ALPECOLE
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Alpine plant biodiversity
Kammer

In mountain massifs, the richness of vascular plant species is regularly greater than in the surrounding lowlands. This unit shows the causes leading to this phenomenon. It further explains the formation of endemic species as well as the nature of plant communities. Moreover, an introduction to the most frequent plant communities above treeline in the European Alps, including their habitat characteristics and floristic composition, is given in form of a virtual excursion. Finally, the impact of human activities and global climate warming on vascular plant species richness in the alpine life zone are discussed.

 

Start Learning objectives Endemism Endemic species Taxonomic diversity Community diversity Excursion documents Virtual excursion Additional communities Community species richness Habitat diversity Conclusions Human impact Global change Artificial snow Review test
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29 August 2011
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