Alpine Biome Marielis, Kierah, Ryan, Alex

Table of Contents Map of the Alpine Physical Landscape Plant Life Animal Life Human Influences

Map of the Alpine

Physical Landscape I researched the Alpine biome. The Alpine biome is very cold. The temperature in the Alpine biome is very low. It is about 14 degrees F. The Alpine biome is the coldest biome in the world. The biome is located on mountains where trees can’t grow. In the Alpine biome, it is snowy, windy, and also has ice. The alpine biome is located in different continents. They are in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The location of the Alpine biome is found in mountains regions worldwide. There are many plants in the Alpine biome. One plant is called the Pygmy Bitterroot. The flower is small. It is white with dark pink veins running through the petals. The Pygmy Bitterroot lives in the Alpine biome. Also the plant is very pretty. There are also many animals in the Alpine biome. This animal is very cute. lt is called the snowshoe rabbit. It is 413 to 518 mm long. The snowshoe has a brown coat in the summer and in the winter, the coat is white.

The Phacelia There are 200 kinds of alpine plants. Tall trees cannot grow in the alpine biome. This plant is called a Phacelia. It’s a plant that’s in the alpine biome. This plant is 1 to 2 feet tall. Its color is blue, violet, and white. It’s a bowl-shaped flower. It has 10 to 100 flowers. The leaves are covered with silky, woolly hairs. The lower leaves are large and the upper leaves become smaller. These alpine plants grow slowly. They protect themselves by hugging the ground. It grows on rocky, open or wooded places in the mountains. They must adapt to heavy snow and wind. They grow in sandy and rocky soil.

Bear Grass This plant is called bear grass. It’s about 4.5 feet tall. Its color is olive color. The leaves are shaped like a saucer. It grows 3.5 inches long. The common name is Indian basket or grass soap flowers. It is found in open forest. The flower grows in 5 to7 years. They are creamy and white. When it makes the fruit, the plant dies. Here’s how they adapt. It’s found in open forest and meadows at the sub-alpine and low alpine elevations in the western United States. It’s a fire resistant species, that is the first plant to grow after a fire. It sprouts from its rhizomes. The roots and leaves are used in weaving.

THE ALPACA Alpacas weigh about 340 pounds. The alpaca has 22 different shades of color for its coat like black, gray, white, brown. The alpaca is feet tall at the shoulder, and measures between 4-7 feet in body length. This animal lives in the Andes Mountains of South America. The alpaca is prey to pumas, leopards and other carnivores in the wild. The alpaca has thick fur to survive in the cold climate of the Andes. Its long neck helps it to see predators over the big rocks of the mountain slopes. The alpaca were almost extinct following the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors in the regions of South America. The alpaca is a herbivore. That means that it eats plants. The alpaca grazes on grass and eats weeds, shrubs and trees. It has special stomach secretions that helps it absorb 50% more nutrients than sheep allowing it to survive where there is poor quality grass. There are plenty in the wild at about 3-5 million strong. These animals have been domesticated for over 5,000 years.

THE SNOW LEOPARD The snow leopard is feet long and the shoulders are 24 inches from the ground. The color is gray and dark gray spots. The snow leopard lives in the Himalayan Mountains. It eats wild sheep, wild boars, gazelles, hares, markhor, tahr, bobak, marmots, mice, and deer. The snow leopard is a carnivore. That means it eats meat.

Human Influences People travelled to the alpines because it was beautiful. People polluted the air. There also was river and lake pollution. There was noise pollution. People caused erosion because people constructed roads and ski slopes. People also cut down trees. People caused the temperature to change and snow melted. Indians of the Andes Mountains in South America and the Sherpa from the Himalayas in Asia have large lungs because they need more oxygen. People from the Sherpa help people climb Mount Everest. The Sherpas are naturally born mountaineers.