Throughout the arid and semiarid regions of the southwestern United States, there is an altitudinal zonation of vegetation with xerophytic desert scrub (commonly sagebrush, evergreen creosote bush, and evergreen blackbrush) at lower elevations, grading into mesophytic woodland (juniper, piñon pine, and live oak) at ...
What is altitudinal zonation and why is it significant in Latin America?
Altitudinal Zonation
What is significant in Latin America is that while the climate at the base of the Andes may be type A , the different zones of climate and corresponding human activity vary as one moves up the mountain in elevation. Mountains have different climates at the base than at the summit.
Why does altitudinal zonation occur?
Temperature, humidity, soil composition, and solar radiation are important factors in determining altitudinal zones, which consequently support different vegetation and animal species. ... Zonation also occurs in intertidal and marine environments, as well as on shorelines and in wetlands.
What factors vary with altitude?
Air pressure is higher at lower altitudes. Air density is higher at lower altitudes. There is more space between air molecules at higher altitudes. There is less oxygen to breathe at the top of a high mountain than there is at sea level.
What is altitudinal zonation quizlet?
Altitudinal Zonation. vertical regions with physical environmental zones various elevations . tierra caliente. lowest level, hot, humid coastal plains, Cultural Agriculture, 750m above sea level.
What are the main altitudinal zones?
At least four major zones are commonly recognized in Latin America: the tierra caliente (hot country), the tierra templada (cool country), the tierra fría (cold country), and the tierra helada (frost country) .
Which Latin American country are there large areas of steppe climate?
Patagonia, semiarid scrub plateau that covers nearly all of the southern portion of mainland Argentina . With an area of about 260,000 square miles (673,000 square kilometres), it constitutes a vast area of steppe and desert that extends south from latitude 37° to 51° S.
Where can zonation be found?
From the high tide line to the subtidal, one feature shared by all shorelines is the phenomenon of grouping or banding of benthic (bottom dwelling) species referred to as zonation. It is most obvious on steep or rock faced beaches where the horizontal tide range is small and the bands are narrow.
What is zonation ESS?
Zonation refers to changes in community along an environmental gradient due to factors such as changes in altitude, latitude, tidal level or distance from shore (coverage by water). Succession is the process of change over time in an ecosystem involving pioneer, intermediate and climax communities.
What is vertical zonation?
Vertical zonation is a consistent pattern at a regional scale . • Vertical gradient explains four times more variance than the horizontal gradient. • Species, relevés and assemblages gradate from lower to upper height.
Why the temperature decreases with altitude?
As you increase in elevation, there is less air above you thus the pressure decreases. As the pressure decreases, air molecules spread out further (i.e. air expands), and the temperature decreases. ... The temperature in the troposphere — the lowest layer of the earth’s atmosphere — generally decreases with altitude.
Why are higher altitudes colder?
High-altitude locations are usually much colder than areas closer to sea level. This is due to the low air pressure . Air expands as it rises, and the fewer gas molecules—including nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide—have fewer chances to bump into each other.
How altitude can affect climate?
Altitude or height above sea level – Locations at a higher altitude have colder temperatures. Temperature usually decreases by 1°C for every 100 metres in altitude . 4. ... This means that coastal locations tend to be cooler in summer and warmer in winter than places inland at the same latitude and altitude.
What is altitudinal zonation in geography?
The pattern of variation of plant and animal species relative to elevation, in response to vertical differences in climate (particularly temperature and precipitation). From: altitudinal zonation in A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation »
What is Submontane zone?
adjective. 1 Passing under or through mountains . 1.1Situated in the foothills or lower slopes of a mountain range. ‘Thus, a typical sequence on tropical mountains is from lowland tropical forest, through submontane, montane, and subalpine vegetation zones to the alpine zones of grasses and shrubs. ‘
What is the Nival zone?
The nival zone, found above 3000m, is characterized by vegetation (called associations) that lives on rocks and gravel with few areas of continuous meadow . The plants living here only grow in conditions with high exposure to sunlight and are unable to survive in dense populations.
