Academic literature on the topic 'High altitude ecology'
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Journal articles on the topic "High altitude ecology"
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Moore, Lorna Grindlay. "An ecology of high-altitude infancy: A biocultural perspective." American Journal of Human Biology 17, no. 1 (2004): 119–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.20084.
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Tolotti, Monica, Laura Forsström, Guiseppe Morabito, Bertha Thaler, Maya Stoyneva, Marco Cantonati, Šiško M., and A. Lotter. "Biogeographical Characterisation of phytoplankton assemblages in high altitude, and high latitude European lakes." Advances in Limnology 62 (December 23, 2009): 55–75. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/advlim/62/2009/55.
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Trošt Sedej, Tadeja, and Tajda Turk. "Alchemilla monticola Opiz. Functional Traits Respond to Diverse Alpine Environmental Conditions in Karavanke, Slovenia." Plants 11, no. 19 (September 27, 2022): 2527. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants11192527.
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Alpine plants are exposed to demanding environmental conditions, such as high ultraviolet (UV) and photosynthetic radiation, extreme temperatures, drought, and nutrient deficiencies. Alpine plants adapt and acclimate to harsh conditions, developing several strategies, including biochemical, physiological, and optical responses. However, alpine plants’ survival strategies are hardly researched due to time-consuming and complex experimental conditions, which are supported by scarce studies. Our study focused on the functional traits of the alpine plant Alchemilla monticola Opiz (hairy lady’s mantle) growing at two different altitudes (1500, 2000 m a.s.l.) and two different UV exposures per altitude. Near-ambient (UV) and reduced (UV-) UV radiations were provided by using two sorts of UV absorbing filters; temperatures were monitored hourly. The experimental plots were located at Tegoška Gora, Karavanke, Slovenia. Functional traits: physiological, biochemical, and optical characteristics were recorded three times during the growing season. A. monticola showed high maximum photochemical efficiency at both altitudes throughout the season, which confirms good adaptation and acclimatization of the plant. Furthermore, significantly higher maximum photochemical efficiency at the subalpine altitude coincided with significantly higher UV absorbing compounds (UV AC) contents at the subalpine compared to the montane altitude in August. A. monticola manifested high UV AC contents throughout the season, with significantly increased synthesis of UV AC contents in the subalpine conditions in August and September. The stomatal conductance rate increased with altitude and was correlated mostly to a lower temperature. A. monticola leaves did not transmit any UV spectrum, which corresponded to high total UV AC contents. The leaf transmittance of the photosynthetic spectrum increased at the subalpine altitude, while the transmittance of the green and yellow spectra increased under the reduced UV radiation in the autumn. A. monticola’s high photosynthetic spectrum transmittance at the subalpine altitude in the autumn might therefore be due to subalpine harsh environmental conditions, as well as plant ontogenetical phase.
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Kernan, Martin, Anton Brancelj, Gina Clarke, A. Lami, Viera Straškrábová, Ezven Stuchlík, Gaute Velle, and Marc Ventura. "Environmental and biological characteristics of high altitude lochs in Scotland." Advances in Limnology 62 (December 23, 2009): 379–417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1127/advlim/62/2009/379.
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Stecconi, Marina, Javier G. Puntieri, and Daniel Barthélémy. "An architectural approach to the growth forms of Nothofagus pumilio (Nothofagaceae) along an altitudinal gradient." Botany 88, no. 8 (August 2010): 699–709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/b10-040.
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Variations in the architecture and axis structure of different growth forms of Nothofagus pumilio (Poepp. et Endl.) Krasser (Nothofagaceae) were studied along an altitudinal gradient. We evaluated the primary growth and branching pattern of annual shoots belonging to the main axis categories (trunk, main branches, and secondary (short) branches) of four growth forms developed at different altitudes (1200–1600 m a.s.l.) in northern Patagonia: (i) low shrubs at the high-altitude timberline, (ii) high shrubs at high altitude, (iii) low trees at mid-altitude slopes, and (iv) high trees at low-altitude single-species forests. Shoot structure and branch distribution along shoots were similar for all axis categories and growth forms. Significant differences between axis categories were found regarding the sizes of shoots, which decreased from trunk to secondary/short branches. For each axis category, shoots of similar size differed between growth forms in stem slenderness and internode length. The extent of differentiation between axis categories is key in the structural distinction between growth forms of N. pumilio.
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Hoiss, Bernhard, Jochen Krauss, Simon G. Potts, Stuart Roberts, and Ingolf Steffan-Dewenter. "Altitude acts as an environmental filter on phylogenetic composition, traits and diversity in bee communities." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 279, no. 1746 (August 29, 2012): 4447–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.1581.
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Knowledge about the phylogeny and ecology of communities along environmental gradients helps to disentangle the role of competition-driven processes and environmental filtering for community assembly. In this study, we evaluated patterns in species richness, phylogenetic structure and life-history traits of bee communities along altitudinal gradients in the Alps, Germany. We found a linear decline in species richness and abundance but increasing phylogenetic clustering in communities with increasing altitude. The proportion of social- and ground-nesting species, as well as mean body size and altitudinal range of bee communities, increased with increasing altitude, whereas the mean geographical distribution decreased. Our results suggest that community assembly at high altitudes is dominated by environmental filtering effects, whereas the relative importance of competition increases at low altitudes. We conclude that inherent phylogenetic and ecological species attributes at high altitudes pose a threat for less competitive alpine specialists with ongoing climate change.
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Zhao, Qiaozhu, Miaoyin Dong, Mengfei Li, Ling Jin, and Paul W. Paré. "Light-Induced Flavonoid Biosynthesis in Sinopodophyllum hexandrum with High-Altitude Adaptation." Plants 12, no. 3 (January 28, 2023): 575. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants12030575.
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Sinopodophyllum hexandrum is a perennial alpine herb producing the anti-cancer metabolite podophyllotoxin (PPT). Although the adaptation of S. hexandrum to high altitudes has been demonstrated and the effects of temperature, precipitation, and UV-B light on plant growth and metabolite accumulation have been studied, knowledge on the role of flavonoid biosynthesis in adapting to high altitudes is limited. In this study, light intensity, amount and type of flavonoids, and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and genes (DEGs) at 2300 and 3300 m were analyzed by HPLC, proteomic, transcriptomic, and qRT-PCR analysis. We found that higher light intensity correlated with greater flavonoid, flavonol, and anthocyanin content as well as higher anthocyanin to total flavonoid and flavonol ratios observed at the higher altitude. Based on proteomic and transcriptomic analyses, nine DEPs and 41 DEGs were identified to be involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and light response at 3300 m. The relative expression of nine genes (PAL, CHS1, IFRL, ANS, MYB4, BHLH137, CYP6, PPO1, and ABCB19) involved in flavonoid biosynthesis and seven genes (HSP18.1, HSP70, UBC4, ERF5, ERF9, APX3, and EX2) involved in light stress were observed to be up-regulated at 3300 m compared with 2300 m. These findings indicate that light intensity may play a regulatory role in enhancing flavonoid accumulation that allows S. hexandrum to adapt to elevated-altitude coupled with high light intensity.
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Hornbein, Thomas F. "The high-altitude brain." Journal of Experimental Biology 204, no. 18 (September 15, 2001): 3129–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jeb.204.18.3129.
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SUMMARY The highest place on our planet, Mount Everest (8850m), appears to be close to the limit of how high an acclimatized human can go, albeit slowly. In this paper, I will explore the possibility that what limits human performance at such extreme degrees of hypoxia is the availability of oxygen to the brain. Also, one of the known costs of such extreme exposure is residual mild impairment of performance on neuropsychometric tests after return to sea level, implying injury to brain cells. That such injury could occur in the absence of any overt impairment of function, much less without loss of consciousness, is unexpected. I will speculate about physiological mechanisms that might cause or contribute to both decrements in real-time performance while at altitude and residual deficits for a time after return to low elevations; the effects of hypoxia on brain cells are an even greater puzzle at the present time.
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Smith, Geoffrey R., Royce E. Ballinger, and Justin D. Congdon. "Thermal ecology of the high-altitude bunch grass lizard, Sceloporus scalaris." Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, no. 11 (November 1, 1993): 2152–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z93-302.
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The thermal ecology of a high-altitude lizard, Sceloporus scalaris, was investigated in the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, where the lizards are active on sunny days throughout the year. Mean body temperature was 32.6 °C (range 12.6–39 °C) and mean air temperature was 20.2 °C (range 5.2–36.4 °C). The slope of the body temperature versus air temperature regression was 0.23. Monthly differences in body temperature were observed, with the highest body temperatures observed in early summer. Lizards at three study sites with differing slope and vegetative cover had different mean body temperatures. Males had higher body temperatures than both nongravid and gravid females. Maintenance of elevated body temperatures even during winter lengthens the activity and growing season, permitting early maturity with potentially important life-history consequences.
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Lu, Xin. "Breeding ecology of an Old World high-altitude warbler, Phylloscopus affinis." Journal of Ornithology 149, no. 1 (September 19, 2007): 41–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0210-9.
Full textDissertations / Theses on the topic "High altitude ecology"
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Sanchez, Maria Elisa. "Carbon flux dynamics in high altitude peatlands in the Ecuadorian Andes." Thesis, Michigan Technological University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10241527.
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Although knowledge of peatland CH4 and CO2 exchange in temperate mountain ecosystems is available, information about carbon (C) exchange in peatlands of the Andean mountains is limited and these ecosystems may behave differently given the particular characteristics of the Andean tropics. These ecosystems are highly productive and under pressure by grazing. Our first objective was to measure baseline carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) flux in an undisturbed peatland in Cayambe-Coca National Park. Our second objective was to quantify CO2 and CH 4 fluxes in an intensively cattle grazed peatland near Antisana Ecological Reserve. CO2 and CH4 effluxes were measured using a static chamber method. The mean NEE values for the undisturbed and disturbed site were -0.69 ± 0.08 and -1.25 ± 0.13 g CO2 m -2 hr-1 respectively. A significant correlation between microtopography and CO2 and CH4 flux was found in the undisturbed site, with higher NEE, GPP, ER and CH4 values in hummocks than in lawns. Microtopography doesn’t seem to be a controller of CO 2 efflux in the grazed site, although the NEE and GPP rates are higher than those found in the undisturbed site, and show a linear relationship with vegetation cover. CH4 emissions in the undisturbed site were low (8.1 ± 1.17 mg CH4 m-2 d -1). However, CH4 emissions at the grazed site were very high (132.25 ± 34.22 mg CH4 m-2 d -1), which might be attributed to the high physical impact and inputs from cattle. In summary, it appears that cattle grazing may be capable of large changes to C exchange and greenhouse gas fluxes in Andean peatlands.
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Maphisa, David Hlosi. "Towards adaptive management of high-altitude grasslands: Ingula as a case study." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/16595.
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Includes bibliographical referencesEastern high - altitude grasslands of South Africa are centres for endemism and harbour fauna and flora of regional and international conservation concern. This area also provides important ecological services such as provision of water to communities downstream. Sweet and sour veld support beef livestock farming during summer months. The aesthetic beauty of the region makes the area a prime tourist destination too. More recently the area is becoming a target of other agricultural projects such man - made forests. Other new developments that need to be mitigated against are development of renewable energy projects such as pumped water schemes to generate electricity or wind farms. Additional habitat is lost when these projects are connected to the national grid. In this thesis, I use bird data and vegetation data to compare, contrast and suggest management tools to manage this area. I present data that I collected at Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme spanning five years from the beginning of the construction of the scheme to near its completion in 2012 as a case study to manage similar habitats. Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of ecological importance of this area and the history behind the construction of pumped storage scheme at Ingula. A literature review in Chapter 2 investigates management tools to manage these grasslands for avian diversity. Fire and grazing is a key management tool cited to make habitat suitable for birds. While few studies from this type of grassland exist, studies from outside South Africa suggest that fire and grazing supplement each other as management tool to make habitat suitable for species with contrasting ecological requirements. A mosaic of grass heights and cover across the landscape translates to species habitat suitability. Chapter 3 explores species richness through years, seasons and impact of grass height and cover on bird species richness. Species richness was highest in summer suggesting that management should make habitat for species suitable in summer when most priority species are likely to use the habitat. The main disadvantage of using bird species richness is that fieldworkers must know their species well. Secondly, use of species richness must be treated with caution because this method does not account for species detectability in time and in space. In Chapter 4 I use hierarchical distance sampling models which take into account both the detection and the biological process. To demonstrate this I used common grassland bird species which can easily be identified during monitoring. The downside of this approach is that because these species are common and therefore occur almost everywhere, they may not easily respond to lack of habitat heterogeneity. The technical disadvantage of using this method is to accurately allocate species to within distance bands, making this method challenging for fieldworkers. Chapter 5 presents random plot occupancy which records only detection - nondetection of birds during repeated plot surveys. This method accounts for observational and biological processes too and in addition implements rigorous statistical inferences to predict how birds respond to habitat variable s as influenced by management decision on fire and grazing. Finally, adverse weather conditions may hamper surveying all plots in some years. Through occupancy modelling it is possible to predict species occupancy on plots that were not surveyed during some years and finally this method has been improved to include rare species. This is my preferred method to monitor management effect on habitat suitability for birds at Ingula. Adaptive management, a pillar of which is adaptive monitoring is a new paradigm shift in conservation. In Chapter 6, I capture interactions between burning and grazing and effects on grass height and cover to predict habitat suitability for birds including large threatened Ingula birds using a simulation models. This model sets a stage for implementing adaptive management through experimental plots to capture a set of management uncertainties regarding the use of fire and grazing as management tools. Chapter 7 summarizes the thesis and acknowledges that Ingula consists of other equally important habitat and ecosystem such as cool moist mountain forest and matrix of grassland wetland that equally need to be conserved.
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Olvera, Vargas Miguel. "Spatio-temporal dynamics of neotropical high-altitude mixed oak forests in western Mexico." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2006. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:0928df01-b4fc-4028-b9a4-f7a393d71489.
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This thesis contributes to the understanding of two of the most intriguing questions that forest ecologists have faced over recent decades: 1) how high diversity is maintained in species-rich ecosystems; and 2) what is the role of spatio-temporal environmental variation in structuring forest communities. The aims of the research were to ascertain how species composition varies both spatially and temporally and how changes in the vegetation can be understood in the context of species coexistence theories (niche versus neutral). A group of 38 sympatric species, including 9 species of Quercus, on which little ecological research has been undertaken, were used in this study. The data used in this project include eleven years of periodic remeasurements of permanent plots established in high-altitude oak forests in Mexico. Adult, sapling and seedling trees were studied as well as their environmental surrounding. Spatial and temporal variations in forest composition were analysed using multivariate statistical approaches. The results show that there are discrete communities in these mixed oak forests that correspond to specific environments. At a broad scale the study area can be classified into two floristic zones, a mesic zone characterised by associations that include Quercus candicans, Q. laurina and Q. castanea and; a xeric zone dominated by Q. crassipes. However of a finer scale of analysis important variation in composition was associated with different life stages of the trees, with adult trees showing much stronger environmental associations than seedlings and saplings. Successional pathways and rates vary at relatively fine scales. This may be as a result of dominance alternation between dominant canopy species. Micro-niche zonation processes caused by a high degree of environmental heterogeneity combined with individual species traits explain the coexistence of phylogenetically similar sympatric Quercus species. A hierarchy of processes, each acting at a different spatial and temporal scale, determines species diversity and coexistence. The overall findings support the idea that niche differentiation rather than chance events such as dispersal limitation, are more important in permitting species coexistence.
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Morrison, Fiona Clare. "Altitudinal Variation in the Life History of Anurans in Southeast Queensland." Thesis, Griffith University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366730.
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Global declines and disappearances of amphibians from high altitude, pristine habitats have been reported in recent years. To date the cause of many of these declines and/or disappearances has not been identified. Although it is well documented that life history characteristics of temperate amphibians are influenced by altitude (due to systematic variation of temperature with altitude), little work has been carried out on the effects of altitude on Australian anurans. This lack of ecological data is a major impediment to identifying the causal factors responsible for amphibian declines. Due to differences in life history characteristics, high altitude populations may be less resilient than their lowland counterparts and subsequently may be more vulnerable to extinction. Consequently, the main aim of this study was to determine whether altitude influenced life history characteristics and ultimately population resilience of anurans in the southeast Queensland region. Six anuran species; Litoria chloris, L. lesueuri, L. pearsoniana (Anura: Hylidae), Mixophyes fasciolatus, M. fleayi and M. iteratus (Anura: Myobatrachidae) were studied over three field seasons (1997-1999) in 18 sites of varying altitude (100-950m) in the southeast Queensland region. The life history characteristics examined were: activity and breeding season length, fecundity and egg size, number of clutches produced per season, tadpole growth and development rates, longevity, age at maturity, reproductive life span, average lifetime fecundity, survival and recapture rates. The data were collected using a combination of field-based surveys (body sizes, clutch sizes, and survival and recapture rates), museum specimen dissections (clutch and egg sizes), reciprocal transplant field experiments (tadpole growth and development rates) and skeletochronology (longevity, age at maturity, reproductive lifespan and average lifetime fecundity). On average, high altitude populations of all species had shorter breeding and activity seasons than low altitude populations (up to 10 weeks less in some cases). The magnitude of the difference in breeding season length varied among years depending on the average temperature and rainfall for the year; i.e. differences appeared greater in warmer and wetter years. Within a population males had longer breeding and activity seasons than females. Although breeding season length varied with altitude, the number of nights that individuals were active within the breeding season did not vary; i.e. low altitude populations were not active for more nights despite having a longer breeding season. This result was attributed to the absence of a relationship between individual activity and environmental variables (air temperature, rainfall, etc.) in many of the populations. Generally, intraspecific clutch size did not vary significantly with altitude. This result was due to the absence of a significant relationship between female body size and altitude (as clutch size is proportional to female body size). Egg size also did not vary with altitude however, suggesting egg size may be canalized (i.e. fixed) in these species. Results also suggest that females of these species only produce one clutch of eggs per season. Interspecific differences in reproductive characteristics largely reflected differences in reproductive mode, larval habitat and female body size. Altitude negatively influenced growth and development rates in L. chloris and development rates in L. pearsoniana. Tadpoles raised at high altitudes were also generally larger at each Gosner Development Stage in both species. The results of the reciprocal transplant experiments suggested that most of the variation in growth and development rates was due to environmental factors (water temperature) rather than genetic or maternal factors. Altitude or genetic factors did not significantly affect tadpole survival in either species. The results suggest that tadpoles occurring at high altitudes take longer to reach metamorphosis and do so at a larger size than their lowland counterparts. With the exception of L. lesueuri, skeletochronology was suitable for age estimation in the study species. Altitude had a significant effect on the age at maturity or longevity in some of the species, however there were trends toward older individuals and older ages at maturity in high altitude populations for the remaining species. Females were generally older than males for all species and in the case of longer-lived species (i.e. Mixophyes spp.) also tended to be older when breeding for the first time. The large overlap of body sizes of individuals of different ages demonstrates that body size is a poor indicator of age in these species. This is the first study to estimate average lifetime fecundity for more than one amphibian species and/or population. The results suggest that the absence of significant altitudinal variation in the average lifetime fecundity of different populations is due to tradeoffs made by females (current reproduction vs. survival). There was no significant altitudinal variation in annual survival and recapture rates in any of the species, and generally there was no difference in the survival and recapture rates of males and females in each population. Within a year, monthly survival and recapture rates were more variable at low than high altitudes and this was attributed to the longer breeding season of low altitude populations. The results did not support previous studies that suggested there was a size bias in survival and recapture rates. The shorter breeding seasons, slower growth and development rates, older age at maturity and greater longevity found in the high altitude study populations will result in increased generation time in those populations. In turn, increased generation time can cause high altitude populations to be less resilient (i.e. population takes longer to return to equilibrium after a disturbance away from equilibrium) (Pimm et al. 1988, Pimm 1991) and ultimately more vulnerable or prone to extinction or decline. The majority of unexplained global amphibian declines have occurred at high altitudes in tropical and subtropical areas. These latitudinal patterns may be explained by the narrow range of environmental tolerances exhibited by tropical organisms resulting in mountains being effectively “higher” in the tropics. Consequently, high altitude tropical species are likely to be even more vulnerable than temperate species occurring at similar altitudes. Further work on the effects of geographic variation, especially interactions between altitude and latitude are needed to evaluate the hypotheses for the causes of these declines and disappearances.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environmental and Applied Science
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Figueroa, Rangel Blanca. "Long-term forest dynamics in high-altitude mountains of West-Central Mexico : the human and climate dimension in the Holocene." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2007. http://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:30826402-1eb7-4d94-9a07-4d376c16eea0.
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This thesis presents the results of a study to examine long-term forest dynamics in the high-altitude mountains of West-Central Mexico. Vegetation dynamics on temporal scales ranging from 102 to 103 years were reconstructed in order to provide essential information on the temporal variability of ecological patterns and processes in these forests; information that is of direct relevance for their current and future conservation and management strategies. Vegetation and palaeoecological methods undertaken included fossil and modern pollen analysis, vegetation surveys, microfossil charcoal analysis, magnetic susceptibility, inorganic and organic geochemistry, radiocarbon and 210Pb dating. These were used to evaluate the long-term dynamics of three forest types; Pine Forest, Cloud Forest and Transitional Forest on timescales spanning the past 4260, 1340 and 1230 years respectively. The main drivers of change were climate and disturbance events induced by climate fluctuations, for example increased fire frequency. The reconstructed records indicate that the sequences from the Cloud Forest and the Transitional Forest spanned two wet and one dry climatic interval while the Pine Forest sequence spanned two dry and two wet periods. The impact of these climatic fluctuations was significant on all three forest types and resulted in variations in forest diversity, taxonomic turnover and successional change. The climate change episodes observed in these records seem to be the local manifestation of climatic events that were occurring throughout Mexico at these intervals in time. Human influences were evident in the three forests through the appearance of cultural taxa, particularly during the driest period (~ 1200 yr BP). There is little evidence from these records, however, to suggest a widespread clearance of the landscape for agriculture. Results from this study support the current conservation and management recommendations for Cloud Forest to exclude timber extraction, grazing and agricultural activities from this forest type. In the Pine Forest, human interventions such small-scale agriculture, prescribed burning and silvicultural actions are in agreement with the longterm pine ecology and as such, total exclusion of human activities is not necessary. For the Transitional Forest, results from this study suggest that there needs to be the establishment of adequate plans to reduce frequent fires to arrest the development of prone-to-fire taxa.
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Morrison, Fiona Clare, and n/a. "Altitudinal Variation in the Life History of Anurans in Southeast Queensland." Griffith University. School of Environmental and Applied Science, 2002. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20031125.120847.
Full textAbstract:
Global declines and disappearances of amphibians from high altitude, pristine habitats have been reported in recent years. To date the cause of many of these declines and/or disappearances has not been identified. Although it is well documented that life history characteristics of temperate amphibians are influenced by altitude (due to systematic variation of temperature with altitude), little work has been carried out on the effects of altitude on Australian anurans. This lack of ecological data is a major impediment to identifying the causal factors responsible for amphibian declines. Due to differences in life history characteristics, high altitude populations may be less resilient than their lowland counterparts and subsequently may be more vulnerable to extinction. Consequently, the main aim of this study was to determine whether altitude influenced life history characteristics and ultimately population resilience of anurans in the southeast Queensland region. Six anuran species; Litoria chloris, L. lesueuri, L. pearsoniana (Anura: Hylidae), Mixophyes fasciolatus, M. fleayi and M. iteratus (Anura: Myobatrachidae) were studied over three field seasons (1997-1999) in 18 sites of varying altitude (100-950m) in the southeast Queensland region. The life history characteristics examined were: activity and breeding season length, fecundity and egg size, number of clutches produced per season, tadpole growth and development rates, longevity, age at maturity, reproductive life span, average lifetime fecundity, survival and recapture rates. The data were collected using a combination of field-based surveys (body sizes, clutch sizes, and survival and recapture rates), museum specimen dissections (clutch and egg sizes), reciprocal transplant field experiments (tadpole growth and development rates) and skeletochronology (longevity, age at maturity, reproductive lifespan and average lifetime fecundity). On average, high altitude populations of all species had shorter breeding and activity seasons than low altitude populations (up to 10 weeks less in some cases). The magnitude of the difference in breeding season length varied among years depending on the average temperature and rainfall for the year; i.e. differences appeared greater in warmer and wetter years. Within a population males had longer breeding and activity seasons than females. Although breeding season length varied with altitude, the number of nights that individuals were active within the breeding season did not vary; i.e. low altitude populations were not active for more nights despite having a longer breeding season. This result was attributed to the absence of a relationship between individual activity and environmental variables (air temperature, rainfall, etc.) in many of the populations. Generally, intraspecific clutch size did not vary significantly with altitude. This result was due to the absence of a significant relationship between female body size and altitude (as clutch size is proportional to female body size). Egg size also did not vary with altitude however, suggesting egg size may be canalized (i.e. fixed) in these species. Results also suggest that females of these species only produce one clutch of eggs per season. Interspecific differences in reproductive characteristics largely reflected differences in reproductive mode, larval habitat and female body size. Altitude negatively influenced growth and development rates in L. chloris and development rates in L. pearsoniana. Tadpoles raised at high altitudes were also generally larger at each Gosner Development Stage in both species. The results of the reciprocal transplant experiments suggested that most of the variation in growth and development rates was due to environmental factors (water temperature) rather than genetic or maternal factors. Altitude or genetic factors did not significantly affect tadpole survival in either species. The results suggest that tadpoles occurring at high altitudes take longer to reach metamorphosis and do so at a larger size than their lowland counterparts. With the exception of L. lesueuri, skeletochronology was suitable for age estimation in the study species. Altitude had a significant effect on the age at maturity or longevity in some of the species, however there were trends toward older individuals and older ages at maturity in high altitude populations for the remaining species. Females were generally older than males for all species and in the case of longer-lived species (i.e. Mixophyes spp.) also tended to be older when breeding for the first time. The large overlap of body sizes of individuals of different ages demonstrates that body size is a poor indicator of age in these species. This is the first study to estimate average lifetime fecundity for more than one amphibian species and/or population. The results suggest that the absence of significant altitudinal variation in the average lifetime fecundity of different populations is due to tradeoffs made by females (current reproduction vs. survival). There was no significant altitudinal variation in annual survival and recapture rates in any of the species, and generally there was no difference in the survival and recapture rates of males and females in each population. Within a year, monthly survival and recapture rates were more variable at low than high altitudes and this was attributed to the longer breeding season of low altitude populations. The results did not support previous studies that suggested there was a size bias in survival and recapture rates. The shorter breeding seasons, slower growth and development rates, older age at maturity and greater longevity found in the high altitude study populations will result in increased generation time in those populations. In turn, increased generation time can cause high altitude populations to be less resilient (i.e. population takes longer to return to equilibrium after a disturbance away from equilibrium) (Pimm et al. 1988, Pimm 1991) and ultimately more vulnerable or prone to extinction or decline. The majority of unexplained global amphibian declines have occurred at high altitudes in tropical and subtropical areas. These latitudinal patterns may be explained by the narrow range of environmental tolerances exhibited by tropical organisms resulting in mountains being effectively higher in the tropics. Consequently, high altitude tropical species are likely to be even more vulnerable than temperate species occurring at similar altitudes. Further work on the effects of geographic variation, especially interactions between altitude and latitude are needed to evaluate the hypotheses for the causes of these declines and disappearances.
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Reckin, Rachel Jean. "Mountains as crossroads : temporal and spatial patterns of high elevation activity in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, USA." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2018. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/278102.
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In the archaeological literature, mountains are often portrayed as the boundaries between inhabited spaces. Yet occupying high elevations may have been an adaptive choice for ancient peoples, as rapidly changing elevations also offer variation in climate and resources over a relatively small area. So what happens, instead, if we put mountain landscapes at the center of our analyses of prehistoric seasonal rounds and ecological adaptation? This Ph.D. argues that, in order to understand any landscape that includes mountains, from the Alps to the Andes, one must include the ecology and archaeology of the highest elevations. Specifically, I base my findings on new fieldwork and lithic collections from the Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) of the Rocky Mountains, which was a vital crossroads of prehistoric cultures for more than 11,000 years. I include five interlocking analyses. First, I consider the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on high elevation cultural resources, focusing on the diminishing resiliency of ancient high elevation ice patches and the loss of the organic artifacts and paleobiological materials they contain. Second, I create a dichotomous key for chronologically typing projectile points, suggesting a methodological improvement for typological dating in the GYE and for surface archaeology more broadly. Third, I use obsidian source data to consider whether mountain people were a single, unified group or were represented by a variety of peoples with different zones of land tenure. Fourth, I consider high elevation occupation in both mountain ranges as part of the seasonal round, using indices of diversity in tool types and raw material to study how the duration of those occupations changed through time. And, finally, I test the common contention that ancient people primarily used mountains as refugia from extreme climatic pressure at lower elevations. Ultimately, I find that, in both mountain ranges, increased high elevation activity is most highly correlated with increased population, not with hot, dry climatic conditions. In other words, the mountains were more than simply refugia for plains or basin people to occupy when pressured by climatic hardship. In addition, between the Absarokas and the Beartooths the evidence suggests two different patterns of occupation, not a monolithic pan-mountain adaptation. These results demonstrate the potential contributions of surface archaeology to our understanding of prehistory, and have important implications for the way we think about mountain landscapes as peopled spaces in relation to adjacent lower-elevation areas.
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Wigley, Benjamin. "An isotopic assessment of the water sourced by Ischyrolepis Sieberi (Restionaceae) growing at high altitudes in the Cedarberg : does fog play an important role?" Bachelor's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/26131.
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The main aim of this study was to determine if Ischyrolepis sieberi, a common restiod species found at high altitudes in the Cederberg captures fog to supplement its water needs. This was done by comparing the isotopic ratios of δD and δ¹⁸O in captured fog, rainwater, and stream water and comparing these to the δD and δ¹⁸O values found in the xylem water of Ischyrolepis sieberi plants growing at the study site. The δD values of the collected fog samples were enriched relative to rainwater, stream water, and xylem water from I. sieberi, however these differences were not significant. The δ¹⁸O values of the I. sieberi xylem water were significantly (p < 0.01) more enriched than rain, stream, and fog water. The xylem water of I. sieberi was depleted in δD and enriched in δ¹⁸O relative to all other water sources. The plants therefore did not appear to be utilizing fog during the three months of this study. The δ¹⁸O values of I. sieberi were consistently 4-6‰ enriched compared to rainwater, suggesting that they are utilizing rainwater, which has undergone fractionation due to evaporation in the soil before being taken up by the plants. This study was run during the wet winter months. The δD and δ¹⁸O values from previous data suggest that the I. sieberi plants do utilize fog during the dry summer months.
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Mendonça, Júlia Gaio Furtado de. "Campos de altitude do Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio, Minas Gerais, Brasil: composição florística, fitogeografia e estrutura da vegetação." Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), 2017. https://repositorio.ufjf.br/jspui/handle/ufjf/5708.
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O Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP), situado na porção Meridional da Serra da Mantiqueira, sul de Minas Gerais, representa uma grande extensão de formações vegetacionais altimontanas com altitudes que alcançam 2.350 m. O objetivo deste trabalho foi conhecer a composição florística dos campos de altitude do PESP, suas relações fitogeográficas com outras áreas campestres das regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil e analisar a estrutura da vegetação ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal. Expedições mensais de campo foram realizadas entre maio de 2015 e outubro de 2016 para coleta de material botânico e realização dos inventários fitossociológicos. Para avaliar a estrutura da vegetação foi utilizado o método de interceptação em linha, com alocação de nove áreas abrangendo três faixas altitudinais entre 1.650 m e 2.050 m. Para analisar as relações fitogeográficas foram selecionadas 14 localidades do Sul e Sudeste do país. Foram realizadas análises de similaridade quantitativas e qualitativas além do cálculo da diversidade para cada faixa altitudinal para avaliar a formação de grupos relacionados à altitude. O primeiro capítulo traz a composição florística dos campos de altitude do PESP, onde foram encontradas 276 espécies, 159 gêneros e 48 famílias de angiospermas, sendo Asteraceae a família mais rica (58 spp.) e Baccharis o gênero mais representativo (12 spp.). Foram encontradas onze espécies sob algum grau de ameaça e duas espécies endêmicas do PESP. As análises fitogeográficas mostraram uma grande dissimilaridade florística entre as 14 localidades analisadas, indicando que as formações campestres são singulares e demandam atenção especial para a conservação. O segundo capítulo apresenta a distribuição das espécies ao longo de um gradiente altitudinal. Foram encontradas 96 espécies nas linhas amostradas, sendo Poaceae (64,3%), Melastomataceae (11,3%) e Asteraceae (8,7%) as famílias com maiores valores de cobertura. A diversidade de Shannon (H’) para cada altitude apontou um padrão similar na distribuição espacial das espécies, enquanto as análises de similaridade demonstraram um forte agrupamento das áreas localizadas em faixas altitudinais comuns, elucidando a importância da conservação dos campos de altitude para a manutenção da biodiversidade da flora altomontana.
The Parque Estadual da Serra do Papagaio (PESP) is located in the southern portion of Serra da Mantiqueira, south of Minas Gerais and represents a large expanse of altitudinal vegetation formations with altitudes that reach 2.350 m. The aim of this work was to carry out the floristic survey of the PESP altitude fields (campos de altitude), their phytogeographic relationships with other rural areas of Southern and Southeastern regions of Brazil, and to analyze the vegetation structure along an altitudinal gradient. Monthly expeditions were carried out between May 2015 and October 2016 for the collection of botanical material and the realization of phytosociological inventories. The line intercept method was used to evaluate the vegetation structure. Were inventoried nine areas covering three altitudinal ranges between 1.650 m and 2.050 m. In order to analyze the phytogeographic relations, were selected 14 localities of Brazil South and Southeast. Quantitative and qualitative similarities analyzes were carried out. In addition, the diversity index (H') were calculated for each altitudinal range in order to evaluate the formation of groups related to altitude. The first chapter presents the floristic composition of the PESP altitude fields, where 276 species, 159 genera and 48 families of angiosperms were found, with Asteraceae being the richest family (58 spp.) and Baccharis the most representative genus (12 spp.). Eleven species are in some threatness category and two species were considered endemic to the PESP. The phytogeographic analyzes showed a great floristic dissimilarity between the 14 localities analyzed, indicating that the formations are unique and require special attention for conservation. The second chapter presents the distribution of the species along an altitudinal gradient. 96 species were found in the sampled lines, with Poaceae (64.3%), Melastomataceae (11.3%) and Asteraceae (8.7%) being the families with the highest coverage values. The diversity of Shannon (H') for each altitude showed a similar pattern in the spatial distribution of species, while the similarity analyzes demonstrated a strong grouping of the areas located in common altitudinal bands, elucidating the importance of the conservation of altitude fields for the maintenance of the biodiversity of the high altitude flora.
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Brau-Nogué, Catherine. "Dynamique des pelouses d'alpages laitiers des Alpes du Nord externes." Université Joseph Fourier (Grenoble ; 1971-2015), 1996. http://www.theses.fr/1996GRE10004.
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Les alpages laitiers des alpes du nord externes (france) representent un type de systeme ecologique original refletant les effets des pratiques d'eleveurs (fertilisation, paturage) combines aux contraintes du milieu montagnard (etage subalpin). Face aux mutations recentes des modes d'exploitation des alpages, des recherches ont ete engagees pour comprendre et prevoir l'impact des pratiques pastorales sur la dynamique de ces pelouses d'altitude. Nous proposons un modele d'evolution de la composition botanique qui integre l'effet des facteurs anthropiques et celui des facteurs edaphiques. Ce modele s'appuie sur une analyse factorielle des correspondances portant sur un echantillonnage de six cent releves floristiques couvrant l'ensemble de la zone d'etude. La reconstitution des trajectoires dynamiques se fait principalement par une approche synchronique, completee par des observations diachroniques qui ont permis de preciser les vitesses d'evolution de la vegetation. L'essentiel des travaux porte sur des situations de deprise: la dynamique de la vegetation y reflete une degradation de la fertilite des sols consecutive a l'abandon ou a l'allegement de la fertilisation. Cette evolution est generalement lente: deux a cinq decennies sont necessaires pour que l'on enregistre des changements notables dans la composition botanique. Les resultats mettent egalement en evidence l'influence des parametres edaphiques sur les limites et le deroulement de ces successions. Les modalites d'evolution de la vegetation et la hierarchie des facteurs sont precisees dans des trajectoires-types qui permettent d'adapter localement la demarche de diagnostic ecologique. Differents indicateurs, relatifs aux processus physiologiques ou demographiques d'evolution de la vegetation, sont testes afin de preciser ou d'anticiper le diagnostic floristique. Les indices de diversite specifique ou factorielle restent d'un usage delicat en raison de leur sensibilite a l'egard des methodes d'echantillonnage et d'observation. Les indices de nutrition minerale font rapidement apparaitre les modifications d'equilibres trophiques qui suivent l'arret ou la reprise de la fertilisation
Books on the topic "High altitude ecology"
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Levin, Judy. Life at a high altitude. New York, NY: Rosen Central, 2004.
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Schmidt-Vogt, Dietrich. High altitude forests in the Jugal Himal (eastern central Nepal). Stuttgart: F. Steiner Verlag, 1990.
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Wesche, Karsten. The high-altitude environment of Mt. Elgon (Uganda, Kenya): Climate, vegetation, and the impact of fire. [Bonn, Germany]: Society for Tropical Ecology, 2002.
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Göbl, Friederike. Mykorrhizen und Pilze der Hochlagenaufforstung Haggen =: Mycorrhizae and fungi of the high altitude afforestation Haggen. Wien: Bundesministerium für Land- und Fortswirtschaft, 2000.
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Wieser, Gerhard. Troposphärisches Ozon--ein Risikofaktor für Koniferen der montanen und subalpinen Stufe Österreichs? =: Tropospheric ozone--a risk for conifers at high altitude in Austria? Wien: Forstliche Bundesversuchsanstalt, 2001.
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Jacobsen, Dean, and Olivier Dangles. Ecology of High Altitude Waters. Oxford University Press, 2017.
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Jacobsen, Dean, and Olivier Dangles. Ecology of High Altitude Waters. Oxford University Press, 2017.
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Jacobsen, Dean, and Olivier Dangles. Ecology of High Altitude Waters. Oxford University Press, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198736868.001.0001.
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This book brings together current knowledge on patterns and processes in the ecology of streams, lakes, and wetlands situated at more than 3000 m above sea level. The alpine headwaters of the large Asian rivers and Lake Titicaca are both well-known and iconic examples. High altitude waters include more than these systems—they are both numerous and cover many habitat types, organisms, and specializations. The book provides an overview of the variety of aquatic ecosystems and habitats, their environmental features, prominent species, and their functional adaptations to the harsh aquatic environmental conditions through to global diversity patterns along altitudinal gradients, community dynamics, species interactions and dispersal, trophic relations, and energy flows. High altitude waters are ideal systems to address a broad range of topical themes in ecology because patterns and processes are both diverse and singular. The book highlights how key concepts in ecology (e.g. the stress gradient hypothesis, the biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationship) could find relevant study models in high altitude waters. The usual perception of pristine mountain waters is far from true, particularly in the case of high altitude waters at low latitudes where human population density is often high, and local communities live in intimate contact with, utilize, influence, and exploit these aquatic systems. Climate change effects, extinction risks of mountain populations due to vanishing glaciers, multiple human impacts, management, and conservation are also treated thoroughly. The book is richly illustrated with diagrams and numerous pictures of these poorly known systems and species.
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High Altitude Primates. Springer, 2013.
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Grow, Nanda B., Sharon Gursky-Doyen, and Alicia Krzton. High Altitude Primates. Springer London, Limited, 2013.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "High altitude ecology"
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Rothman, Jessica M., John Bosco Nkurunungi, Bianca F. Shannon, and Margaret A. H. Bryer. "High Altitude Diets: Implications for the Feeding and Nutritional Ecology of Mountain Gorillas." In High Altitude Primates, 247–64. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8175-1_14.
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Nijman, Vincent. "Distribution and Ecology of the Most Tropical of the High-Elevation Montane Colobines: The Ebony Langur on Java." In High Altitude Primates, 115–32. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2013. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8175-1_7.
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Lozny, Ludomir R. "The Organizational Scheme of High-Altitude Summer Pastures: The Dialectics of Conflict and Cooperation." In Studies in Human Ecology and Adaptation, 103–24. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15800-2_6.
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Jersabek, Christian D. "Distribution and ecology of rotifer communities in high-altitude alpine sites — a multivariate approach 1." In Rotifera VII, 75–89. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, 1995. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-1583-1_10.
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Jacobsen, Dean. "Tropical High-Altitude Streams." In Tropical Stream Ecology, 219—VIII. Elsevier, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-012088449-0.50010-8.
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"An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy." In An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, xxiii—xxiv. Cambridge University Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511610943.002.
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"Challenges of High-Altitude Living." In An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, 25–38. Cambridge University Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511610943.004.
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"An Ecology of Infancy in Ladakh." In An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, 105–45. Cambridge University Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511610943.007.
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"Introduction." In An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, 1–24. Cambridge University Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511610943.003.
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"Contextualizing Reproductive Health Research in Ladakh." In An Ecology of High-Altitude Infancy, 39–70. Cambridge University Press, 2004. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511610943.005.
Full textConference papers on the topic "High altitude ecology"
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Starozhilov, Valery T. "STRUCTURAL ORGANIZATION OF HIGH-ALTITUDE LANDSCAPE COMPLEXES OF THE EASTERN SIKHOTE-ALIN CATCHMENT BASIN AS A BASIS FOR GEOECOLOGICAL RESEARCH." In Treshnikov readings – 2021 Modern geographical global picture and technology of geographic education. Ulyanovsk State Pedagogical University named after I. N. Ulyanov, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.33065/978-5-907216-08-2-2021-72-74.
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The article considers high-altitude landscape complexes of the catchment area of the Eastern Sikhote-Alin and their structural organization as the basis of geoecological research. There are low-mountain, dismembered medium-mountain, massively medium-mountain, goltsovye high-altitude landscape complexes. Structuring and classification are presented for further study of structures as objects of industry indication, including water ecology and the possibility of using high-altitude landscape complexes as areas of development.