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The flora of the Alps are diverse. In the mountains , the vegetation gradually changes with altitude , sun exposure, and location on the mountain. There are five successive life zones , each with distinct landscapes and vegetation characteristics: premontane , montane , subalpine , alpine , and alvar .
The Alps are split into five climatic zones, each with different vegetation. The climate, plant life, and animal life vary among the different sections or zones of the mountains. The lowest zone is the colline zone, which exists between 500 and 1,000 m (1,600 and 3,300 ft), depending on the location.
While smaller groups within the Alps may be easily defined by the passes on either side, defining larger units can be problematic. A traditional divide exists between the Western Alps and the Eastern Alps, which uses the Splügen Pass (Italian: Passo dello Spluga) on the Swiss-Italian border, together with the Rhine to the north and Lake Como in the south as the defining features.
Frost action processes have a strong effect on the soil and vegetation of arctic-alpine regions. [5] Tropical alpine regions are subject to these conditions as well, but they seldom happen. Because northern alpine areas cover a massive area it can be difficult to generalize the characteristics that define the ecology. [6]
The ecoregion extends from the lower slopes of the Alps to its peaks, which include Mont Blanc, at 4,809 m (15,778 ft) the highest peak in the Alps. The Alps forests are at the transition between the Mediterranean climate regions of southern Europe and the more humid and temperate Euro-Siberian region of western, central, and northern Europe. [2]
Cryo-oromediterranean vegetation belt, 1,700- 1,800 m to 2,200 m (only southern slopes); above the upper Tree line (Pinus nigra ssp. laricio goes up to 1,800 m), dwarft bushes of Genista lobelii var. lobelioides, Astragalus sirinicus ssp. genargenteus, Anthyllis hemanniae, Thymus herbabarona, Berberis aetnensis and Juniperus communis ssp. alpina.
The forest is also found in the Southern Alps on north-facing slopes. The beech woods of the Alps are rarely pure and the beech is often found there associated with white fir , spruce (Picea abies) [13] and various hardwoods such as the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), and Norway maple (Acer platanoides).
The summit of the Geißstein, a grass mountain in the Kitzbühel Alps. A grass mountain (German: Grasberg) in topography is a mountain covered with low vegetation, typically in the Alps and often steep-sided. [1] The nature of such cover, which often grows particularly well on sedimentary rock, will reflect local conditions.