THE ALPINE BIOME
By: Gavin
Taylor
KEY POINTS
Lies at an altitude of
about 10,000ft
Commonly found in
mountain regions
Usually the snow
line of a mountain
Temps. Range from
40-60˚F (4.515.5˚C)
Altitudes ↑ then
temperatures ↓
Winters last from
Oct-May, summers
are from June-Sept
Fairly dry with a
precipitation level of
12in (30cm)
annually
RESEARCH AND BACKGROUND INFO.
Producers- Smallleafed Shrubs, Dwarf
Trees, and Tussock
Grasses
Primary consumerssheep, Hoary
Marmot, and
Chickaree
Secondary
consumer- Fox and
Weasel
Tertiary consumerGoat
Decomposers- bugs
and fungi
SUMMARY (FIRST 3 PGS.)
 Energy enters most
ecosystems in the form
of sunlight.
 Energy flows through
ecosystems while
matter cycles through
them.
 The principal of
conservation of energy
states that energy
cannot be created or
destroyed, but only
transformed.
 Some energy is always
lost as heat in any
conversion process
 If decomposition
stopped, all life on
Earth would be detritus.
 The amount of light
energy converted to
chemical energy by
autotrophs is an
ecosystem’s primary
production.
FOOD WEB
Goats
Bugs and
Fungi
Foxes and
Weasels
Detritus
Sheep, Hoary Marmot,
and Chickaree
Small-leafed shrubs, Dwarf Trees, and Tussock
grasses
SUMMARY (LAST 3 PGS.)
 In most ecosystems,
herbivores eat only small
fraction of plant material
product.
 Trophic efficiencies usually
range from 5-20%,
depending on the type of
ecosystem. 80-95% of the
energy available is not
transferred.
 Most biomass pyramids
narrow sharply from
primary producers at the
base to top-level carnivores
at the apex.
 According to the green
world hypothesis,
terrestrial herbivores
consume relatively little
plant biomass because
they are held in check by a
variety of factors, including
predators, parasites, and
disease
 We can measure the
efficiency of animals as
energy transformers using
the following formula:
Production efficiency= Net secondary production
Assimilation of primary production
ENERGY PYRAMID
10 J
Secondary Consumers
100 J
Tertiary Consumers