HIGH ALTITUDE ENVIRONMENTS: GEOGRAPHY LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY/BIODIVERSITY

Folding Mountains

Fault Block or Domed Mountains

Volcanic Mountains

High Altitude Environments How does “Mountain” differ from “High Altitude” -Definitions of Mountains: Steep Slope and High Altitude -High Altitude does not have to be “steep slopes” -Not all mountains are High Altitude -Human Habitat: People can live on the top of Mountains, but not necessarily high altitude mountains. -High Altitude in Anthropology is above 8,000ft (2500m)

Paramo: High-altitude, wet tropical grassland above the treeline in the (Northern) Andes of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador and northern Perú. Rich in biodiversity and containing a high grade of endemism, they comprise an indispensable habitat for a distinct variety of flora and fauna. Puna/Altiplano: High plateau in the Central Andes (approximately 3,600 m) between the Cordillera Oriental and the Cordillera Occidental, which is cool, receives little precipitation, has sparse vegetation and includes several salt flats. The area is densely populated, including farmlands and several large cities.

Altiplano (Puna)

Paramo

What Characterizes High Altitude: Low Biomass (Primary and Secondary) Cold Snow Cover High Solar Radiation Decreased Oxygen Glacial Evidence-Current or Pleistocene

LATITUDE AND HIGH ALTITUDE ENVIRONMENTS

Alexander von Humbolt ( )

Three Dimensions of Mountain Environments: Carl Troll

Biome: A large geographical area of distinctive plant and animal groups, which are adapted to that particular environment. The climate and geography of the region determines what types of biomes can exist. Ecotone: Transitional biomes Examples: Paramo Alpine Montane Forest High Plateau

What Effects Biodiversity in High Altitudes ? Soil Formation Aspect Slope Biomass (Primary and Secondary) Unpredictability Compressed growing season Aridity and Moisture Temperature Wind

Mountain Mosaics Patches Strips

Indigenous Pack Animals

Vertical Landscape- Human Land-use

Why would humans and other species choose to live at high altitude? Mountains as Refuge? Mountains as Crossings (trade routes)? How long have certain areas been occupied?

Human Populations in Mountains: “Mountains have low populations” 10% of world population live in high and middle mountains Only 1% live in High Mountains… Alps: 11 million- most densely populated Himalaya-33 million Andes-26 million- many indigenous peoples Populations seem low because there is much uninhabitable land When just usable land is considered, the mountainous areas may appear overpopulated for the carrying capacity of the land

Dr. Pitambar Sharma, Geographical Development Expert: "Mountain culture is different from other cultures. If you go to mountain regions of other parts of the world, say to Bolivia or Ecuador in South America, and come back to the mountains of Nepal, you sense some commonalities. People's capacity to adapt to mountain environment - coping mechanism - is more or less similar no matter which mountain regions of the world they come from."