Montane grasslands and shrublands

See also: Montane ecosystem

Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature.^[1] The term montane in the name of the biome refers to high elevation, rather than the ecological term that denotes the region below the treeline. The biome includes high-elevation (montane and alpine) grasslands and shrublands around the world, including the puna and páramo in South America, subalpine heath in New Guinea and East Africa, steppes of the Tibetan plateaus, and other similar subalpine habitats.^[1] Drier subtropical montane grasslands, savannas, and woodlands include the Ethiopian Highlands, the Zambezian montane grasslands and woodlands, and the montane habitats of southeastern Africa.^[1][2][3]

Montane grasslands and shrublands extent

The páramos of the northern Andes are the most extensive examples of the habitat type. Although ecoregion biotas are most diverse in the Andes, these ecosystems are distinctive wherever they occur in the tropics. The heathlands and moorlands of East Africa (e.g., Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Rwenzori Mountains), Mount Kinabalu of Borneo, and the Central Range of New Guinea are all limited in extent, isolated, and support endemic plants and animals.^[1] The plants and animals of tropical montane páramos display striking adaptations to cool, wet conditions and intense sunlight. Around the world, characteristic plants of these habitats display features such as rosette structures, waxy surfaces, and abundant pilosity.^[1]

The montane grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau still support relatively intact migrations of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsoni) and kiang, or Tibetan wild ass (Equus hemionus). A unique feature of many tropical páramos is the presence of giant rosette plants from a variety of plant families, such as Lobelia (Africa), Puya (South America), Cyathea (New Guinea), and Argyroxiphium (Hawai’i). These plant forms can reach elevations of 4,500–4,600 metres (14,800–15,100 ft) above sea level.^[1]

Montane grassland and shrubland ecoregions

Palearctic montane grasslands and shrublands ecoregions v t e
Altai alpine meadow and tundra	China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia
Central Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe	China
Eastern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows	Bhutan, Myanmar, China, India, Nepal
Ghorat–Hazarajat alpine meadow	Afghanistan
Hindu Kush alpine meadow	Afghanistan
Karakoram–West Tibetan Plateau alpine steppe	Afghanistan, China, India, Pakistan
Khangai Mountains alpine meadow	Mongolia
Kopet Dag woodlands and forest steppe	Iran, Turkmenistan
Kuh Rud and Eastern Iran montane woodlands	Iran
Mediterranean High Atlas juniper steppe	Morocco
North Tibetan Plateau–Kunlun Mountains alpine desert	China
Northwestern Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows	China, India, Pakistan
Ordos Plateau steppe	China
Pamir alpine desert and tundra	Afghanistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan
Qilian Mountains subalpine meadows	China
Sayan alpine meadows and tundra	Mongolia, Russia
Southeast Tibet shrub and meadows	China
Sulaiman Range alpine meadows	Afghanistan, Pakistan
Tian Shan montane steppe and meadows	China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan
Tibetan Plateau alpine shrublands and meadows	China
Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows	India, Nepal
Yarlung Zambo arid steppe	China

See also

• Environment portal
• Ecology portal
• Earth sciences portal

• Montane ecosystems – Ecosystems found in mountainsPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Steppe – Ecoregion of plain grasslands without trees