Textbook Chapter: Plants in Alpine Environments.

Alpine and subalpine plant species are of special interest in ecology and ecophysiology because they represent life at the climate limit and changes in their relative abundances can be a bellwether for climate-change impacts. Perennial life forms dominate alpine plant communities, and their form and function reflect various avoidance, tolerance, or resistance strategies to interactions of cold temperature, radiation, wind, and desiccation stresses that prevail in the short growing seasons common (but not ubiquitous) in alpine areas. Plant microclimate is typically uncoupled from the harsh climate of the alpine, often leading to substantially warmer plant temperatures than air temperatures recorded by weather stations....

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation; Tags: California, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Great Basin, Idaho, LCC Network Science Catalog, All tags... Nevada, Oregon, Publication, Utah, alpine plant communities, anthropogenic impact, biota, climate change, completed, perennial life forms, plant microclimate, subalpine, tree islands, treeline, Fewer tags