Montane

Montane [ Ecology ]	Dictionary of botanic terminology - index of names
Synonym: Mountainous

Of, relating to, growing in, or pertaining to a mainly mountainous region

For example: "montane flowers", “montane climate”, “mountainous habitat”

Montane habitat [ Ecology ]

Also: Mountainous habitat, Mountain habitat

Montane habitats are generally defined as being above 1,000 m. of altitude and are characterized almost entirely by emphasized environmental condition.

Many cacti and succulents grow in high plain and quite a few come from high altitude or almost alpine environments. Various altitude growing succulents are difficult or impossible to acclimatize in warm plain habitat or in subtropical marine environment (and in heated greenhouses too), but many of them can live more or less well in temperate climate. As one moves from low elevation to high altitude the environment changes from tropical (or perhaps temperate depending on which mountain you consider) to arctic. The gradient of latitude that alters the temperature and season length variables is mirrored in altitude. So the same gradient of organisms that exists from equator to poles is expected to be reflected from base to mountain top.

The habitats at high altitude include montane, subalpine, and alpine; the montane one are generally defined as being in areas above 1,000 m. The change of altitude lead to a vast variety of physical and chemical modification like:

Lower temperatures caused by altitude,
Serious temperature fluctuation both throughout the year and during the course of a single day (generally clear night-time skies contributed to a precipitous drop in night-time Temperatures),
Intense solar radiation (owing in part to generally clearer skies),
Greater wind speed,
Poor soils,
Erosion,
Wet or dry conditions due to clouds and complex topography,
Difference in exposure due to slope and steepness. etc...

Any combination of environmental factors contribute to create unique ecological niches to which certain plant have become adapted, besides this habitats are often separated one from each other by warmer, lower elevation regions, this is the cause of the evolution of numerous endemic species.
Many plants from high altitude have developed special habits and are covered by hairs or waxy coating to protect against the intense solar radiation.

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