BL / ENVS 448 Plant Biodiversity and Ecology

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BL / ENVS 448 Plant Biodiversity and Ecology

• Plant Communities of the Rocky Mountains

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What are plant communities?

• Often defined by major plant species / types
• Temperature and precipitation prevail
• Altitude determines the above
• Several types in Colorado
• From lowest (and hottest) to highest (and coldest)

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Desert and semi-desert

• Mainly canyon country in the western part of the
  state
• Less than 14 inches of rainfall
• 4,000 to 6,500 feet in elevation
• Lower areas dominated by shrubs like rabbitbrush
  and sagebrush
• Higher areas dominated by Pinyon Pine and Juniper

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Rabbit brush and Pinyon Pine
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Moving on up - Grasslands

• Dominated by grasses
• 3,500 to 6,500 feet
• More precipitation (about 20 inches)
• Eastern third of Colorado
• Can still find some sagebrush and rabbitbrush and
  cactus, but many more mixed grasses
• Tall grass and short grass in Colorado

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Grasslands
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Bouteloua sp. Grasslands
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Big Will and Will J. in tallgrass
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Prickly Pear amongst the grasses
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Foothills

• Includes mesa tops
• 6,500 to 8,500 feet
• Ponderosa pine, still some pinyon and juniper
• Oak thickets (we only have one Gambels)
• Mountain mahogany
• 14 to 25 inches of precipitation

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Foothills
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Inspiration Point sagebrush and P.J.
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Will J. enjoying the foothills
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Bobcat in the foothills
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Montane

• Forest
• Mixed conifer and aspen (most wide ranging tree
  in U.S.)
• 8,000 to 10,000 feet
• Understory vegetation is mostly shrubs
• Willow shrubs in riparian areas
• 18-30 inches of precipitation
• ¼ to ½ as snowfall

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Montane Forests
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Pentaphylloides floribunda aka Rocky Mountain
Cinquefoil
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Penstemon whippleanus
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Aquilegia caerulea
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Subalpine

• Thick spruce/fir forests
• Aspens only in lower elevation here
• 25-40 inches of precipitation a year
• Last zone before alpine

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Hard at work in Breckenridge
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More hard work in the montane /subalpine
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Mertensia ciliata mountain bluebell
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Castilleja rhexifolia X miniataIndian paintbrush
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Chaemerion danielsii
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Alpine

• Alpine tundra (not arctic tundra)
• Dwarf shrubs, herbs, and cushion plants
• Above treeline (about 11,500 feet in CO)
• 30-55 inches of moisture
• Most as snowfall

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Above the trees
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Big horn sheep
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Eritrichium aretoides alpine forget-me-not
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Gentiana parryi - Parrys gentian
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Silene acaulis moss campion
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TROPICAL ALPINE Azorella compacta