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Alpine Biome
Marielis, Kierah, Ryan, Alex
Table of Contents
• Map of the Alpine
• Physical Landscape
• Plant Life
• Animal Life
• Human Influences
Map of the Alpine
Physical Landscape
I researched the Alpine biome. The Alpine biome is very cold. The temperature in the
Alpine biome is very low. It is about 14 degrees F. The Alpine biome is the coldest biome in
the world. The biome is located on mountains where trees can’t grow. In the Alpine biome,
it is snowy, windy, and also has ice.
The alpine biome is located in different continents. They are in North America, South
America, Europe and Asia. The location of the Alpine biome is found in mountains regions
worldwide.
There are many plants in the Alpine biome. One plant is called the Pygmy Bitterroot.
The flower is small. It is white with dark pink veins running through the petals. The Pygmy
Bitterroot lives in the Alpine biome. Also the plant is very pretty.
There are also many animals in the Alpine biome. This animal is very cute. lt is called
the snowshoe rabbit. It is 413 to 518 mm long. The snowshoe has a brown coat in the
summer and in the winter, the coat is white.
The Phacelia
• There are 200 kinds of alpine plants. Tall
trees cannot grow in the alpine biome. This
plant is called a Phacelia. It’s a plant that’s in
the alpine biome. This plant is 1 to 2 feet
tall. Its color is blue, violet, and white. It’s a
bowl-shaped flower. It has 10 to 100
flowers. The leaves are covered with silky,
woolly hairs. The lower leaves are large and
the upper leaves become smaller. These
alpine plants grow slowly. They protect
themselves by hugging the ground. It grows
on rocky, open or wooded places in the
mountains. They must adapt to heavy snow
and wind. They grow in sandy and rocky soil.
Bear Grass
• This plant is called bear grass. It’s about 4.5 feet tall. Its
color is olive color. The leaves are shaped like a saucer. It
grows 3.5 inches long. The common name is Indian
basket or grass soap flowers. It is found in open forest.
The flower grows in 5 to7 years. They are creamy and
white. When it makes the fruit, the plant dies. Here’s
how they adapt. It’s found in open forest and meadows
at the sub-alpine and low alpine elevations in the
western United States. It’s a fire resistant species, that is
the first plant to grow after a fire. It sprouts from its
rhizomes. The roots and leaves are used in weaving.
THE ALPACA
Alpacas weigh about 340 pounds. The alpaca has 22 different shades of color for its
coat like black, gray, white, brown. The alpaca is 3-3.5 feet tall at the shoulder, and
measures between 4-7 feet in body length. This animal lives in the Andes Mountains of
South America. The alpaca is prey to pumas, leopards and other carnivores in the wild.
The alpaca has thick fur to survive in the cold climate of the Andes. Its long neck helps
it to see predators over the big rocks of the mountain slopes.
The alpaca were almost extinct following the invasion of the Spanish
conquistadors in the regions of South America. The alpaca is a herbivore. That means
that it eats plants. The alpaca grazes on grass and eats weeds, shrubs and trees. It has
special stomach secretions that helps it absorb 50% more nutrients than sheep
allowing it to survive where there is poor quality grass. There are plenty in the wild at
about 3-5 million strong. These animals have been domesticated for over 5,000 years.
THE SNOW LEOPARD
The snow leopard is 32-34 feet long and the shoulders are 24 inches from the
ground. The color is gray and dark gray spots. The snow leopard lives in the
Himalayan Mountains. It eats wild sheep, wild boars, gazelles, hares, markhor, tahr,
bobak, marmots, mice, and deer. The snow leopard is a carnivore. That means it
eats meat.
Human Influences
• People travelled to the alpines because it was
beautiful. People polluted the air. There also was
river and lake pollution. There was noise
pollution. People caused erosion because people
constructed roads and ski slopes. People also cut
down trees. People caused the temperature to
change and snow melted. Indians of the Andes
Mountains in South America and the Sherpa from
the Himalayas in Asia have large lungs because
they need more oxygen. People from the Sherpa
help people climb Mount Everest. The Sherpas
are naturally born mountaineers.