Sub-alpine ecosystem

The Subalpine Life Ecosystem

By Ava, Alex, Kendall, and Miller

Here you will learn about the birds, animals, plants, characteristics, and impacts in this ecosystem. It is found on Independence Pass and many other places in Colorado. The winter dominates the subalpine zone for the majority of the year. The high elevations (9,842 - 11,482 ft) make it cold and the atmosphere is light. The climate is cool and moist and often windy. The average temp is 36.5 fahrenheit. Most precipitation is in the form of snow. The average precipitation is 35 to 30 inches a year but snow drifts can measure up to 7 feet deep!
The land in the subalpine zone is very rocky and steep. There are meadows, mountain streams and peaks. Summer in the subalpine lasts from late June to early September.

This is a picture of a subalpine meadow.

Birds

Many birds live in the sub-alpine life zone, but here are a few:

Gray Jay

-Habitat: Spruce forests, Conifer forests

-Diet: Seeds, berries, nestlings, insects, human food

-Predators: Merlin, Northern Pygmy-owl

-Adaptations: Collect food for winter

Red tailed Hawk

-Habitat: Coniferous forest

-Diet: Meat, small animals

-Predators: None

-Adaptations: Talons, sharp beaks

Blue Grouse

-Habitat: Subalpine, Conifer forests

-Diet: Insects, plants

-Predators: Humans,

-Adaptations: Camouflage

Northern Pygmy-owl
-Habitat: Coniferous forest

-Diet: Rodents, birds, insects

-Predators: None

-Adaptations: Talons, Special wings

Mountain Chickadee

-Habitat: Conifer forests

-Diet: seeds, berries, insects

-Predators: Hawks, owls, snakes

-Adaptations: Warm plumage, early breeding time, no migration

Pine Grosbeak

-Habitat: Open woodland, coniferous forest

-Diet: Seeds, fruits, insects

-Predators: Raptors

-Adaptations: Migration, short beak (good for eating berries)

Consumers are animals that eat plants or eat animals. Consumers are divided into three main categories, Carnivores, that eat meat, Herbivores, that eat plants, and Omnivores, that have a diet of meat and plants.

Carnivores:

Lynx

The Lynx lives in the forested areas of Alaska and Northern America. At one point lynx were critically endangered in Colorado, but recently they have been reintroduced.
They have thick warm fur and an excellent sense of sight, smell and hearing for hunting.
Lynx feed off of rodents, birds and hares.

Mountain Lion

The mountain lion lives from southwestern Canada to the southern most parts of South America. The main prey of the mountain lion is the white-tailed mule deer.
Mountain lions are strong and swift so they can catch their prey easily.

Herbivores:

Pine Squirrel:

Pine Squirrels live in tree cavities in coniferous forests. They are generally very aggressive animals.
They eat seeds, berries, bark, and insects.
The Pine Squirrel’s long, bushy tail is there to help them balance when they climb trees.

Marmot:

Marmots usually live in subalpine meadows or edges of forests. They love to eat grasses, flowers, herbs, and seeds. Marmots can whistle very loudly to warn others when a threat is near.

Omnivore:

Black Bear:

The Black Bear is usually found in the forested areas of Canada, USA, and Mexico. During the winter, the Black Bear hibernates in the den it builds. You might think of the Black Bear as a hunter, but it’s diet is 95% plant based (such as berries). The black bear has strong muscles and long curved claws to get to it’s food.

Pine Marten

The Pine Marten eats small birds and mammals, but they also eat insects, nuts, and fruits. Martens usually live in elevated cavities in trees. Pine martens are fast and they have large ears for improved hunting.

Consumers

Canada Lynx

Mountain Lion

Pine Squirrel

Marmot

Black Bear

Pine Marten

Engalmann spruce

Bristlecone Pine

Subalpine Fir

Producers

Some major producers are...
Engelmann Spruce
Habitat: coniferous forest, deep moist rich soil
Adaptation: their cones get dropped
and animals pick them up and drop them
Type: coniferous

Indian Paint Brush
Habitat: dry land
Type: low-growing flower
Adaptation: colorful leaves to attract bees, they
trap into other roots to steal nutrients

Bristlecone Pine

Habitat: coniferous forest, dry land
Type: coniferous
Adaptation: cones get dropped and animals grab
them and place them some where new seeds will sprout

Indian Paint Brush

Limber Pine

Rocky mountain Columbine

Human Impacts

Some human impacts are:

-Pets that aren't on leashes can
scare or hurt wildlife

-Humans take the same trail, litter, pick flowers
-Ski resorts/snowmobiles can be loud, and can have many people
-Water supply

-Humans use some plants as medicine

Solutions:

-Pets on leashes

-No littering

-No picking flowers

-Habitat corridors

-Bike or walk

-Water conservation

Habitat Corridor
Lets animals safely pass over highways
while still in green forest and vegetation.

People Hiking
Don't litter or pick flowers. It can hurt
the animals if they eat the trash and
many people pick the flowers, killing
them and possibly taking a food source
from an animal.

The sub-alpine life zone is area filled with animals, plants and adventure. You can hike, bike, camp and more in the beautiful land there. Just remember to protect it and the animals, before they go away.

Video

Works Cited

http://shelledy.mesa.k12.co.us/staff/computerlab/ColoradoLifeZonesInformation.htm
http://www.theanimalfiles.com/
www.adfg.alaska.gov
www.allaboutbirds.org
www.nrel.colostate.edu
http://cdn1.arkive.org/
www.birdweb.org
www.sefs.washington.edu
www.for.gov.bc.ca

Books:
Mutel, Cornelia Fleischer., and John C. Emerick. From Grassland to Glacier: The Natural History of Colorado. Boulder: Johnson, 1984. Print.

Pfaffmann, Garrick, and Hilary Forsyth. Rocky Mountain Birds. Basalt, CO: Bearbop, 2008. Print.