Montane Grasslands and Shrublands

Montane grasslands and shrublands are a biome of high-elevation, largely treeless grassland and shrub vegetation found on tropical, subtropical and temperate mountain ranges worldwide, including the Ethiopian Highlands, the Andean paramo, the East African highlands and parts of the Tibetan Plateau. They sit in a distinct elevational band below true alpine tundra, where cold and wind still exclude closed forest but the growing season is long enough to support grasses, herbs and low woody shrubs rather than the sparse cushion plants and bare rock of the zone above. Many of these grasslands are isolated by the surrounding lowlands and higher peaks, producing unusually high rates of endemism among their plants and animals.