mountainside communities
Forest, grassland, tundra, and even desert communities may all be found
on a mountainside.
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Plant communities on mountains
A mountain is like a little world. It has many kinds of plant
communities, just as the world has.
The upper part of a very high mountain is like the North Pole. It’s
always covered with ice and snow. The sun doesn’t warm such high places
very much.
A little lower on a mountain, the sun gives warmth. In summer, the snow
melts and many plants bloom. These small plants grow close to the
ground. This keeps them from being ripped up by the fierce winds that
howl around the tops of mountains.
A little farther down on a mountain is the timber line. That’s the
highest place where trees can grow on a mountain. Along the timber line,
most trees are small and bent, and nearly all the same size.
Below the timber line, the trees grow taller and closer together and
make a forest that covers the sides of a mountain. This part of a
mountain is like the northern parts of the world. It’s cold and snowy in
winter and cool and dry in summer. That’s the kind of place where
evergreen trees can grow, but other kinds of trees can’t. So the forest
is an evergreen forest.
Toward the lower part of a mountain it’s warmer, and other kinds of
trees can grow. If a mountain is in a part of the world where lots of
rain falls, the lower part will be covered with a forest. But if a
mountain stands in a place where not much rain falls, the lower part
will be a grassy meadow. The lower parts of some mountains are even
deserts.
