Information
lichens Preface Lichens are important species of park vegetation whose values are often overlooked because of their small size. Knowledge of lichens in national parks is fairly limited and of varying degrees of completeness. These two facts point to an information deficit in national parks regarding these types of plant resources. This is unfortunate because they are no less important than any other natural resource. Lichens can also be detrimental to cultural resources, e.g. growing on grave stones and roofs of historic buildings. Knowing what lichens are present in a park can enable the park manager to deal with these issues in a knowledgable way. In 1990 an effort was begun with funding from the Air Quality Division to create a national list of lichens of the national parks. Such a list can be useful for selecting species for inventorying and monitoring, in determining how representative national parks are of their regions, and if species are disappearing. The list would also help identify areas that need new lichen work because of incomplete or missing surveys. This report describes the results of this project to date. Data on lichen species from 93 national park units have been entered into a computerized database named NPLICHEN. All names have been standardized to a national list to allow comparisons to be made. The database is currently operational on personal computers at the Universities of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Searches can be made by contacting the operators at any time. If sufficient demand exists, the database will be implemented on a national computer for access by all. At some time in the near future it is anticipated that the database will be incorporated into the National Park Service Inventorying and Monitoring Program. Abstract Many lichen species are very sensitive to some air pollutants and and can be used to monitor these air pollutants in the National Parks. It is therefore desirable to know what lichens are present in different park units. This report describes a project undertaken to create computer files of lists of species known to occur in the National Park Service (NPS) units for loading into a computer database. Information was obtained from the literature, from internal NPS reports, and from the University of Minnesota Herbarium. Ninety-three park units out of 360 have some lichen records. The literature search found 288 papers reporting lichens from 87 units. All lichen names were standardized to Egan's Checklist of North American Lichens. Files were produced for each park and were processed with several custom-written computer programs. The 93 park files listed the lichen name, the reference to its occurrence in the park, and whether the name was first described from the park. There are numerous natural area park units with poorly known lichen floras which are recommended for future study. Other recommendations are for periodic updates of the data base, for the production of a user manual for the database, and for the protection of the type localities in the parks. Introduction Lichens are symbiotic plants composed of fungi and algae. The plant body (thallus) is not covered with an epidermis and the components of the thallus are relatively open to free air exchange with the atmosphere. Lichens are sensitive to air pollutants and are killed by low levels of sulfur dioxide (LeBlanc et al., 1972), nitrogen oxides, or other strongly oxidizing compounds (Ross & Nash, 1983). Lichens have been used in numerous studies to monitor the air quality. The methods used in many of the National Parks include a comparison of the lichen flora with historical records, and elemental analyses of selected species (Wetmore, 1988). When this method is used, considerable effort is needed to search the literature for lichen records from the park being studied. This project was designed to consolidate the literature searches for all parks in one study and make the data available in a database for use in future studies.
e size of glciers on Mount Rainier has fluctuated significantly in the past. For example, during the last ice age, from about 25,000 to about 15,000 years ago, glaciers covered most of the area now within the boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park and extended to the perimeter of the present Puget Sound Basin. Geologists can determine the former extent of glaciers on Mount Rainier by mapping the outline of glacial deposits and by noting the position of trim lines, the distinct boundaries between older and younger forests or between forests and pioneering vegetation. Geologists determine the age of some of the deposits by noting the age of the oldest trees and lichens growing on them and the degree of weathering on boulders.
Between the 14th century and A.D. 1850, many of the glaciers on Mount Rainier advanced to their farthest went down valley since the last ice age. Many advances of this sort occurred worldwide during this time period known to geologists as the Little Ice Age. During the Little Ice Age, the Nisqually Glacier advanced to a position 650 feet to 800 feet down valley from the site of the Glacier Bridge, Tahoma and South Tahoma Glaciers merged at the base of Glacier Island, and the terminus of Emmons Glacier reached within 1.2 miles of the White River Campground. Retreat of the Little Ice Age glaciers was slow until about 1920 when retreat became more rapid. Between the height of the Little Ice Age and 1950, Mount Rainier's glaciers lost about one-quarter of their length. Beginning in 1950 and continuing through the early 1980's, however, many of the major glaciers advanced in response to relatively cooler temperatures of the mid-century. The Carbon, Cowlitz, Emmons, and Nisqually Glaciers advanced during the late 1970's and early 1980's as a result of high snowfalls during the 1960's and 1970's. Since the early-1980's The size of glaciers on Mount Rainier has fluctuated significantly in the past. For example, during the last ice age, from about 25,000 to about 15,000 years ago, glaciers covered most of the area now within the boundaries of Mount Rainier National Park and extended to the perimeter of the present Puget Sound Basin.
Geologists can determine the former extent of glaciers on Mount Rainier by mapping the outline of glacial deposits and by noting the position of trim lines, the distinct boundaries between older and younger forests or between forests and pioneering vegetation. Geologists determine the age of some of the deposits by noting the age of the oldest trees and lichens growing on them and the degree of weathering on boulders. Between the 14th century and A.D. 1850, many of the glaciers on Mount Rainier advanced to their farthest went down valley since the last ice age. Many advances of this sort occurred worldwide during this time period known to geologists as the Little Ice Age. During the Little Ice Age, the Nisqually Glacier advanced to a position 650 feet to 800 feet down valley from the site of the Glacier Bridge, Tahoma and South Tahoma Glaciers merged at the base of Glacier Island, and the terminus of Emmons Glacier reached within 1.2 miles of the White River Campground. Retreat of the Little Ice Age glaciers was slow until about 1920 when retreat became more rapid. Between the height of the Little Ice Age and 1950, Mount Rainier's glaciers lost about one-quarter of their length. Beginning in 1950 and continuing through the early 1980's, however, many of the major glaciers advanced in response to relatively cooler temperatures of the mid-century. The Carbon, Cowlitz, Emmons, and Nisqually Glaciers advanced during the late 1970's and early 1980's as a result of high snowfalls during the 1960's and 1970's. Since the early-1980's and through 1992, however, many glaciers have been thinning and retreating and some advances have slowed, perhaps in response to drier conditions that have prevailed at Mount Rainier since 1977. WHAT TO SEEmany glaciers have been thinning and retreating and some advances have slowed, perhaps in response to drier conditions that have prevailed at Mount Rainier since 1977. WHAT TO SEE
Description and Life History In size, ptarmigan most closely resemble a Hungarian partridge or chukar partridge. A mature adult will attain a live weight of about 3/4 pound (average is 11 1/2 oz.). Ptarmigan are unique in that they spend their entire lives in an environment so harsh that is seems incredible that they should survive. But they do, in fact, having adapted to conditions of life in the alpine tundra of our highest mountains. During the winter, ptarmigan inhabit areas where willow, their staple food, may be found. In the Uintas, such areas are most often found along stream courses and in high basins above or near timberline. Here the birds feed on tall willow that reaches above the snow, or on lower plants that have been exposed by wind action. For protection, the birds may seek shelter in rock piles, or during harsh weather may burrow under the snow. With the onset of spring, ptarmigan move (usually upward) to their breeding territories. These are areas that bare off by early May because of exposure to wind and/or sun. Willow is again a critical component of these areas. Here the male defends his territory from other males and forms a pair with a female. The territory is occupied by both until mid-to late June when the female begins laying her eggs. By the time the eggs have hatched (mid- to late July), the males have generally left the area to move up to summering habitat at higher elevation. The female with her brood of from 3-6 chicks soon follows. Here they will remain, eating late-persisting green vegetation such as Geum, Carex and Polygonum until the onset of winter storms initiates a return to the wintering areas. Description of Habitat Types Wintering Habitat The most important characteristic of ptarmigan winter habitat is the availability of willow. Willow buds and twigs provide almost the sole food source at this time. Suitable areas are generally of two types--tall willow growth along stream courses that extends above snowpack, and shorter willow that is exposed by the action of wind. In either type, evidence of ptarmigan use may be found by searching around the protected bases of willow bushes and around the bases of nearby rocks for piles of droppings left by roosting birds. The interfaces where willow bottoms meet talus slopes are especially good areas to examine. The droppings, when located, will be reddish brown to chocolate brown, about 1 1/2 inches long, 1/3 inch in diameter and usually in piles of several dozen pellets. Breeding Territories During the period from early May until late June, both males and females will be located on breeding territories. Such areas are variable, but two factors determine which areas are utilized--the specific site must be snow-free by early May, and it must be in association with willow. Such snow-free areas may be created by southerly exposures or areas which are windswept and bare off rapidly. A typical breeding territory will be a bare area at the base of a talus slope, a windswept saddle or knoll, or a high bench. In all cases, the territory will be in an alpine area above timberline. At this time, birds may be easily located by using a taped male territorial call, which in a very high percentage of cases will elicit a response from a male defending a territory. Before mid-June, the female can often be observed with the male. After mid-June, hens will begin laying and incubating and will not be easily located. During the time the birds are on territories, they will also be finishing the molt of their winter plumage, and fresh white feathers will commonly be found on active territories. Brood-Rearing Areas A short while after the ptarmigan hen hatches her clutch of eggs, she begins moving the chicks upward toward summer brood-rearing areas. Normal hatching dates are from mid- to late July. By early August, broods will have moved to summering areas. Certain specific types of areas will harbor broods, while large expanses will contain no birds. Probably the key factor in determining these areas is the persistence of green, succulent vegetation into mid-August. Typically, such vegetation is found around the heads of streams and around springs, or below a late lying snowfield. When succulent vegetation is found along the edge of a talus slope or rock field, the area's suitability for ptarmigan is excellent. In the Uinta mountains, typical brood-rearing areas may be found around the periphery of the very highest alpine basins, with elevations varying from about 11,200 to 13,000 feet. In all cases, the birds will be far above timberline at this time of year and will remain so until forced down by the onset of winter snows. Specifics of the Uinta Mountain Ptarmigan Population Original releases of white-tailed ptarmigan were made at a point about one-half mile southeast of Gunsight Pass and one mile east of Kings Peak in Painter Basin of the Uinta River drainage. The population in Painter Basin has increased to the point that birds may be at carrying capacity. Birds now may be found in Garfield Basin, Yellowstone Basin, Gilbert Basin, Atwood Basin, Beaver Basin, Rainbow Basin, and in Smith's Fork, Rock Creek, Black's Fork, Henry's Fork, and Lake Fork drainages. Ptarmigan are believed to be distributed from Deadhorse Pass on the west to Leidy Peak on the east. Hunting for ptarmigan will be allowed as specified in the current Upland Game Proclamation. The limit is four birds. A free permit is required. Areas open include all of Daggett, Duchesne, Summit and Uintah counties. Ptarmigan are found above timberline in moist areas. Ptarmigan should not be confused with blue grouse. They are about one-third the size of blue grouse and as their name implies, have a white tail. During hunting seasons, ptarmigan will have begun to acquire their white winter plumage but may retain some brown and black molting on the upper surfaces of the head, back, and wings. Blue grouse are much darker, especially on the underparts and have a dark, slate-colored tail with a broad, light gray terminal band. Please do not litter. Leave your camp more clean than when you found it. Please pick up all spent shot shell casings since they persist for years and are quite obvious above timberline. We wish you a safe and successful ptarmigan hunt! September 22, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.6 White-tailed ptarmigan, Lagopus leucurus [Back to TOC] [Previous] [Next] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Description The smallest North American grouse (30-34 cm long). Only grouse with white rectrices. Both sexes have feathered tarsi and white plumage in winter. In breeding season males have 'necklace' of barred brown and black breast feathers; females brown and black with yellow barring. Distribution Resident of mountainous regions throughout the province. Absent from Queen Charlotte Islands, subspecies L. l. saxatilis found on Vancouver Island. Habitat Alpine regions 1280-2650 m elevation. Mostly rocky, moist vegetation near snowfields, willow dominated plant communities, Carex-Geum rock meadows. Movement Local populations migrate altitudinally between winter (low elevation) and breeding (higher elevation) ranges. Females tend to move further than males. Arrive on breeding areas early April to early June; depart breeding areas for winter sites in late September to mid-November. Behaviour Birds establish territories in breeding season. Males arrive on breeding range before females and defend territories by ground and aerial displays. Most conspicuous display by territorial males is 'flight scream'; aerial component ku-ku-KIII-KIIER, after landing utters duk-duk-DAAK-duk-duk. Birds usually form monogamous pair bonds but some males are polygynous; members of the same pair share a territory. Territory size variable 5-67 ha. Males do not provide parental care. Forms loosely organized flocks of broods, unsuccessful females, and males in late summer. Flocks segregated by sex during winter. Willow buds, leaves, and twigs common diet items, especially during winter. Status Breeding densities vary between populations but in general are 2.0-13.5 birds/km2. Sex ratio (male:female) varies, 0.8-1.8:1. Selected references Braun and Rogers 1971; Johnsgard 1983; Campbell et al. 1990; Braun et al. 1993.
ADF&G Home - Notebook Home - Search - Contact UsÊ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ptarmigan Ptarmigan, close relatives of forest and prairie grouse, live in alpine and arctic tundras throughout the northern hemisphere. There are three kinds of ptarmigan, and all are found in Alaska. Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) are found nearly everywhere in AlaskaÕs high, treeless country. They occupy a broad range throughout Canada, Scandinavia, Finland and Russia. The famous Red Grouse of Scotland is a race of the Willow Ptarmigan. Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) also live in Canada, Scandinavia, Scotland, and northern Eurasia. They range through most of Greenland and Iceland and have scattered southern outposts in Japan, Switzerland, and Spain. In Alaska, Rock Ptarmigan live in all major treeless areas except the flat tundras of the western and northern coasts. White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) are strictly North American. They occupy rugged uplands from the Alaska Range and central Yukon southward to Washington and northern New Mexico. General description: Ptarmigan look just like small grouse, weighing from 10 1/2 ounces to 1 1/2 pounds (0.3-0.7 kg) except that their toes are feathered, their wings are white all year, and they have pure white body plumage in winter. Life history: In early spring, male ptarmigan become intolerant of other males and establish territories that they defend vigorously with aerial chases and a variety of gargling, croaking, and screaming noises. Sometimes the three species are found on a single mountain, and often two kinds breed close together. In such cases there is usually a clear altitudinal separation of the various kinds, with Willow Ptarmigan living closest to timberline, Rock Ptarmigan on middle slopes and low ridges, and White-tails high among rough rocky screes and boulder-strewn ridges close to glaciers or snowfields. All ptarmigan nest on the ground soon after the snow melts. Hens usually lay six to ten eggs which are incubated for three weeks. Hatching takes place in late June and early July throughout Alaska. The male Willow Ptarmigan stays with the family and doesnÕt hesitate to defend the brood, but male White-tails and Rock Ptarmigan leave the care of chicks entirely to hens. The chicks grow with amazing speed. They can get off the ground only 9 to 10 days after hatching and fly well when they get their first full set of flight feathers at 8 to 10 weeks of age. Autumn is a time of restlessness. Flocks form and disperse and form again, and the birds move around into unfamiliar alpine areas. In October the wandering takes on a pattern; females tend to form their own flocks and drift lower down into brushy forest openings while cocks stay close to timberline. The extent of the fall movements varies from place to place, but migrations of 100 to 150 miles (160-240 km) one way probably are the longest undertaken by any ptarmigans in Alaska. Ptarmigan are nomadic in winter, moving erratically from one sheltered slope or patch of food to another from November to March. The birds are quite sociable in winter and usually feed and roost in the snow close together. In April and early May, flocks of ptarmigan numbering several thousand sometimes appear in purposeful movement back to their breeding grounds. These huge flocks, perhaps created by the funneling effect of river valleys and narrow mountain passes, rapidly disintegrate when the summering areas are reached, as each cock demands his share of elbow room in the vast stretches of white and brown tundra. Foods: When snow covers the ground, Willow Ptarmigan eat willow buds, willow twigs, and a little birch. Rock Ptarmigan nip off birch catkins, birch buds, and a little willow. White-tails mix buds and catkins of willow, birch, and alder in varying amounts. This diet lasts until well along in the courtship period of spring, giving way as snow melts to a blend of insects, overwintered berries, new leaves, and flowers. The birds eat a potpourri of vegetable matter in summer and occasionally take advantage of a particularly abundant crop of caterpillars or beetles. Gradually, as insects disappear and plants become dormant, the diet turns increasingly to berries, seeds, and buds. By mid-October most ptarmigan (except in coastal areas of Southcentral Alaska) are back to their winter menu. Populations: Ptarmigan are notorious for their here-today, gone-tomorrow populations, pulsing between superabundance and virtual absence in just a few years. The causes of the rapid population changes remain a mystery. Many people think that ptarmigan numbers fluctuate rhythmically, with peaks once every 9 or 10 years. Although there is good evidence for these cycles in Iceland, cycles are more legend than proven fact in Alaska. As with many other grouse, the population depends very heavily on each yearÕs production of chicks, since this yearÕs chicks will be next yearÕs breeding stock. Under these conditions, one or two years of poor reproduction or high winter losses can cause drastic declines in abundance. Conversely, one or two good years might result in more ptarmigan than you could shake a shotgun at. Hunting: Ptarmigan hunting is fun. You never know what to expect from one trip to the next. On opening day you tramp through colorful thickets of willow and dwarf birch, your dog nosing coveys of brown birds out of the brush while you mop your brow and wish you hadnÕt put on a sweater. Late in September, after facing a strong, cold wind for several fruitless hours, you top out on a rocky ridge and suddenly find yourself surrounded by several hundred stretch-necked, pinto-patterned ptarmigan. You hang up your shotgun for five months, only to be tolled into the hills again by the bright blue days of March. Warmly clad in parka and mukluks, you snowshoe across narrow alpine valleys following meandering trails of three-pronged ptarmigan tracks across the brilliant snow. Ptarmigan hunting can be a serious business, especially if you live in AlaskaÕs vast hinterland and caribou have been scarce. Then is the time to go after ptarmigan in earnest, using all the tricks at your command. Snares are very effective when used by those who know the birds well. A favorite method is to build a thin fence of close-set willow branches, leaving small openings where the snares are set. Another technique takes advantage of the fact that ptarmigan drag their feet in soft snow. A series of snare loops are tied into a long line, and the loops are placed flat on the ground around a favorite thicket of willows. Birds step into the loops, drag their feet forward--and are caught. Text: Robert B. Weeden Illustration: R.T. Wallen Revised and reprinted 1994 ADF&G Home | Wildlife Notebook Series Home | Top of Document maintained by: laurir@fishgame.state.ak.us Copyright ©1995 Alaska Department of Fish and Game. All Rights Reserved. OEO StatementÊ-ÊTerms of UseÊ-ÊPrivacy Last modified: Mon Apr 3 23:00:52 2000
------------------------------------------------------------------------ RANGE: Resident from south-central Alaska, central Yukon, and southwestern Mackenzie south to southern Alaska, southern British Columbia, including Vancouver Island, and the Cascade Mountains of Washington, and along the Rocky Mountains from southwestern Alberta to northern New Mexico. Introduced into the high Sierra Nevada of California, Wallowa Mountains in Oregon, and the Uinta Mountains in Utah. Commonly migrates locally during winter to areas slightly below treeline. STATUS: Locally common in alpine tundra. HABITAT: Inhabits rocky tundra areas with sparse vegetation in high mountains. Breeds in territories adjacent to spruce-willow alpine timberline zone (krummholz) and also small windblown areas. Males tend to winter above tree line adjacent to breeding areas where wind prevents complete coverage of woody shrubs; females tend to winter in basins and drainages that are not as windblown and somewhat removed from tundra. SPECIAL HABITAT REQUIREMENTS: Alpine tundra. NEST: Nests on the ground in areas that become snowfree early in June and are somewhat protected from wind, such as under small shrubs or next to rocks larger than 6 inches. Females locate their nests near the fringe of a male's breeding territory, but more importantly, near brooding areas where vegetation is short and rocks 6 inches or larger cover more than 50 percent of the ground surface. FOOD: During summer, primarily consumes seeds and leaves of smartweeds, sedges, clover, and willow; also takes various green leaves, flowers, and some insects. During winter in Colorado, consumes willow primarily, alder secondarily. In Alaska, consumes alder catkins primarily, willow and birch secondarily. REFERENCES: Braun 1969; Braun in Farrand 1983a; Braun and Rogers 1971; Johnsgard 1973, 1983a; May and Braun 1972; Weeden 1967.
Pika (Ochotona) or Cony The pika is a mammal in the rabbit and hare family. It spends its whole life in the upper regions of high mountains. It lives at high altitudes with short summers and snowy winters, often enduring sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temperatures. Despite its harsh living conditions, the pika neither migrates nor hibernates nor changes its daily schedule during the winter. Small and tailless, the pika is quick and busy. It is chubby, is the size of a small to medium guinea pig, and has short rounded ears and short legs. The front legs are slightly shorter than the back legs. The pika has soft dense fur. The fur is buffy, red-brown, or grey. The stomach and foot fur is white to pink-buff. The ears are brown or black. Overall length is 7-8". It stands 3" high and weighs 4-6.5 oz.
Habitat Home for the pika is generally high in the mountains above the tree line. In the mountains of New Mexico, the pika can be found at altitudes of 13,600 ft. The pika lives among rocky outcroppings and rock slides and, ocassionally for lower dwelling pikas, among piles of fallen trees. The pika enjoys sunning himself on the rocks, even when temperatures are below zero degrees Fahrenheit. Because of the danger from birds of prey, martens and weasels, it never gets far from shelter. It will rarely travel more than 75 ft. from the rocks.
Diet Shrubs, grasses, herbs, and lichens are the typical diet of the pika. Among the shrubs it eats are currant, gooseberry, rose, syringa, and sagebrush. Herbs include nettles, thistles, Indian tobacco, heather, and ferns. Activities Summer and fall are harvest times for the little rabbit. Harvesting consists of a quick dash into the field to grab a mouthful of grass and another dash back. The vegitation is then stored in piles called haystacks. Each pika will have several haystacks, some outside the rocks and others in sunny openings between rocks. Each day the pika will place a thin layer of new cuttings on each pile. This allows the cuttings to properly dry and cure for safe storage through the long winters. The pika is diurnal, awake during the day, gathering food in the morning and afternoon and stopping at midday for a nap. On a sunny day, the nap may last for hours with the pika perched on top of a large rock. Personality Pikas are fiercely territorial and not very social. Each pika occupies a territory of about 750 square yards. As many as 6 pikas will occupy an acre of mountainside, but often they live alone. In groups, pikas will work together and call to one another but will not visit one another. Often one pika will sit perched on a rock as lookout while the others gather their cuttings. Appearance The pika is also known as the cony or rock rabbit. It looks so much like a guinea pig that the guinea pig may have gotten its name from the pika. The origin of the name guinea pig is unknown but it may be a mispronunciation of cony pig, an early name for the guinea pig. The Alaskan pika changes its coat once during the year, in late summer. Pikas along the west coast of the US and Canada change coats twice per yer, shedding in late June or early July and growing the winter coat about 2 months later. Shedding progresses quickly and evenly, starting at the head and going over the back. The summer coat is a light brown color. The winter coat is white tipped with grey. The grey fades to a full white as the tips of the hair rub off against the rocks of the pika's home. So the cooloring of the pika constantly matches its surroundings - tan in summer, grey in fall and early winter and rich white in late winter. The pika is well adapted to its icy home and poorly adapted to the warm. It can be found out sunning itself on a rock when all other creatures are huddling in burrows or hibernating. It has ear flaps that close when the winds are high or when the temperatures get far below freezing. It has no sweat glands, so it cannot tollerate 80-90 degree Fahrenheit days. At such times it seeks out a cool, shady nook in which to nap. Polygonum bistorta NAMES: Bistort - Dragon's Wort - Oksanen
L & Oksanen T 1989 Natural grazing as a factor shaping out barren landscapes. J. Arid Envir. 17: 219-233. [Example of a paper on pika diet] A Colo. study of pika haypiles in relation to the veg. Gives biomass tables of main species in several meadow communities. Mean dry wt of haypiles in mid-Aug 1.6 kg, & likely a total of 3 kg harvested before winter. Big differences in individual efforts. All pikas with access to meadows preferred the tallest grass and forb species, notably Deschampsia caespitosa and Castilleja occidentalis. On lawn-like vegetation, pikas preferred grasses and woody plants and did not harvest cushion plants. The main species in haypiles: the above 2, Geum rossii (no.1 at 31%), Salix arctica, Carex pyrenaica, Vaccinium scoparium. Also fairly important: Salix reticulata, Do, Carex chalciolepis, Fest.brach., Trifolium dasyphyllum.
Harvesting formed an impact pattern outward from rock. Continuous grazing pressure on some areas, but areas farther from rock not used. Lawn-like veg. near rock and talus is important for pikas; excluding pikas causes strong plant increase and decline of cushion plants.
Alpine Avens (Acomastylis rosii)
Alpine Bluebells (Mertensia alpina) (blue flowers)
Alpine Sunflower or "Old Man of the Mountain" (Hymenoxys grandiflora)
American Bistort (Bistorta bistortoides)
Elephant's Head (Pedicularis groenlandica)
Parry's Clover (Trifolium parryi)
Parry's Primrose (Primula parryi)
Pretty Shooting Star (Dodecatheon pulchellum)
Snow Buttercup (Ranunculus adoneus)
Western Yellow Paintbrush (Castilleja occidentalis)
or other either type:
More pictures of common Niwot Ridge plants - some cushion plants, some not. These links are to photos at the Texas A&M Vascular Plant Image Database unless otherwise noted. *
Lousewort (Pedicularis parryi) *
Moss Campion (Silene acaulis) *
Skypilot (Polemonium viscosum) - photo by Keith Karoly at his Biology 332 page. *
Fleabane Daisies (Erigeron sp.) *
Fendler's Sandwort (Arenaria fendlerii) *
Chickweed (Cerastium arvense) - photo by Keith Karoly at his Biology 332 page. *
Snowball Saxifrage (Saxifraga rhomboidea) *
?Arnica (Arnica latifolia, Arnica mollis) - both photos by Mimi Kamp. *
Lanceleaved Stonecrop (Sedum lanceolatum) *
Wallflower (Erysimum sp.) *
King's Crown (Sedum roseum) also Rose Crown (Sedum rhodantha) *
Alpine Clover (Trifolium dasyphyllum) *
Geyer's Onion (Allium geyeri) - photo by Henriette Kress *
Pussytoes (Antennaria alpina, A. rosea, Antennaria sp.) - painting of Rosy Pussytoes from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. *
Least Lewisia (Lewisia pygmaea) - photo at Tromso Botanic Gardens, Norway. *
Harebell (Campanula rotundifolia, C. uniflora) *
Dwarf clover (Trifolium nanum) *
Kittentails (Besseya wyomingensis) - photo by Robyn Klein. *
Penstemon (Penstemon whippleanus, Penstemon procerus, Penstemon hallyii) Olympic Mountain milkvetch * Piper's bellflower * Magenta paintbrush * Pink mountain heather * Olympic groundsel * Flett's violet
Acomastylis rossii [~125K photo and caption] *
Castilleja occidentalis [~95K photo and caption] *
Dodecatheon pulchellum [~64K photo and caption] *
Eritrichum aretioides [~86K photo and caption] *
Hymenoxis grandiflora [~47K photo and caption] *
Primula angustifolia [~100K photo and caption] *
Primula parryii [~35K photo and caption] *
Ranunculus adoneus [~83K photo and caption] *
Phlox sibirica [~165 photo and caption] *
Trifolium parryii
Rock surfaces are dotted with a cover of lichens and mosses. Most species are slow-growing perennials. Plants have been forced to adapt to such an extreme environment. Ninety percent of total structure in some plants is in roots storing nutrients and energy during poor growing periods. Flowers are often large but other parts of the plant are small to save energy, and reducing exposure to the rigors of the wind.
Some plants have waxy coatings or hairs thus losing minimal heat and water to the wind. The location of plant communities is correlated with the duration of snow cover. While snow is blown free from exposed sites, it accumulates in the lee of obstructions and in depressions. Community location is also related to soil, drainage, and movement of soil by burrowing animals, and frost action which is prevalent throughout much of the alpine tundra.
Dense willow thickets often occupy moist depressions on the lee side of ridges. A deep cover of snow during the winter protects buds from the wind and freezing temperatures. These are the tallest perennials growing above the krummholz of the ecotone. Figure 4.6 Solifluction terraces with snow lying behind. (Photo credit: Michael Ritter) Soils are quite variable, from barely any soils in valleys scoured by glaciers to the mature residual soils of unglaciated ridges, and scattered in between rocks brought to surface from frost heave to form periglacial features like polygons. Soil ice is found in all soils in winter, and soil temperatures are low enough to form patches of permafrost. A common landscape feature of the tundra are solifluction terraces. These occur where water saturated soils move slowly down gentle slopes over permafrost. Most terraces possess a lush cover of forbs and sedges. Figure 4.4 Polygon, outlined in black, caused by frost heave. (Photo credit: Michael Ritter) The plant communities mentioned above are considered climax communities mainly because they change so slowly.
Communities are often disturbed by small burrowing animals like the pocket gopher that churn up the soil and eat plant roots, or voles which can devastate above - ground biomass. Recovery after disturbance proceeds exceedingly slow, slower than any other mountain ecosystem. In spite of their high altitude location, alpine tundra ecosystems on Niwot Ridge and in other portions of the Rocky Mountain west have been used by humans since prehistoric times. Native Americans used the high terraces as butchering and camping sites over 7,000 years ago. Domestic sheep have grazed the tundra since the early 1900s. Butterfly populations have been reduced where overgrazing has been a problem. Off road vehicles have wreaked havoc on the fragile tundra ecosystem. Hikers, unaware of their impact, have caused significant damage to this environment. A piece of litter can kill a plant it covers in just a few weeks. Soil erosion caused by trampling can have long lasting effects as it takes much longer for soil to develop in the alpine tundra. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
identify the limiting factors of the alpine Environmental Conditions in the Alpine Alpine ecosystems, sometimes called "alpine tundra", are ecosystems found at high elevation, such as on the tops of tall mountains. These ecosystems experience extremely cold and windy winters and short cool summers which are also often quite windy. There is lots of ultraviolet radiation, and the air is thin. The landscape often consists of steep slopes with rocky, thin soils. All of these characteristics control the types of plants that can grow up in alpine areas. The plants that grow up there are usually very short -- growing very close to the ground. Down near the ground the wind doesn't blow as hard and the temperature is often a little warmer. Impressive Wind and Cold!! Up on Niwot Ridge, the wind speed that begins to lift a person off the ground if they try to remain on two feet, instead of lying on the ground, is about 118 miles per hour. So, at higher speeds, one either lays on the ground, or gets lifted off. It once took about four hours to travel just over one mile, from Saddle to D1 on Niwot Ridge, when the wind speed was averaging 90 MPH with gusts to 120 MPH once a minute. The coldest temperatures at Niwot Ridge are not really any colder than those found out on the eastern plains because cold air is heavier than warm air and settles to the lowest topographic points. The average minimums, however, are definitely colder on Niwot Ridge. About -40 C or F is a good general low minimum temperature for the Ridge, though it doesn't always get that cold. - Mark Losleben
The Arctic, Alpine and Tundra The Arctic, Alpine and Tundra environments are three of the most extreme environments on the earth. They are joined together in their extreme cold and the species that have evolved to live in these environments share certain similarities. This paper will explore the abiotic environments that are shared by these environments, those that differentiate them, and the methods of survival the plants and animals have evolved to live there. It is necessary to begin by defining the differences and similarities between the Arctic, Alpine, and Tundra environments. All three are similar in that they are cold throughout the entire year, and receive little precipitation. The differences lie in the amounts of extremity in temperature and precipitation. The Arctic environments are generally colder than the Alpine, at more extreme latitudes, and lower altitudes. The general lowering of altitude, while not a constant, is important because it means that there is more atmospheric O2 and CO2 available in the Arctic than the Alpine. The Alpine environments generally have a greater exposure to daylight, greater fluctuation in temperature, and receive more precipitation. The Tundra environments are generally at lower latitudes, with warmer weather than the other two environments, and have a greater range of biota. The location of the Arctic environment is generally defined by the 10 degree Celsius surface air isotherm of the warmest month. This isotherm defines the boundary of both the Northern Polar and Southern Polar Arctic environments. This isotherm exists in July in the Northern Hemisphere and February in the Southern Hemisphere. The Alpine environment is generally defined by the altitude tree line for the major tree species of the area. The Tundra environment is defined by the latitudinal tree line of the major tree species. The most important abiotic factors at work within these environments are the temperature, the light levels, and the atmospheric and aquatic climates. Perhaps the most obvious and definitive of the abiotic factors in the shaping of these environments is the extreme temperatures. The temperatures in the Arctic, Alpine, and Tundra environments are the coldest on Earth. They affect the life within them with their fluctuations. These environments are frequently exposed to long periods of cold night. Many species have found means of either avoiding the cold times, or conserving themselves through them. However, the temperature, despite its definitive nature, is not the most important abiotic factor. Temperature is actually a secondary effect of the most important abiotic factor. Light. Light within the Arctic, and Tundra environments is contrasts them with warmer environments. The Alpine is less defined by light than the Arctic and Tundra, but light plays a critical role within it. The Arctic and Tundra regions are both limited by their extreme latitudes. The Earth's axial tilt, and its very shape, work to decrease the amount of light received by the polar latitudes. The axial tilt of the Earth points the poles away from the sun for half the year, creating winter. The closer an area is to the poles is, the more extreme its isolation from the sun can be. Within the polar circles, which lie at the top 23 degrees of the planet, day and night last 6 months. These extremes are what create the cold temperature. Also what summer light reaches the Arctic Circle has been stretched thin by the shape of the earth. The light hits those extreme latitudes at an angle, instead of dead on, and it is forced to cover a greater area. For this reason the light which hits the pole is less tenuous, and less capable of warming the ground. However, the albedo of the ground can cause the light in the arctic to be nearly as blinding as that in the Alpine, creating similar eye adaptations. Tundra environments share this problem but not quite to such an extreme. There the winter nights are long, but so are the summer days. What contributes the most to the cold of the Tundra environments is the flow of air down off the poles towards more equatorial environments. Being the first to encounter this air, the tundra environments bear the brunt of its effects. Alpine regions have an alternative problem with sunlight. In the Alpine regions the sun shines for a greater period of the day. The altitude of most Alpine environments exposes them to a longer day as the sun is visible around the curvature of the earth for a greater period of time. Also, the altitude of the Alpine environments exposes them to more extremes of UV and visible light. The normal atmosphere acts as a filter, to absorb and reflect light for lower altitudes. The scarcity of atmosphere above and around alpine environments exposes them to sunlight at a more brutal level than sea-level plants and animals are used to. The power of the sun is amplified by the albedo of the nearby snow. The fierce sunlight of upper altitudes has limited the number of species that can inhabit such areas to ones who have adapted to handle these extreme conditions. Air and water patterns are also important abiotic factors in the defining of the Alpine, Arctic, and Tundra environments. All three are exposed to severe gusts of wind. Thermal exchange with the warmer regions of the Earth provide for strong winds, which can increase the chill temperatures, and cause blinding and stinging clouds of snow and ice to be moved through the air. Water currents are just as important. The convection of seawater causes colder waters to sink to the floor of the oceans, and stir the nutrients that have drifted down to the bottom. These currents carry with them nutrients for primary producers. These currents create phytoplankton and dependent food chains. In all ways the Arctic Alpine and Tundra environments are places of extremes, extreme exposure to cold, extremes of light, and extreme gusts of wind. These abiotic factors have limited the life, which can survive in these areas, and have shaped their evolution. The flora of the environments is quite limited in its diversity. There are only 200 species that survive in the Arctic and Alpine regions, and 10 of those species make up 90% of the biomass. Plants at the poles are faced with a scarcity of light, which gives them little energy with which to grow. Plants in the Alpine regions are exposed to more radiation, but the low atmospheric pressure drops already scarce CO2 into levels of partial pressure that makes photosynthetic life difficult. Tundra regions have a greater diversity, but even there the floral niches are less extravagant than in the warm reaches of the equatorial and temperate environments. The plants that inhabit these environments have evolved to inhabit these areas by evolving into smaller, perennial plants with slower rates of growth and reproduction. The dominant forms are generally grasses, mosses and lichens. Taller plants are more exposed to the gusting winds, whose power has been increased by the ice and snow they frequently carry. Several species of plant, like the North American Skunk Cabbage have evolved methods of warming themselves, and melting the ice of their environment via metabolic processes. This adaptation can serve as a means of expanding the growing season, as a way of supplying water, and as a means of combating snowdrifts that could otherwise bury and kill a plant. The fauna of the Arctic, Alpine and Tundra environments have generally evolved along similar lines. Evolved aspects to conserve heat and energy are the most common. In order to conserve heat, most animals will increase their body size. Larger animals have a decreased ration of surface area to volume, and are thus generally more capable of thermoregulation at lower energy costs. The polar bear is the second largest member of the Ursus family, second only to the Brown bear, which inhabits regions that border on the Tundra. Fauna in these environments will also evolve a greater percentage of body fat. Body fats conserve heat in two ways. First, they will increase the size of the animal, letting it gain the advantages mentioned above. Second, fat serves as an insulator. Body fat helps animals retain the heat within their bodies. Cold weather adapted species are capable of shutting off the blood flow from their blubber as a thermoregulatory measure. The most common conservative adaptation to cold is the tendency within animals to reach a state of torpor. Torpor is a hypometabolic state that lowers energy consumption for the animal. Torpor begins as an extension of slow brain wave sleep. It results in a decreased heart rate, decreased responses to stimuli, slowed respiration and lower O2 consumption. There are actually long periods of apnea, or non-breathing, within torpor. However even with a slowed or non-existent breathing the capacity for thermoregulation is never lost. The animal may arouse from torpor by entirely endogenously produced heat. The animal will warm itself by both shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis. A common physical adaptation within animals that must spend a great deal of time in contact with cold surfaces is counter-current flow. Many birds, such as penguins have evolved specially designed arteries and veins that cool blood gong to the extremities and warm it on its return trip. An example of this is the feet of a penguin. Penguins spend long periods of time standing on ice with temperatures below the freezing point. In order not to lose their feet to frostbite, and conserve body heat at the same time, penguins evolved a counter-current flow blood system. The final common adaptation used to escape the effects of the cold of the Arctic, Tundra, and Alpine environments is a behavioral one. Many animals, especially birds, have evolved a tendency to migrate away from the winters of the cold regions. Great flocks of birds, herds of ungulates, and smaller mammals will travel to avoid the extremes. As examples the albatross, several species of penguin, and the lone species of Tundra frog migrate toward the equator each year. The albatross goes so far as to reach the equator in the winter and the South Pole in the summer. This strategy, while allowing the animal to conserve heat and avoid the coldest periods of time, can cost the animal a great deal of energy. Trips across great spans of distance are costly, especially for avian species that must fly the distance. In conclusion the extreme abiotic influences of the Arctic, Alpine and Tundra environments have produced species which have adapted to the cold, the gusts of wind, and the extreme light levels. These are some of the most difficult biomes on the earth, and the species that live there are unique and very specialized.
Savile DBO 1972 Arctic adaptations in plants. Can. Dep. Agr. Res. Branch, Monogr. No. 6, 81p. QK913 S26 Winter survival. 1. Winter hardiness may appear the most important adaptation, but likely is no different from N-Temperate plants exposed to freezing temperatures. 2. Snow abrasion & desiccation. The most serious form of winter injury to arctic [& certainly alpine] plants: abrasion by wind-driven snow particles. A combination of mechanical injury and desiccation (because not really separable). Layering and forming of grouped trunks provides protection by reducing wind velocity. Plants avoid abrasion by snow cover, or tolerate it by developing appropriate habit: mats, rosettes, cushions. No living part projects above the general survace, much of which is made up of old lvs, surrounding the growing points in successive whorls. Dead projecting fruiting stems cause further eddying. Exposed monocots form dense tussocks [and these attract drifts]. Summer survival. 1. Frost resistance. 2. Adaptation to low temp: (a) physical - by the low growth form, pigmentation, dwarfing, dense pubescence (especially pronounced in Afroalp. but maybe here vs. radiation); (b) physiological 3. Adaptation to short season: (a) morphological adaptations: rapid spring growth, veg reprod, lack of annual habit, periodic vs. aperiodic growth; (b) genetic adaptations: dioecy is rare (mostly in Salix), apomixis, Diptera-fls (white & yellow). Bryophytes, lichens & algae: share the ability to stop growth any time & resume it promptly as soon as conditions permit. Their evolution, at least of the first 2 grps, likely related to desiccation resistance. Drought & cold resistance are closely related, so invasion of arc & alp by these organisms, in their state of perpetual drought resistance, gave them immediate cold resistance. (So they are greatly superior to vasculars in this total flexibility, they donÕt have to have timing & sequence. Their huge problem is competitive inferiority due to stature, growth rate, & inability to affect edaphic envir.) The no.1 adaptive char. of arctic mosses is capacity for indefinite veg growth. Many disperse mostly by vegetative means. Suggestions of endogenous heat production by mosses beneath snow (Lyubitskaya 1960), but this would be a tremendous waste! Likely greenhouse effect. Lichens are poikilohydric, i.e. readily persist with extremely low metabolic rates when dry. Thus they withstand extremes of heat & cold. Can take up atmospheric moisture hygroscopically [def?], though canÕt retain it in dry air. On wetting, resume full activity within c1 min. Subject to snow abrasion. The northernmost vascular cryptogams are Equisetum arvense & Cystopteris fragilis. Most arctic fungi are parasites or saprophytes on flowering plants. Sporocarps of many take >1 yr to mature.
Alpine zone: the area above treeline not permanently snow-covered. Similarities with arid deserts and polar tundra. Considerable attention has been given to similarities of arctic & alpine. But there are important contrasts: alpine has greater solar radiation, much more snow, much higher windspeeds, little or no permafrost, greater habitat heterogeneity, much richer flora. And trop alpine has further differences. Alp veg is a complex mosaic of communities dependent on envir gradients: snow cover, availability of meltwater, chemistry of substrate, exposure to radiation & specifics of surface temps, freeze-thaw cycles, growing season length. The most favorable habitats (longest growing season) are gentle, well-drained S aspects, bearing closed, species-rich, relatively productive alp meadows, which in Eu & Eurasia have long been used for summer grazing by transhumant stock & a source of hay for valley farms. Severe habitats are at both extremes: snowbeds, and snowfree surface. The temperate-zone alpine floras are isolated remnants of a former circumpolar cryophytic flora evolved during late-Tertiary cooling, and maximal by Pliocene & early Pleistocene. High proportion of polyploids is thought to be indicative of relatively recent evolution. Less marked alpine animal component; most diverse in mts of cent. Asia, but elsewhere too small & patchy to have allowed devel of distinct vertebrate faunas. [And itÕs not a big deal. Note that Cape floristic region has incredible diversity and uniqueness of angiosperms, but animals component is far less interesting.] Ê
Webber PJ & May DE 1977 The magnitude and distribution of belowground plant structures in the alpine tundra of Niwot Ridge, Colorado. Arc. Alp. Res. 9: 157-174. An important, comprehensive study of alpine biomass & prod, & good review of lit; also ideas on why. "One of the most striking characteristics of the tundra ecosystem is the large proportion of vegetable matter which is belowground" (6 refs). Grasslands & some deserts are the only major biomes-veg types with this characteristic. It's a consequence of similar structure: trees absent, near-ground forms dominant. The concentration of plant material near the surface is considered a strategy to take advantage of less fluctuating [but isn't it more fluctuating, especially with regard to heat?] & more favorable microclimate. The underground portion is especially critical not just for the usual reasons of absorption, storage, anchorage & veg reproduction, but because these functions are especially important in the often nutrient-poor & unstable soils. Wielgolaski (1975) reported that belowground proportion increases along decreasing gradients of soil temp, nutrients, aeration, & decomposition. Several autecological studies have shown proportionately greater root development in severe environments. Problems with defining position of A:B boundry especially where lots bryoids. Niwot. "Forest-tundra transition" at 3350-3500 m. Ridge flora 200v, 100b, 50 lich. 40% fellfield of Trifolium-Selaginella densa, 20% KBel meadows; both have little winter snowcover. Also moist & wet meadows, snowbeds, shrub tundra. "Mosses and lichens are never abundant in any community type." 30 stands; ordination; "The factors having the highest correlation with each axis are considered the controlling factors" of the envir. gradients. "The ordination serves to study the response of vegetation to the principal controlling environmental gradients. This is done by plotting various vegetation responses, for example, standing crop or productivity, within the axes of the ordination." The ordination indicates that the principal controlling factors of species comopsition are soil moisture, snowcover, & instability/disturbance. 6 noda: dry Trifolium fellfield, dry Kbel meadow, moist Salix planifolia shrub tundra, moist Desc cesp tundra, wet Cal lept meadow, & Sibb proc snowbed. [Note that in Jasper NP, Sibbaldia not at all clearly a snowbed species: only abundant in the herb meadows] Nice bar-graphs (p163) of biomass distribution by 5cm increments. Strong biomass clustering, for all 6 veg types, in the soil interface area, i.e. 0-5cm depth; generalization that the majority of living tundra plant matter is in the ±10cm zone. Shrub tundra is somewhat different from the rest: aside from a strong 0-5cm root zone, it has even root distribution down to at least -80cm; also more height in aboveground material (20cm vs. c10). Fellfield has predominance of taprooted spp; dry meadow & snowbed have fibrous-rooted spp; wet meadow has rhizomatous; moist tundra has rootstocks; shrub tundra has taproots & woody roots. Fibrous roots not abundant in fellfield. No stat. sig. correlations between plant & envir. variables; need methodologies reducing the sampling errors. But some trends, the strongest/most striking being along the complex moisture gradient: with more soil moisture there is an increase in produc., aboveground turnover rate, surface decay rate, belowground standing crop, proportion of belowground biomass. But some anomalies, e.g. some snowbeds with low prod. & surface decay rates.
All that grows in the highest meadows is "cushion plants", which don't stick up much above the ground at all. They have far more roots than they have leaves and flowers, and they grow so slowly that it often takes several years before they produce a flower. Look at the pictures of Arctic Sandwort on the plants page and you will see how little these plants are. In meadows lower down you can find taller plants and willow shrubs, but these plants and shrubs are still much shorter than shrubs that you will see down here.
Arctic sandwort (Minuartia obtusiloba)
Alpine Forget-Me-Not (Eritrichium aretoides)
Alpine Primrose (Primula angustifolia)
Cushion Phlox (Phlox siberica ssp. pulvinata) Plant communities vary significantly in shape and plant composition, and may vary in size from a few square inches to several acres. The climate of the tundra is exceedingly harsh. Annual precipitation is around 40 inches, effective precipitation is far below that amount however. Snow remains as permanent snow fields at some sites. Wind speeds can exceed 100 mph and mean annual temperature is below freezing. The frost free season approx. 1 1/2 months. Diurnal temperature ranges are small because the air is mixed by the constant winds. Figure 4. 4 Tundra Figure vegetation (Photo credit: Michael Ritter) Vegetation consists of low growing shrubs, cushion plants, small forbs exploding with colorful flowers and lush meadows of sedges and grasses. These plants cover gentle slopes and rock crevices.
Woody shrubs of the tundra are often dwarfed and only a few inches in stature. The stems of the willow shown below are prostrate and sheltered from the cold and wind by a cover of dead and living non-woody plants. In the photo below only the flower of the willow protrudes above its protective cover. The heath or heather family (Ericaceae) contains an array of species, many with hard, evergreen leaves able to withstand drying winds and cold temperatures. Among those which may be familiar to you are rhododendron, blueberry, and cranberry. Pictured below is a characteristic heath of the tundra, Labrador tea. This tiny shrub stands only 2-3 inches tall. Below is another member of the heath family, one which clearly shows the characteristics of a mat or cushion plant growthform. This is the alpine azalea, Loiseleuria procumbens.
The mat or cushion consists of many individual plants tightly clumped together. Those on the outer edge may suffer damage and death from cold and drought, but the individuals at the center survive to perpetuate the species. A rosette, a concentric ring of leaves around a central bud, is a growth form that is adaptive to several kinds of severe environment. On the tundra, the shape of the plant serves to protect the fragile growth bud from cold winds. It may also serve to trap insulating snow in winter and dew during the dry growing season. The rosette plant in the photograph below also shows a mat-forming tendency. Winter die-off of parts of the plant still leave the overwintering bud protected. GEOG235/biomes/tundra/tunhill.html
jellenc@ionet.net High above the pines, junipers, aspens, furs and spruce trees are the flower-rich meadowlands of the alpine tundra in the Rockies. Growing above 11,500 feet, the small tundra plants face harsh winters of winds reaching speeds of more than 170 miles per hour, surviving long periods of sub-zero temperatures, blizzards, drought, rocky soil conditions and strong sunlight. Severe weather can occur at any time of the year at this altitude. Tundra vegetation is composed of grasses, sedges, herbs, and a few dwarfed shrubs, and often has an abundance of showy flowers during its blooming season.
The summer blooming period is short for tundra, as it displays its colorful carpet of pink, red, yellow, blue, and white flowers, normally during the months of June through August. July seems to be the best month for viewing as sometimes its season may be only 6 weeks long. Because of the brief growing period, the alpine tundra prepares itself for next years growth by maturing its buds during the late fall, winter and early spring seasons, under blankets of snow. On the first sunny day of summer the plants burst into bloom. Time is limited and not to be wasted by the alpine tundra. High above timberline tundra plants are often interspersed with lichens and moss, and are typically small and very slow growing... sometimes only measuring 1/4 inch in diameter after 5 years of growth. What you see today may have taken hundreds of years in the making. There are over 330 species of alpine tundra in Colorado, of which 180 are found in Rocky Mountain National Park . Over one third of the park is above tree line and is home to these plants. The most accessible viewing of tundra in the Rockies is along Trail Ridge Road, as winds its way from Estes Park, over the Continental Divide to Grand Lake. Tundra is a fragile plant, and if damaged can take hundreds of years to recover. With over 3 million visitors each year to Rocky Mountain National Park, the tundra must be protected from human feet destroying the small plants. Enjoy it from the designated pathways and trails only! Fines may be levied for those who disregard the warnings. Featured to the left are a few of the common alpine tundra plants found in the Rocky Mountains. There are 5 growing zones for the many different kinds plants and trees in Colorado. Growth of most species may extend into other zones such as the Colorado Columbine which is common to the Montane Zone, can also be found in the Foothills and Subalpine regions. Plains................4,000 to 6,000 ft. Foothills............6,000 to 8,000 ft. Montane............8,000 to 10,000 ft. Subalpine........10,000 to 11,500 ft. Alpine..............11,500 and up Alpine Tundra grows only above the timberlines. The word tundra is derived from the Lappish language and means "land of no trees". Help protect these tender plants that have struggled to survive hundreds of years in this incredibly hostile environment...so they may continue to delight us each summer with their splendorous colors.
Alpine tundra- larger animals, elk, deer, Rocky Mountain Bighorn sheep, as well as the Rocky Mountain goat, use the Alpine zones for summer grazing but return to the Montane zone during winter and to have their young. Predators follow these animals like the coyote, bobcat, and mountain lion. Ê
Elk (cervis canadensis)*
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) - grizzly bear photos at the Grizzly Discovery Center web page. Grizzly bears are extinct in Colorado, but can still be found in some areas of the Rockies. *
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) - photos at Estes Park On-line. The Bighorn sheep are extinct at Niwot Ridge, but can still be found in other alpine areas, such as Rocky Mountain National Park.