HIGH MOUNTAINS: CHARACTERISTICS, CLIMATE, FAUNA, FLORA, LOCATION - GEOGRAPHY - 2024

The high mountains encompass the particularly high mountainous areas, usually located 500 meters above the level of the growth line of the trees in the area. In these areas, the development of life is specifically difficult: strong winds and temperature hinder the natural development of ecosystems.

It is common to refer to these regions as alpine areas. Although the high mountain climate is usually cold, there are areas where a climate with higher temperatures than usual can occur: it depends on the geographical location and how warm the climate is in your surroundings.

High mountain areas can be found in different parts of the world and develop diverse ecosystems, both in terms of flora and fauna, which manage to adapt to their cold climate with heavy rainfall and strong winds, or to slightly warmer climates in areas where rain is not so common.

In general, these alpine areas tend to be characterized by having abundant rainfall -almost always in the form of snow-, very high ultraviolet radiation, low levels of oxygen and small vegetation present in few quantities, usually in the form of bushes.

Main features

Although it is said that the mountains that are part of this category have a considerable elevation, there is no specific altitude that serves to categorize a high mountain area.

Depending on the site, a high mountain area can be considered to be at one height or another. For example, in Mexico a mountain can be considered alpine if it is at 4000 meters above sea level; in the north of Patagonia it is considered from 1700 meters above sea level; and in Spain it is considered when it is between 2000 and 2500 meters above sea level.

This ecosystem is characterized by practically constant strong winds. In addition, most of the year the temperatures are low and there is presence of ice and snow.

Oxygen is also scarce in high mountain areas; this is due to the low pressures generated by the height.

Climate in the high mountains

It is important to note that high mountain areas develop different forms of life depending on their location.

In deserts, the high mountains receive very little water due to the absence of rain. On the other hand, in temperate zones they can have clearly marked seasons with constant temperature changes.

Small climatic variations are of utmost importance in these ecosystems. In mountains located towards the north or south of the Earth's equator, vegetation can grow significantly on only one side of the mountain, while the other does not receive enough sunlight for the growth of vegetation.

However, this occurs more than anything in areas where the mountain slopes are very steep and make it difficult for sunlight to reach.

Climate changes also affect the climate in the high mountains near the planet's equator, because these are affected by the recurring pattern of sunny mornings and cloudy afternoons.

These patterns cause the mountain to receive sunlight from only one side constantly, causing an effect similar to that which occurred in areas further from the equator.

The constant presence of snow generated by altitude also prevents vegetation growth, and the climate dictates how long the snow will last in the mountains.

The mountainous climate is key to the development of both flora and fauna, and the presence of snow greatly hinders the development of ecosystems.

Flora

In the high mountains of the northern hemisphere it is common to find coniferous trees in great numbers. However, these are found in the lower parts of the mountain and make way for the alpine vegetation that grows on the frozen top.

Among the most common coniferous trees in these regions are pines, firs and larches. Smaller plants, such as heather and poppies, also tend to grow alongside these trees.

In contrast, in tropical areas, mountains have jungle vegetation almost to the limit of tree growth (the maximum height a tree can grow).

In the alpine growth zone, which is properly the high mountain area, you can see the presence of different types of plants, including grasslands, swamps, heaths and small vegetation that grows between the cracks in the ground.

At this height it is impossible to get trees, since the conditions of both height and climate do not allow their growth. However, the small plants are quite similar in all the mountains of the northern hemisphere.

In both temperate and tropical regions, the flora present usually has a similar number of species in each ecosystem. It is common to find about 200 types of small plants on the top of a high mountain.

Surprisingly, these plants are quite similar in all regions where they manifest, regardless of their location relative to the planet's equator.

Fauna

The fauna varies much less than the flora in high mountain ecosystems. Generally, the same style of animals can be found on the top of a mountain as in its surroundings. This phenomenon is said to occur due to animal retreat after human invasion of their natural habitats.

Some species of birds do identify with specific mountains, such as the condor in the Andean zone.

Animals that by nature have inhabited cold areas on top of mountains for countless generations, often have developed a much more pronounced coat than other species of the same family. This can be appreciated by seeing mountain goats, deer, wolves and even páramo felines.

The development of a thicker coat usually occurs in these species to maintain body heat for longer, particularly in times of constant cold where they have little access to sunlight.

Although the style of animals is quite similar to that which develops in the lower part of the mountain, the climatic and topographic diversity places the high mountain and its surroundings as areas of high biodiversity, since the animals and plants of different ecosystems have adapted their lifestyle to these elevated regions.

Among the animals that inhabit the high mountain areas, the red frog, the peat lizard, the asp viper, the marmot, the alpine lagópod, the griffon vulture and the alpine sparrow, among many others.

Where are the high mountain ecosystems located?

The phenomenon of high mountain ecosystems usually occurs in any part of the world in which there are mountain elevations hundreds of meters above ground level.

Among the most important mountainous elevations, the Sierra Nevada mountains in the United States stand out; the Andes mountain range, which stretches from Venezuela to Chile; the Asian Himalayas and the mountainous variety in Tibet.

Many of these areas have ecosystems up to a certain point of elevation, from which the cold does not allow the development of life in its fullness.

Other places where the phenomenon of high mountain life does occur are the mountainous extension of California, in the United States; and Kilimanjaro in Africa, which represents an exemplary ecosystem on a high mountain with a warm climate.

The mountains of Hokkaido in Japan and the high mountains of New Guinea, New Zealand, East Africa and Southeast Asia are also home to life.

All these mountainous extensions present diverse ecosystems, rich in biodiversity and native to each area. However, all those in cold climates are quite similar to each other, especially with regard to the diversity of both animal and plant species.

References

1. Mountain Ecosystem, Jeremy MB Smith, 2018. Taken from britannica.com
2. Highland Climate, (nd), 2018. Taken from britannica.com
3. Bayramin, İ., Basaran, M., Erpul, G., & Canga, MR (2008). Assessing the effects of land use changes on soil sensitivity to erosion in a highland ecosystem of semi-arid Turkey. Environmental monitoring and assessment, 140 (1-3), 249-265. (Study reference, highlands, arid zones in high mountain ecosystems)
4. Alpine Climate, (nd), December 27, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org
5. Highland, (nd), February 7, 2018. Taken from wikipedia.org