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Alpine tundra is generally better drained than arctic soils. [7] Alpine tundra transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone (the treeline) are known as Krummholz. Alpine tundra can be affected by woody plant encroachment. [27] Alpine tundra occurs in mountains worldwide.
The arctic tundra has an exceptionally short growing period, minimal sunlight, and limited resources, creating a brutal environment for plants and animals. By adapting to these harsh conditions, animals and plants represent iconic characteristics of the tundra.
Alpine plants occur in a tundra: a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees. Alpine tundra occurs in mountains worldwide. It transitions to subalpine forests below the tree line; stunted forests occurring at the forest-tundra ecotone are known as Krummholz.
Though tundra covers only a minority of the Earth's surface (17-20%), the biodiversity of plant species is important to human nutrition. Of the 20 plant species that make up 80% of human food, 7 of them (35%) originated in this region. [13] Alpine flora at 11,500 feet (3500 m) on the Flat Tops plateau in the Colorado Rocky Mountains U.S.A
Krummholz Pinus albicaulis in Wenatchee National Forest Wind-sculpted krummholz trees, Ona Beach, Oregon. Krummholz (German: krumm, "crooked, bent, twisted" and Holz, "wood") — also called knieholz ("knee timber") — is a type of stunted, deformed vegetation encountered in the subarctic and subalpine tree line landscapes, shaped by continual exposure to fierce, freezing winds.
Many flowering plants of the alpine tundra have dense hairs on stems and leaves to provide wind protection or red-colored pigments capable of converting the sun's light rays into heat. Some plants take two or more years to form flower buds, which survive the winter below the surface and then open and produce fruit with seeds in the few weeks of ...
The southern edge of the Canadian Arctic tundra is met by an arboreal tree line - the Arctic forest tundra transition zone. In order to adapt to the extreme conditions of the Arctic, plants have: reduced leaf size to minimize water loss to wind; fuzzy hair-like structures or alternatively grow in mats to protect themselves from snow and wind damage
This area supports wetland plants especially sedges and grasses, mosses and lichens, and right on the coast there are peat bogs. Trees such as dwarf birch , willows , northern Labrador tea ( Dryas ) and alders grow in the warmer areas of the region, the Mackenzie River delta and the Yukon coast.