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Biome

Montane Grasslands and Shrublands

Grassland, Savanna and Shrubland Biomes

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.

Facts
Climate
Annual Precipitation (mm)
2000 1
2000mm is the source's own stated floor ('more than 2,000mm/year') for the Northern Andean paramo's high-elevation zone.
Typical High Temperature (C)
30 1
30C is the source's own stated daytime high for the Northern Andean paramo, a tropical alpine grassland used as this biome's representative example; African and Asian montane grasslands vary from this.
Disputed
Typical Low Temperature (C)
-2 1
The source states nights fall below freezing at this ecoregion's higher elevations without an exact figure; -2C is a reasoned representative frost value, not a measured extreme.
Montane Grasslands and Shrublands
Filter Results3 entries
Connections

Home To

Source Abyssinian genet (Wikipedia)
Alpine Ibex, Species
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Barbour's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source Black-clawed brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Source Blick's grass rat (Wikipedia)
Source Burton's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Common Eland, Species
Source Common eland (Wikipedia)
Source Plants For A Future: Digitalis purpurea
Source Cuanza vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source Dent's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source Desert pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Dollman's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Edelweiss, Species
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Ethiopian highland hare (Wikipedia)
Source Ethiopian narrow-headed rat (Wikipedia)
Source Ethiopian vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Foxglove, Species
Source Plants For A Future: Digitalis purpurea
Giluwe rat, Species
Source Giluwe rat (Wikipedia)
Source Gray brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Gray marmot, Species
Source Gray marmot (Wikipedia)
Source Gray-bellied pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Gray-tailed narrow-headed rat (Wikipedia)
Heath, Ecosystems
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Kiang, Species
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus kiang (Kiang)
Source Laminate vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Lesser grison, Species
Source Lesser grison (Wikipedia)
Mahomet mouse, Species
Source Mahomet mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Montane shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Moorland, Ecosystems
Source Moorland (Wikipedia)
Source Mount Cameroon brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Mountain Goat, Species
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Animal Diversity Web: Equus zebra (Mountain zebra)
Source Nilgiri marten (Wikipedia)
Oribi, Species
Source Oribi (Wikipedia)
Source Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) (Wikipedia)
Source Plants For A Future: Papaver orientale
Source Rümmler's brush mouse (Wikipedia)
Rupp's mouse, Species
Source Rupp's mouse (Wikipedia)
Source Short-tailed brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Sky Island, Ecosystems
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source Sumatran hog badger (Wikipedia)
Summit rat, Species
Source Summit rat (Wikipedia)
Woolly hare, Species
Source Woolly hare (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Montane Grasslands and Shrublands (Wikipedia)Lead section
Quote, Lead section
subalpine heath in New Guinea and East Africa

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Montane Grasslands and Shrublands (Wikipedia)Lead section
Quote, Lead section
including the puna and p
Sources
1. Northern Andean Paramo (One Earth)
One EarthIntroduction
Quote, Introduction
Image credit: Creative Commons The Northern Andean Páramo ecoregion includes the high altitude wet grasslands that are above the tree line and below the snow line within the equatorial Andes.
View the Source
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
  • Home To: Alpine Ibex
  • Home To: Mountain Goat
  • Home To: Edelweiss
  • Home To: Heath
  • Home To: Sky Island
View the Source
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife FundHome To: Eastern HimalayasView the Source
Moorland (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHome To: Moorland, Lead section, first paragraph, naming moorland biomes directly
Quote, Home To: Moorland, Lead section, first paragraph, naming moorland biomes directly
Moorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on acidic soils.
View the Source
Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul) (Wikipedia)
Home To: Pallas's Cat (Otocolobus manul), Wikipedia intro: "imalayas, Tibetan Plateau to the Altai-Sayan region and South Siberian Mountains. It inhabits rocky montane grasslands and shrublands, where the snow cover is b..."View the Source
Nilgiri marten (Wikipedia)
Home To: Nilgiri marten, Section: Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Nilgiri marten, Section: Distribution and habitat
The Nilgiri marten mainly inhabits the shola grasslands and South Western Ghats montane rain forests, and occasionally the adjacent South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and commercial plantations, that span the Western Ghats in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
View the Source
Lesser grison (Wikipedia)
Home To: Lesser grison, Section: Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Lesser grison, Section: Distribution and habitat
They are found in a wide range of habitats, although generally near water, including grasslands, forests, scrub, and mountain meadows.
View the Source
Sumatran hog badger (Wikipedia)
Home To: Sumatran hog badger, Section: Distribution
Quote, Home To: Sumatran hog badger, Section: Distribution
Their core habitat is generally montane and cloud forests and tropical subalpine meadows between 200 and 2,600 metres (660 and 8,530 ft) above sea level.
View the Source
Abyssinian genet (Wikipedia)
Home To: Abyssinian genet, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Abyssinian genet, Distribution and habitat
The Abyssinian genet inhabits coastal plains, Afromontane grasslands, and mountain moorlands.
View the Source
Oribi (Wikipedia)
Home To: Oribi, Lead
Quote, Home To: Oribi, Lead
The oribi occurs in a variety of habitats, from savannahs, floodplains and tropical grasslands with 10-100 centimetres (3.9-39.4 in) tall grasses to montane grasslands at low altitudes, up to 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) above the sea level.
View the Source
Common eland (Wikipedia)
Home To: Common Eland, Lead
Quote, Home To: Common Eland, Lead
The common eland prefers habitats with a wide variety of flowering plants such as savannah, woodlands, and open and montane grasslands; it avoids dense forests.
View the Source
Animal Diversity Web: Equus zebra (Mountain zebra)
Home To: Mountain Zebra, Habitat
Quote, Home To: Mountain Zebra, Habitat
Mountain zebras inhabit slopes and plateaus in mountainous areas of South Africa and Namibia (South West Africa).
View the Source
Animal Diversity Web: Equus kiang (Kiang)
Home To: Kiang, Habitat
Quote, Home To: Kiang, Habitat
live in alpine grass lands of elevation range from 4000 m to 7000 m.
View the Source
Woolly hare (Wikipedia)
Home To: Woolly hare, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Woolly hare, Distribution and habitat
The woolly hare mainly inhabits high altitude grasslands.
View the Source
Ethiopian highland hare (Wikipedia)
Home To: Ethiopian highland hare, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Ethiopian highland hare, Distribution and habitat
it is known to inhabit restricted montane moorlands or grasslands, in open highland regions of its distribution
View the Source
Dent's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Dent's vlei rat, Lead, habitats
Quote, Home To: Dent's vlei rat, Lead, habitats
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
View the Source
Black-clawed brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Black-clawed brush-furred rat, Lead
Quote, Home To: Black-clawed brush-furred rat, Lead
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Blick's grass rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Blick's grass rat, Lead
Quote, Home To: Blick's grass rat, Lead
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Burton's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Burton's vlei rat, Lead, habitat highland
Quote, Home To: Burton's vlei rat, Lead, habitat highland
subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Gray brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Gray brush-furred rat, Lead, grassland habitat
Quote, Home To: Gray brush-furred rat, Lead, grassland habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical swamps, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
View the Source
Cuanza vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Cuanza vlei rat, Habitat sentence, high-altitude grassland
Quote, Home To: Cuanza vlei rat, Habitat sentence, high-altitude grassland
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Ethiopian vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Ethiopian vlei rat, Habitat
Quote, Home To: Ethiopian vlei rat, Habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Barbour's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Barbour's vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Barbour's vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
View the Source
Desert pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Desert pygmy mouse, Habitat sentence, high-altitude grassland
Quote, Home To: Desert pygmy mouse, Habitat sentence, high-altitude grassland
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Giluwe rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Giluwe rat, Habitat
Quote, Home To: Giluwe rat, Habitat
It is found only in Papua New Guinea, on Mount Giluwe and the subalpine grasslands of the Kaijende Highlands.
View the Source
Dollman's vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Dollman's vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Dollman's vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps.
View the Source
Ethiopian narrow-headed rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Ethiopian narrow-headed rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Ethiopian narrow-headed rat, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-elevation shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-elevation grassland.
View the Source
Gray-bellied pygmy mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Gray-bellied pygmy mouse, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Gray-bellied pygmy mouse, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Mount Cameroon brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Mount Cameroon brush-furred rat, Lead, habitats
Quote, Home To: Mount Cameroon brush-furred rat, Lead, habitats
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Short-tailed brush-furred rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Short-tailed brush-furred rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Short-tailed brush-furred rat, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Montane shaggy rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Montane shaggy rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Montane shaggy rat, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland
View the Source
Gray-tailed narrow-headed rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Gray-tailed narrow-headed rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Gray-tailed narrow-headed rat, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-elevation grassland
View the Source
Laminate vlei rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Laminate vlei rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Laminate vlei rat, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and swamps
View the Source
Mahomet mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Mahomet mouse, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Mahomet mouse, Lead, habitat
subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland
View the Source
Summit rat (Wikipedia)
Home To: Summit rat, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Summit rat, Lead, habitat
higher altitude dwarf forest and montane scrubland
View the Source
Rümmler's brush mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Rümmler's brush mouse, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Rümmler's brush mouse, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.
View the Source
Mittendorf's striped grass mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Mittendorf's striped grass mouse, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Mittendorf's striped grass mouse, Distribution and habitat
it is found in the montane grassland above the forest belt
View the Source
Rupp's mouse (Wikipedia)
Home To: Rupp's mouse, Lead, habitat
Quote, Home To: Rupp's mouse, Lead, habitat
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.
View the Source
Gray marmot (Wikipedia)
Home To: Gray marmot, Distribution and habitat
Quote, Home To: Gray marmot, Distribution and habitat
Gray marmots live in mountain meadows and steppes
View the Source
Plants For A Future: Digitalis purpurea
Plants For A Future
  • Home To: Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), Habitats
    Acid soils in woods, heaths, mountain grasslands etc
  • Home To: Foxglove, Habitats
    Acid soils in woods, heaths, mountain grasslands etc
View the Source
Plants For A Future: Papaver orientale
Plants For A FutureHome To: Papaver orientale, Habitats
Quote, Home To: Papaver orientale, Habitats
Meadows, usually in sub-alpine zones, but also on stony slopes in the lower mountain zone
View the Source

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