Assignment Topic:

Biome Mountain

Submitted by:

Asfa Aslam
(BS Zoology 6th Semester)

Submitted to:

Mam Erum

Government Postgraduates Islamia College Faisalabad

 Table of Contents
S/No Description

1 What is Biome
2 Biome Definition
3 Types of Biomes
4 Mountain Biome
5 Characteristic of Mountains Biome
6 What Make a Mountains Location?
7 Mountains Climate
8 Mountain and Micro climate
9 Relationships Between Climate and the Plant and Animal
10 Plant in the Alpine Biome
11 Animal in the Alpine Biome
12 Adapting to Cycle
13 Human Activities
14 Interesting Facts

15 Threat to Mountain Biome

16 Conclusion

17 References
1- What is Biome
Biomes are very large ecological areas on the earth’s surface, with fauna and flora (animals and plants)
adapting to their environment. Biomes are often defined by abiotic factors such as temperature, climate,
relief, geology, soils and vegetation.

Biomes are a way to divide the Earth's surface. These divisions are based on climate patterns, soil types,
and the animals and plants that inhabit an area. There are biomes on dry land and in water. Every inch
of the Earth's surface is a part of one or more biomes.

2- Biome Definition

“A biome is a community of plants and animals that have common characteristics for the environment
they exist in. They can be found over a range of continents. Biomes are distinct biological communities
that have formed in response to a shared physical climate. “Biome" is a broader term than "habitat" any
biome can comprise a variety of habitats.”
“Biome is a community of plants and animals that live together in a region. They depend on each other.
Deserts, grasslands, and rainforests are some examples of biomes”

3- Types of Biomes

Major Types of Biomes on Earth

 The Desert Biome

 The Forest Biome
 The Aquatic Biome
 The Tundra Biome
 The Grassland Biome

 Chaparral or Shrubland Biome

4- Mountain Biome
Mountains are a constantly changing environment, in which plant and animal life varies with
changes in elevation. Climb up a mountain and you may notice that the temperatures get colder,
tree species change or disappear altogether, and the plants and animal species are different than
those found on lower ground.

The mountain biome is not usually described in other references because a variety of other biomes
exist within it (such as grasslands at the base of a mountain, coniferous forest at the center of the
mountain, and the tundra found at the top of the mountain). But because some animals are only
found on a specific mountain range it is important to recognize the mountains as a biome.

Mountains cover about 20% of the Earth's surface and are found on all continents and in all oceans.
The movement of the earth's crust by folding, breaking into large blocks, lifting upwards to form a
dome, or cracking due to volcanic activity forms mountain ranges.

5- Characteristic of Mountains Biome

The characteristics of mountain ecosystems vary depending on specific altitude, the landforms,
biomes, and bodies of water surrounding the mountain, and proximity to the equator. However,
mountainous regions share a variety of characteristics despite differences in climate, weather, and
specific indigenous life. These properties include rapid variation in weather and organisms,
biodiversity, and the property of being fragile.
  Physical Characteristics
All mountain ecosystems share the property of high altitude, rising rapidly from the surrounding
terrain. Generally, mountainous regions are defined as any rugged gradient rising above 5,000 feet.
Mountains are distinguished from plateaus by their grade. While plateaus are also found at 5,000
feet or more above sea level, they do not share the steep incline of a mountainous landform.
Mountains cover approximately one fifth of the world's surface. Additionally, 80 percent of the
world's fresh water originates in the mountains.

 Weather and Climate

While the specific weather experienced in a given mountainous region may vary depending on
location and altitude, some climate characteristics are shared between regions. First of all,
mountains are subject to drastic changes in temperature and weather from moment to moment. A
thunderstorm can roll in from a clear sky in minutes, or warm temperatures can plummet below
freezing over a very short amount of time. The same massive variations occur from one level of
altitude to the next. Mountain ranges are sometimes subject to more precipitation than other
ecosystems.

 Life and Biodiversity

Mountain ranges are home to some of the greatest regions of biodiversity on the planet. The Sierra
Nevada mountain range alone is estimated to house from 10,000 to 15,000 separate species of plants
and animals. Part of this biodiversity is a result of rapid changes in climate based on altitude, which
results in habitations for many types of organisms. Due to the fragile nature of mountain
ecosystems, large numbers of native plants and animals are considered at risk or endangered by
organizations worldwide. Mountain ranges also provide homes for approximately ten percent of
the world's human population.

6- What Make a Mountains Location?

The world's tallest mountain ranges form when pieces of Earth's crust—called plates—smash
against each other in a process called plate tectonics, and buckle up like the hood of a car in a
head-on collision. The Himalaya in Asia formed from one such massive wreck that started about
55 million years ago. Thirty of the world’s highest mountains are in the Himalaya. The summit
of Mount Everest, at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters), is the highest point on Earth.
7- Mountains Climate

While all mountain ranges are different, one thing they do have in common is temperatures that are
cooler than the surrounding area thanks to higher elevation. As air rises into the Earth's atmosphere,
it cools down. This affects not only the temperature but also the precipitation.

Winds are another factor that make mountain biomes different from the areas around them. By
nature of their topography, mountains stand in the path of winds. Winds can bring with them
precipitation and erratic weather changes.

That means that the climate on the windward side of a mountain (facing the wind,) will likely be
different from that of the leeward side (sheltered from the wind.) The windward side of a mountain
will be cooler and have more precipitation, while the leeward side will be drier and warmer.

Of course, this too will vary depending upon the location of the mountain. The Ahaggar Mountains
in Algeria's Sahara Desert will not have much precipitation no matter which side of the mountain
you are looking at.
8- Mountain and Micro climate

Another interesting characteristic of mountain biomes is the microclimates produced by the

topography. Steep slopes and sunny cliffs may be home to one set of plants and animals while just
a few feet away, a shallow but shaded area is home to a completely different array of flora and
fauna.

These microclimates may vary depending upon the steepness of the slope, the access to the sun,
and the amount of precipitation that falls in a localized area.
9- Relationships Between Climate and the Plant and Animal

There is a close relationship between vegetation, animal life and climate. Vegetation of a region
depends upon the climate. Vegetation not only provides food but is also a habitat for different
animals.

Animals are mobile and move from place to place but each species can tolerate only a limited range
of climatic conditions. Changes in environment bring out suitable adoption by animals or they
migrate to other suitable areas or else there is large scale mortality, leading to extinction of species.
Animals living in cold regions (e.g., tundra) have thick fur or skin to protect them from the intense
cold or else they go into hibernation to avoid the bitter cold winter (e.g., Reindeer, wolf, fox, bear).
Grasslands are more open and permit rapid movement of animals. Animals here have long legs and
hard hooves for swift movement (e.g., zebra, deer, giraffe). Carnivores like lion, tiger are common.
Animals living in deserts are light colored with padded feet and double eyelids (e.g., camel). In the
tropical. Rainforests, animals adapt themselves to live among trees. For example, monkeys have
opposable thumbs to help them swing from tree to tree. Elephants can move through the thick
forests by making their path in the jungle. Variety of animals decreases as we move towards the
poles.
10- Plant in the Alpine Biome

The alpine biome is a tough place for plants to live. It’s windy, cold, and the sunlight at these high
altitudes is very strong. There are only about 200 species of alpine plants. At the high altitudes
where these plants live, there is very little carbon dioxide, which is necessary for plants to carry on
photosynthesis. Because of the blustery weather, most plants are small groundcover plants, which
grow and reproduce slowly. They protect themselves from the cold and wind by hugging close to
the ground. When plants die the cold weather makes it hard for them to decompose quickly. This
makes for poor soil conditions. Most alpine plants are adapted to grow in sandy and rocky soil.
Plants have also adapted to the dry conditions of the alpine biome. Some of the plants found here
are tussock grasses, small-leafed shrubs, and dwarf trees. The bristlecone pine is an amazing plant
of the alpine biome. It lives in scattered, arid mountain regions of six western states of America
ranging from Colorado to California. Many are found in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the
White Mountains of California. These trees only grow to about 60 feet (18 meters). That may seem
tall, but for its age 60 feet (18 meters) is short! Bristlecone pines can live to be over 4,000 years
old.
11- Animal in the Alpine Biome

Animals that live in the alpine biome must have special adaptations to survive the cold, snowy
conditions. They also have to deal with high UV light exposure from the sun and thin atmosphere.
Mostly warm-blooded animals live here, but a few types of insects also make the alpine biome
home. Alpine animals adapt to the cold by hibernating, migrating to warmer areas, or insulating
their bodies with layers of fat and fur. Their bodies tend to have shorter legs, tails, and ears, in order
to reduce heat loss. Alpine animals also have larger lungs, more blood cells, and blood that can deal
with the lower levels of oxygen at higher altitudes. Some animals in the alpine biome are mountain
goats, sheep, elk, beetles, grasshoppers and butterflies.

One interesting alpine animal is the chinchilla. Maybe you’ve seen one of these small, gray, furry
creatures in a nature center or zoo. In the wild, chinchillas live in the Andes alpine regions, but they
are not easily found. Chinchillas are herbivores. Their diet in the wild consists of plants, roots, and
grasses. As altitude increases, the temperature decreases, so in these regions the chinchilla has even
denser fur. Chinchillas used to be hunted for their soft, beautiful fur. People used their pelts to make
coats until they became nearly extinct in the 1940s. It takes over 100 pelts to make one chinchilla
coat! Now they are on the endangered species list, and protected by law from hunting and people.
The snowshoe rabbit and ptarmigan bird are also alpine animals. They are adapted to be less visible
when snow covers the ground through camouflage. The show shoe rabbit has brown fur in the
summer, but in the winter it turns white. What do you think the ptarmigan does to camouflage? It’s
like the snowshoe hare! In the summer the ptarmigan has brown feathers and in the winter its
feathers are white to hide in the snowy environment.
12- Adapting to Cycle

Water on Earth is always changing. Its repeating changes make a cycle. As water goes
through its cycle, it can be a solid (ice), a liquid (water), or a gas (water vapor). Ice can
change to become water or water vapor. Water can change to become ice or water vapor.
Water vapor can change to become ice or water.

If heat is taken away from water vapor, it condenses. Condensation turns water vapor into
a liquid. If heat is taken away from liquid water, it freezes to become ice.

The water cycle is called the hydrologic cycle. In the hydrologic cycle, water from oceans,
lakes, swamps, rivers, plants, and even you, can turn into water vapor. Water vapor
condenses into millions of tiny droplets that form clouds. Clouds lose their water as rain or
snow, which is called precipitation. Precipitation is either absorbed into the ground or runs
off into rivers. Water that was absorbed into the ground is taken up by plants. Plants lose
water from their surfaces as vapor back into the atmosphere. Water that runs off into rivers
flows into ponds, lakes, or oceans where it evaporates back into the atmosphere.
13- Human Activities

Atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide began to rise
around two hundred years ago, after changing little since the end of the last ice age thousands
of years earlier. The concentration of CO2 has increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) before
1800, to 396 ppm in 2013. This history of greenhouse gas concentrations has been established
by a combination of modern measurements and analysis of ancient air bubbles in polar ice
Particularly important is CO2. Enormous amounts of it are continually exchanged between the
atmosphere, land and oceans, as land and marine plants grow, die and decay, and as carbon-rich
waters circulate in the ocean. For several thousand years until around 200 years ago, this ‘carbon
cycle’ was approximately in balance and steady. Since the 19th century, human-induced
CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, cement manufacture and deforestation have
disturbed the balance, adding CO2 to the atmosphere faster than it can be taken up by the land
biosphere and the oceans. On average over the last 50 years, about 25% of total CO2 emissions
were absorbed by the ocean making sea water more acidic and 30% was taken up on land, largely
by increased plant growth stimulated by rising atmospheric CO2, increased nutrient availability,
and responses to warming and rainfall changes (though the mix of these mechanisms remains
unclear). The other 45% of emissions accumulated in the atmosphere. These changes to the
carbon cycle are known from measurements in the atmosphere, on land and in the ocean, and
from modelling studies.
 Most climate scientists agree the main cause of the current global warming trend is human
expansion of the "greenhouse effect" warming that results when the atmosphere traps heat
radiating from Earth toward space.

Certain gases in the atmosphere block heat from escaping. Long-lived gases that remain
semi-permanently in the atmosphere and do not respond physically or chemically to
changes in temperature are described as "forcing" climate change. Gases, such as water
vapor, which respond physically or chemically to changes in temperature are seen as
"feedbacks."

 Water vapor The most abundant greenhouse gas, but importantly, it acts as a feedback to the
climate. Water vapor increases as the Earth's atmosphere warms, but so does the possibility of
clouds and precipitation, making these some of the most important feedback mechanisms to the
greenhouse effect.

 Carbon dioxide (CO2) A minor but very important component of the atmosphere, carbon dioxide
is released through natural processes such as respiration and volcano eruptions and through human
activities such as deforestation, land use changes, and burning fossil fuels. Humans have increased
 atmospheric CO2 concentration by more than a third since the Industrial Revolution began. This is
the most important long-lived "forcing" of climate change.

 Methane A hydrocarbon gas produced both through natural sources and human activities,
including the decomposition of wastes in landfills, agriculture, and especially rice cultivation, as
well as ruminant digestion and manure management associated with domestic livestock. On a
molecule-for-molecule basis, methane is a far more active greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, but
also one which is much less abundant in the atmosphere.

 Nitrous oxide. A powerful greenhouse gas produced by soil cultivation practices, especially the
use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion, nitric acid production, and
biomass burning.

 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) Synthetic compounds entirely of industrial origin used in a number

of applications, but now largely regulated in production and release to the atmosphere by
international agreement for their ability to contribute to destruction of the ozone layer. They are
also greenhouse gases.

14- Interesting Facts

Due to combustion of fossil fuels, the concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere has been increasing alarmingly. All these gases have been present in the
atmosphere to keep this planet warm for the existence of human life. Since last few decades and
mostly due to industrial revolution, the presence of these gases in the atmosphere has accumulated
steadily resulting in enhanced greenhouse effect.

As a result, world’s average surface temperature has increased by around 0.6 degrees Celsius over
last 100 years. The changing climate patterns have already made significant impact on our planet.
Melting of polar ice caps, change in rainfall patterns, increase in frequency of hurricanes, storms are
few of the adverse effects of climate change. Scientists predicted that due to ongoing activities
contributing to global warming, the average global temperature could increase between 1.4 and 6
degrees Celsius in the 21st century.

Some Facts about Climate Change

 Fact 1: The global temperature on an average has increased by 0.6 to 1 degree Celsius till the
20th century.

 Fact 2: The United States constitutes 5% of the world population and contributes to 22% of
world’s carbon emission.

 Fact 3: Around 15% of the carbon released in the environment is due to deforestation and change
in use of land.

 Fact 4: The golden Toad is the first species to go extinct due to climate change.

 Fact 5: Vehicles like cars and truck contribute to 20% of carbon emissions in the United States.

 Fact 6: Air conditions and heating elements consume 50% of electricity in America.

 Fact 7: Hurricanes, droughts and coral deaths are few of the natural disasters caused due to climate
change.

 Fact 8: Climate change enhances the spread of pests that causes life threatening diseases like
dengue, malaria, Lyme disease etc.

 Fact 9: The hottest years have been experienced since 1990 till 1997. The warmest years have been
from 2005-2010.

 Fact 10: The number of climate change related incidents have increase four fold between 1980 and
2010.

 Fact 11: Land use change and deforestation contributes to 15% of carbon emission every year.

 Fact 12: The climate change scenario was much stable before the industrial revolution and has
been rapidly changing since then. Today the reality is that climate change is going to get worse
than yesterday.
15- Threat to Mountain Biome

As is happening in most ecosystems, the plants and animals found in mountain regions are changing
thanks to the warmer temperatures and changing precipitation brought on by climate change.
Mountain biomes are also threatened by deforestation, wildfires, hunting, poaching, and urban
sprawl.

Possible the biggest threat facing many mountainous regions today is that brought on by fracking -
or hydraulic fracturing. This process of recovering gas and oil from shale rock can devastate
mountain areas, destroying fragile ecosystems and possible polluting groundwater via by-product
runoff.

 Global Warming

“The nine warmest years on record have occurred since 1990,” notes the World Watch Institute.
And mountain habitats are particularly affected. Glaciers have been melting, and snowcaps are
receding—a process that, according to some scientists, will affect water reserves and provoke
serious landslides. Dozens of glacial lakes in the Himalayas now threaten to burst their natural
barriers and cause catastrophic floods, a phenomenon that has already occurred repeatedly in the
last few decades.

 Hunting

Hunting is also a threat to alpine. Many years ago, when hunting laws were not made, animals on
alpine tundra were hunted often because of their high price. A few of the animals like the caribou
have been reduced to an endangered species because of hunting. Now laws are made against
hunting these animals, although, some poachers still hunt these animals, even though it is illegal.

 Acid Rain

Acid rain is a threat to Alpine Tundra because it pollutes the water and snow on the terrain of Alpine
Tundra. Acid Rain is rainfall made acidic by atmospheric pollution. When acid rain falls on snow
or lakes, the lakes become polluted with acid. A few lakes on Alpine Tundra have had to be
 sterilized due to Acid Rain (sterilized means to put something right, in this case cleaning the areas
which have been affected by acid rain).

 WAR

The upsurge in civil wars has devastated many mountain environments. Insurgents use mountain
sanctuaries as the base of their operations. A United Nations report calculates that 67 percent of
Africa’s mountainous regions have been affected by “violent human conflict.” Furthermore, some
highlands have become centers of narcotic production, which often leads to armed conflicts as well
as degradation of the environment.

16- Conclusion

Globally, there has been a surge of interest in designating areas of the seas as marine reserves and
protected areas to maintain and conserve marine species and habitats threatened by human
activities. There is a growing consensus that living marine resources require more stringent
protections. Crises facing many marine ecosystems are increasing and attracting more public
 attention. Among these are the recent collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery, the near-collapse
of the ground fish fishery in New England, and the loss of coral reef communities to disease and
overfishing. Hence, there is widespread concern among policy-makers, scientists, and the public at
large about the current status and uncertain future of marine ecosystems. Better approaches for
utilizing and protecting living marine resources are needed; however, choosing the best methods to
maintain or restore the health of marine ecosystems is a difficult task for resource managers and a
source of disagreement among user groups, scientists, and the conservation community.

17- References

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