Global ecosystem typology
Alternative site for the Global ecosystem typology with additional information for ecosystem profiles and indicative maps.
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T6.5 Tropical alpine grasslands and herbfields
Biome: T6. Polar/alpine (cryogenic) biome
Contributors:
(texts)
Tropical alpine grasslands and herbfields are limited to a few mountainous areas of Africa, the Americas and southeast Asia. Productivity is low, limited by dry conditions, rocky substrate and nightly cold, but is not strongly seasonal. Snow and fog are common. Typical flora includes mosses, lichens, and flowering plants including distinctive megaherbs and low shrubs. Plant species have adaptations for cold dry conditions, such as tiny leaves, cushion and rosette growth forms and slow growth. Plant composition is affected by competition and facilitation between species, as well as grazing and occasional fires. Simple foodwebs include invertebrates, small mammals and reptiles, along with visiting predators and occasional herbivores from lowland savannas.
Key Features
Dense perennial C3 cold tolerant tussock grasslands, with distinctive arborescent rosette and cushion growth forms, treeless except for sheltered gullies..
Overview of distribution
High mountain tops of tropics.
Profile versions
- v1.0 (2020-01-20): DA Keith; A Etter
- v2.0 (2020-05-31): DA Keith; A Etter
- v2.01 ():
- v2.1 (2022-04-06): DA Keith; A Etter Full profile available at official site
Main references
Selected references for this functional group:
Smith AP, Young TP (1987) Tropical alpine plant ecology Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18: 137-58 DOI:10.1017/cbo9780511551475.021
Diagrammatic assembly model
Maps
Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (coloured red) or minor occurrences (coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. See general notes on maps.
There are 2 alternative versions of the indicative map for this functional group, please compare description and sources below.
T6.5.IM.mix_v1.0
Datasets
- Resolve-Ecoregions-2017
- EarthEnv-LandCover-v1.0
Map references
Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line
Tuanmu, M.-N. and W. Jetz (2014) A global 1-km consensus land-cover product for biodiversity and ecosystem modeling Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(9):1031–1045 DOI:10.1111/geb.12182
T6.5.web.mix_v1.0
Datasets
- Resolve-Ecoregions-2017
- EarthEnv-LandCover-v1.0
Map references
Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line
Tuanmu, M.-N. and W. Jetz (2014) A global 1-km consensus land-cover product for biodiversity and ecosystem modeling Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(9):1031–1045 DOI:10.1111/geb.12182
Check: the Glossary / Profile structure / the public document