around the world.

The plants and animals of tropical montane páramos display striking adaptations to cool, wet conditions and intense sunlight. Around the world, characteristic plants of these habitats display features such as rosette structures, waxy surfaces, and abundant pilosity.

The páramos of the northern Andes are the most extensive examples of this habitat type. Although ecoregion biotas are most diverse in the Andes, these ecosystems are distinctive wherever they occur in the tropics. The heathlands and moorlands of East Africa (e.g., Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Rwenzori Mountains), Mount Kinabalu of Borneo, and the Central Range of New Guinea are all limited in extent, isolated, and support endemic plants and animals.

Drier subtropical montane grasslands, savannas, and woodlands include the Ethiopian Highlands, the Zambezian montane grasslands and woodlands, and the montane habitats of southeastern Africa.

The montane grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau still support relatively intact migrations of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops Hodgsoni) and kiang, or Tibetan wild ass (Equus hemionus). A unique feature of many tropical páramos is the presence of giant rosette plants from a variety of plant families, such as Lobelia (Africa), Puya (South America), Cyathea (New Guinea), and Argyroxiphium (Hawai’i). These plant forms can reach elevations of 4,500–4,600 metres (14,800–15,100 ft) above sea level.

Montane grassland and shrubland ecoregions

Afrotropical montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions
Angolan montane forest–grassland mosaic Angola
Angolan Scarp savanna and woodlands Angola
Drakensberg alti-montane grasslands and woodlands Lesotho, South Africa
Drakensberg montane grasslands, woodlands and forests Lesotho, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland)
East African montane moorlands Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda
Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest–grassland mosaic Mozambique, Zimbabwe
Ethiopian montane grasslands and woodlands Ethiopia, Sudan
Ethiopian montane moorlands Ethiopia, Sudan
Highveld grasslands Lesotho, South Africa
Jos Plateau forest–grassland mosaic Nigeria
Madagascar ericoid thickets Madagascar
Maputaland–Pondoland bushland and thickets Mozambique, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland)
Rwenzori–Virunga montane moorlands Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda
South Malawi montane forest–grassland mosaic Malawi, Mozambique
Southern Rift montane forest–grassland mosaic Malawi, Tanzania
Australasian montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions
Australian Alps montane grasslands Australia
Central Range sub-alpine grasslands Indonesia, Papua New Guinea
Southland montane grasslands New Zealand
Indomalayan montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions
Kinabalu montane alpine meadows Malaysia
Neotropical montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions
Central Andean dry puna Argentina, Bolivia, Chile
Central Andean puna Argentina, Bolivia, Peru
Central Andean wet puna Bolivia, Peru
Cordillera Central páramo Ecuador, Peru
Cordillera de Merida páramo Venezuela
High Monte Argentina
Northern Andean páramo Colombia, Ecuador
Santa Marta páramo Colombia
Talamanca Paramo Costa Rica, Panama
Southern Andean steppe Argentina, Chile
Zacatonal Mexico, Guatemala
Palearctic montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions
Altai alpine meadow and tundra China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia
Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe China
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows Bhutan, Myanmar, China, India, Nepal
Ghorat–Hazarajat alpine meadow Afghanistan
Hindu Kush alpine meadow Afghanistan
Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan
Khangai Mountains alpine meadow Mongolia
Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe Iran, Turkmenistan
Kuh Rud and Eastern Iran montane woodlands Iran
Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe Morocco
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 Tibet shrub and meadows China
Sulaiman Range alpine meadows Afghanistan, Pakistan
Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows China
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows India, Nepal
Yarlung Zambo arid steppe China

See also

References

  1. ^  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license. World Wide Fund for Nature. "Montane Grasslands and Shrubland Ecoregions". Archived from the original on 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
  2. Werger, MJA; van Bruggen, AC, eds. (1978). Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa. Springer. ISBN 9789061930839.
  3. White, F (1983). The vegetation of Africa: A descriptive memoir to accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa. Natural Resources Research. Vol. 20. Paris, France: UNESCO.

External links

Biogeographic regionalisations
Biomes
Terrestrial
biomes
Polar/montane
Temperate
Tropical and
subtropical
Dry
Wet
Aquatic
biomes
Other biomes
Biogeographic
realms
Terrestrial
Marine
Subdivisions
See also
Biodiversity of South Africa
National taxon checklists
Plants
Flowering
plants
Animals
Arthropods
Arachnids
  • Harvestmen
  • Microwhip scorpions
  • Pseudoscorpions
  • Scorpions
  • Shorttailed whipscorpions
  • Solifugae
  • Araneae
  • Ixodida
  • Whip spiders and tailless whip scorpions
Insects
  • Alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies
  • Beetles
  • Booklice, barklice and barkflies
  • Butterflies and moths
  • Caddisflies
  • Cockroaches and termites
  • Dragonflies and damselflies
  • Earwigs
  • Fleas
  • Flies
  • Jumping bristletails
  • Lice
  • Mantises
  • Mayflies
  • Net-winged insects
  • Notoptera
  • Orthoptera
  • Sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants
  • Scorpionflies
  • Silverfish and firebrats
  • Stick and leaf insects
  • Stoneflies
  • Strepsiptera
  • Termites
  • Thrips
  • True bugs
  • Webspinners
Molluscs
Vertebrates
Seaweeds
Fungi
Related
Regional taxon checklists and other minor lists
Biodiversity hotspots and Centres of diversity
Ecoregions
Tropical and subtropical
moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical grasslands,
savannas, and shrublands
Montane grasslands
and shrublands
Mediterranean forests,
woodlands, and scrub
Deserts and xeric shrublands
Tundra
Mangroves
Marine ecoregions
Biomes and Vegetation classification
Savanna
Grassland
Fynbos
Renosterveld
Succulent
Karoo
Albany
Thicket
and
Strandveld
Nama
Karoo
and
desert
Azonal
Forest
and
Coastal
belt
Subantarctic
biome
not on
VEGMAP
Protected areas of South Africa
South
African
National
Parks
Biosphere
reserves
Marine
protected
areas of
South
Africa
Coastal
Offshore
Management
organisations
Biodiversity research in SA
Research
organisations
Research
projects
Citizen science
databases
Botanical
gardens
Taxonomists
Related
Regional biodiversity
Legislation
Publications
Categories: