Summary

The subalpine Biome is a geographic and altitudinal region found below Tree-line and above the montane. In ecology, a biome is a major regional group of distinctive plant and animal communities best adapted to the regions physical environment. ... In this view of an alpine tree-line, the distant line looks particularly sharp. ...

Flora and fauna

Spruce-fir forest, central Colorado

In the North American Rocky_mountains, the region is characterized by a concentration of Subalpine_Fir and Engelmann_Spruce and generally the exclusion of trees found more commonly at lower elevations such as Aspen, Ponderosa_pine and Lodgepole_pine. Due to harsh winters and a relative absence of food sources, the subalpine harbors limited native animal species. While Bear and Puma visit the subalpine, Lynx, Snowshoe_hare, Pine_Marten and various Squirrels are among the few important native mammals. A few birds, such as the Mountain_Chickadee and Stellar's Jay are commonly seen and heard, with others such as owls, nuthatches and finches less obvious. Image File history File links Subalpine-rockies. ... White Goat Wilderness Area, Alberta, Canada The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ... Binomial name Abies lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall The Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa) is a western North American fir, native to the mountains of Yukon, British Columbia and western Alberta in Canada; southeastern Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, western Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, northeastern Nevada, and the Trinity Alps in... Binomial name Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm. ... Species Populus adenopoda Populus alba Populus grandidentata Populus sieboldii Populus tremula Populus tremuloides Aspens are trees of the willow family and comprise a section of the poplar genus Populus sect. ... Binomial name Pinus ponderosa Douglas ex C. Lawson Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) is a widespread and very variable pine native to western North America. ... Binomial name Pinus contorta Douglas Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) is a common tree in western North America. ... Genera Ailuropoda Ursus Tremarctos Arctodus (extinct) A bear is a large mammal of the order Carnivora, family Ursidae. ... Binomial name Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771) The puma (Puma concolor since 1993, previously Felis concolor) is a type of predator-feline found in North, Central, and South America. ... Species Lynx lynx Lynx canadensis Lynx pardinus Lynx rufus A Lynx is any of several medium-sized wild cats. ... Snowshoe hare Conservation status: Secure Categories: Stub | Leporids ... Binomial name Martes martes (Linnaeus, 1758) The Pine Marten (Martes martes) is an animal in the weasel family, native to Europe. ... Genera Several, see text Squirrel is the common name for rodents of the family Sciuridae. ... Binomial name Poecile gambeli or Parus gambeli Linnaeus, 1766 The Mountain Chickadee, Parus gambeli or Poecile gambeli, is a small songbird. ...

Climate

Subalpine climate is never warm, with summer highs reaching 75°F / 24°C on only the warmest days near the montane, and commonly failing to reach 60°F / 16°C near treeline; Frost may occur any day of the year. Although winter low temperatures may be warmer than those in nearby lower valleys, typically staying above -10°F / -23°C, prodigious snows blanket the region well into spring. Some drifts may linger into summer. Convectional precipitation, typically Thunderstorms, often form rapidly and frequently drop Graupel or Hail. Although uncommon, hurricane-force winds may develop and cause massive destruction such as the Routt Divide Blowdown. team chaos was ere we owned this website so fuk u. ... A roll cloud associated with a heavy or severe thunderstorm over Enschede, The Netherlands. ... Graupel can be any of the following types of solid-ice precipitation: hail - large chunks of ice such as from a strong or severe thunderstorm sleet - small pellets of raindrops that have frozen in mid-air, in winter or a thunderstorm snow pellets - when freezing fog forms 2-5mm balls... A large hailstone Hail is a type of graupel, a form of precipitation, composed of spears or irregular lumps of ice. ...

Books

• Benedict, Audrey D. (1991). A Sierra Club Naturalist's Guide: The Southern Rockies (1st ed.). San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. ISBN 0-87156-647-8.