High Country Life

Mountain peaks feature distinct biomes or life zones determined by elevation. This may include prairies, dry steppes, Ponderosa pine forests, subalpine tundra and alpine tundra environments.

Alpine tundra can be found on high mountain summits, slopes, and ridges of mountains in Europe and Asia. Its landscape consists of rugged terrain with snowcapped peaks and talus slopes dotted throughout.

Subalpine Ecosystem

Tundra biomes can be found at high elevations where temperatures are too cold for trees to flourish, featuring barren rocks, ice sheets, and patches of low vegetation such as mosses, grasses, and herbaceous plants. In the Presidential Range this alpine ecosystem supports an abundant assemblage of arctic-alpine species rare in eastern United States as well as dwarfed black spruce (Picea mariana) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea), providing shelter from wind and sun respectively. Additionally the Presidential Range boasts multiple species considered candidates for federal listing under Endangered Species Act such as Boott’s rattlesnake-root (Prenanthes boottii).

Even though alpine environments tend to be cold, they receive ample sunshine which provides enough energy for grasses and other plants to have a short but very productive growing season. Unfortunately, harsh winds often result in their desiccation, thus diminishing production significantly.

Since they are exposed to harsh environments, many alpine plants have developed unique adaptations in response. Some, like mosses and some lichens, cover themselves in anthocyanin pigments which absorb sunlight and convert it to heat to help survive the harsh conditions. Alpine larch poles demonstrate even greater adaptability: each year during snow avalanches or slides they flatten themselves before recovering as soon as their snowmelts.

Alpine tundra plants store carbon by photosynthesis and emit greenhouse gases through respiration; but as global temperatures increase and permafrost thaws, this delicate balance between trapping carbon and emitting it becomes disrupted; eventually releasing it back into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases and contributing to climate warming.

Micro-Habitats

Alpine tundra vegetation includes low-growing shrubs, cushion plants, forbs boasting bright flowers and meadows of grasses and sedges that form thick blankets of warmth; all must adapt in order to survive its harsh climate and short growing season. Plants must develop deep roots that store nutrients and water while protecting young from abrasion by creating protective krummholz (logs and branches), thick layers of mosses and lichens as insulation against cold temperatures and windy weather as well as form thick blankets of protection by covering them in thick blankets of mosses and lichens and insulate them against these extreme conditions; dark-colored pigments absorb heat while anthocyanins convert light energy directly into energy for warming their tissues! Alpine tundra vegetation includes low-growing shrubs, cushion plants with colorful flower-rich small forbs filled with colorful blooms along meadows of grasses sedges found along rock crevices rocky slopes! Plants usually found growing along rock crevices on rock crevices or on rock crevices on rock crevices on rock crevices along rocky slopes!

This habitat can only be found at high elevations and covers only around 3% of Colorado’s landscape. With extreme cold and long winters forming an inhospitable environment that would not support human habitation permanently; wildlife such as yellow-bellied marmots and pikas depend on this ecosystem’s unique adaptations for survival year round.

Wildlife species living on the tundra must build fat reserves to stay warm throughout its long winters and save energy by burying food sources like haypiles or storage areas. Some animals such as arctic ground squirrels, Norway lemmings and hares use hibernation as a method of survival; larger mammals like barren-ground caribou herds make use of tundra habitat for seasonal use, grazing on its plants and forbs.

Climate change poses an imminent danger to alpine ecosystems worldwide. Raised air and soil temperatures alter water and mineral flows, changing habitat, food webs and predator-prey interactions and leading to their further disruption.

Mammals

At high elevations, rocks provide the environment necessary for alpine tundra to flourish. Here, plant species that thrive are tough, adaptable and long-lived – such as tussock grasses, dwarf shrubs, mosses and heaths – which tend to thrive here. Tussock grasses, dwarf shrubs, mosses and heaths all thrive here and often seek refuge from harsh winds by growing in rock depressions or cracks which collect more moisture, as opposed to being exposed. Some plants use hairs as insulation against heating up or UV radiation for increased longevity – helping prevent desiccation altogether.

As one ascends higher into the mountains, plant communities shift from prairie to dry steppe, Ponderosa Pine forests, subalpine forest and alpine tundra based on climate, sunlight and rainfall gradients, creating distinct life zones based on elevation.

Recently, scientists have observed that tundra ecosystems are shifting faster than ever. This may be attributed to climate change; warmer temperatures accelerate seasons by melting snow and permafrost faster and shifting landscapes more dramatically – this leads to changes in food and shelter availability for animals and plants, including mismatches between when plants bloom and when animals give birth.

Alpine tundra is also affected by human activities, including recreational use, road building, grazing, burning and development projects. Such activities may disrupt soil structures and release carbon dioxide emissions into the environment.

Like its Arctic counterpart, the Sangre de Cristo Mountain tundra hosts an abundance of mammals and birds, including mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, mountain lions, coyotes and bobcats; mountain snowshoe hares can be found throughout subalpine forests of Sangre de Cristo Mountains; rare water shrews are often seen diving underwater to catch insects off streambeds or lakes’ bottoms; snowshoe hares work just like their name too; snowshoe hares also can be seen grazing alongside mountain goats when roaming high country areas; mountain lions share habitat with mountain lions; mountain lions coyotes bobcats; mountain snowshoe hares are found throughout subalpine forests of Sangre de Cristo Mountains subalpine forest environments as well as mountain lions coyotes bobcats share space; snowshoe hares can be seen roaming subalpine forests around Sangre de Cristo Mountains while wetland-rich environments are rare water shrews who use fine hairs to dive underwater to grab insects off streams or lakes’ bottom.

Birds

Alpine tundra landscapes are sparsely vegetated with cushion plants, hardy flora, lichens and mosses. The tundra’s distinct topography includes rock depressions, cracks and basins that collect more precipitation. Alpine tundra provides shelter to grizzly bears, black bears, wolves and barren-ground caribou as well as various birds such as ptarmigan, spruce grouses, mountain goats, dall sheeps and marmots.

Tundra ecosystem is unique to alpine tundra and differs significantly from Arctic tundra and boreal forest in that its climate limits tree growth. Like Arctic tundra, alpine tundra features patterns of freezing and thawing that form bogs and ponds while its plant life includes various species living symbiotically together such as algae or fungi that live together symbiotically.

Underneath alpine tundra lie subalpine forests of spruce and whitebark pine trees that grow less vertically and form krummholz (German for “crooked wood”) to adapt to extreme tundra climate conditions. Some of these trees could be hundreds or even thousands of years old!

Many species of birds migrate to Rocky Mountain National Park’s tundra to breed before moving onto other habitats throughout the season. One such bird that inhabits this habitat year-round is the white-tailed ptarmigan – one of Rocky Mountain National Park’s signature birds!

Due to the delicate ecosystem that makes up the tundra, it is important that visitors tread lightly when visiting these areas. Trampling on its ice-rich permafrost layer by humans or ATVs could damage it irreparably; hiking boots should be worn when visiting, and all-terrain vehicles should only use tundra roads when absolutely necessary. By enjoying its breathtaking beauty while simultaneously conserving it for future generations.

Lichen

Alpine tundra can be found at high altitudes above treeline. It is often dominated by snowcapped peaks, cliffs and talus slopes with grasses, herbs and shrubs occupying lower elevations; permafrost can also be found throughout this environment dotted with lakes ponds streams; its vegetation zone includes mountain-avens white arctic mountain heather and Ledum decumbens among many others.

Lichens are essential members of alpine environments and play an integral part in regulating their climates. More specifically, they serve as the first opportunity for water absorption and evaporation during hot parts of the day; an advantage which stands out in these high mountainous regions with limited resources and drought risk.

Researchers recently conducted an extensive analysis on the ability of different lichens to regulate soil moisture and temperature in their habitats. Their research indicated that Alectoria ochroleuca, combined with Betula nana dwarf birch shrub, proved highly effective at buffering temperature extremes in the uppermost layer of soil; however, individual lichens’ ability to reduce maximum temperatures varied widely and was not additive (Supplementary data Fig. S6).

Evaporation rates by lichen thalli are also essential, yet results from this study were less conclusive. On average, completely dry lichens absorbed 1.51 millimeters per hour under laboratory conditions; this represents the 82nd percentile of rainfall events at Fokstugu in 2019.

Researchers also measured the thickness of lichen’s vegetative biomass or thallus, which they discovered correlated with the time it took them to reach 50 percent drying from initial saturation. This method, known as lichenometry, could potentially serve as an indirect method of dating construction or site occupation in Alpine environments where traditional archaeological techniques like radiocarbon dating may not be readily applicable.