Mountainous ecosystems provide such basic environmental services as energy, biodiversity, water and soil. They are also fundamental not only for the development of the populations that inhabit them, but also for those populations and ecosystems that are at lower altitude. If you want more information about the Mountainous ecosystem, its characteristics, flora and faunaDo not stop reading this interesting ecology article where we tell you what living beings live in the mountains.
What is the mountain ecosystem
The mountainous ecosystem, like all ecosystems, is formed by a set of abiotic factors such as soil, water or climate and by biotic factorsbeing the living organisms that inhabit it. However, we refer to this type in particular as a mountainous ecosystem because both factors develop in a mountainous relief where the determining factor is the altitude that will trigger the changesespecially the temperature.
If you are not sure how an ecosystem works, we recommend you visit this other article before continuing to read.
Characteristics of the mountain ecosystem
Mountainous ecosystems are complex, so some of the characteristics of these spaces are:
Changing temperature
The first characteristic of mountainous ecosystems is that the temperature is a very changing factor, since this is different depending on altitude. So how is the weather in the mountain ecosystem? As the altitude increases, the temperature decreases, although not in all areas decreases to the same altitude. For example:
- In one Temperate area: For every 155m of altitude the temperature will decrease 1ºC.
- In one tropical zone: For the temperature to decrease 1ºC, 180 meters of altitude are needed (due to greater solar radiation).
This temperature variation with altitude is called Vertical thermal gradientalso affected by the thickness of the atmosphere (cold and temperate areas are less thick and the tropics greater thickness).
Diversity of forests
The temperature decrease makes it increase in height the trees cannot be developed the same, which is why the forests are found In the low and half areas of the mountains and in the high areas are herbaceous and shrubs. This involves a great variety, as you can see more detail in this article on diversity of ecosystems: what is and examples.
Obstacle to air currents
Another characteristic of mountainous ecosystems to highlight is that they are an obstacle to warm and superficial air currents that are loaded with moisture, because when they climb the mountain these They just cooled. As a consequence, moisture is condensed and clouds are formed that end up generating rainfall.
Higher solar radiation
It is also worth mentioning that mountainous ecosystems receive greater solar radiation, which has a Negative effect on tissues of living beings. That is why both plant and animal species need certain strategies to support it. For example, the hardness and size of the leaves of some species of plants found in the highest areas of the mountain are a adaptation strategy.
Other characteristics of mountainous ecosystems
Finally, other characteristics of these ecosystems are:
- Gravity: It favors the runoff of water from the rain, something essential for living beings that inhabit that ecosystem.
- Slope orientation: Since there are two slopes with different orientations in a mountain, they receive the radiation of the sun at different times of the day, thus influencing the variety of the existing flora.
Flora of mountainous ecosystems
Now that you know the characteristics of the mountainous ecosystem, we will see more detail the flora of that space. As we have mentioned above, the vegetation of the mountainous ecosystem goes changing by increasing altitudesince the higher this is, the lower the temperature and the greater the solar radiation.
In this way, we can say that according to the altitude of the area we distinguish between:
- In the lowest areas From the mountain ecosystem: we find forests of different types. For example, in temperate mountainous ecosystems are the coniferous forest, with species such as pine (Pinus spp.) and the larch (Larix Decua) and the deciduous forest, with angiosperm species such as The Hague (Fagus Sylvatica), the birch (Betula spp.) And the oak (Quercus Robur).
- In the highest areas Of these ecosystems: we find the tundra alpine, with species such as grasses, pinkiae, lichens and mosses.
- In the middle areas Within tropical mountainous ecosystems: humid and cloudy jungles abound with high -height trees such as the spoon (Gyranthera Caribibensis) or the coal (Carbonary albizia), while in the moor (areas of greater altitude) the cold herbacies predominate.
Mountainous ecosystem fauna
We have already talked about what living beings inhabit the mountain referring to plants, but now we will refer to their animals. Some of the species of mammals that inhabit temperate and cold mountainous ecosystems are: The black bear (Ursus Americanus), The Wolf (Canis lupus), The fox (Vulpes Vulpes) and The brown bear (Ursus arctos). There are also birds such as the breakthrough (Gypaetus barbatus) and the urogallo (Tetrao Urogallus).
On the other hand, among the species that inhabit the tropical mountain ecosystems there is a wide variety of:
- Insects
- reptiles
- Small mammals
- Birds
It should be noted that, exceptionally, there is also the presence of some felines such as the jaguar (Panthera onca), the tiger (Panthera Tigris) and the leopard (Pathera Pardus).
If you want to discover more information about all types of ecosystems that exist, do not stop visiting this other ecology article.
If you want to read more articles similar to Mountainous ecosystem: characteristics, flora and faunawe recommend that you enter our category of ecosystems.
