1. BL / ENVS 448 Plant Biodiversity and Ecology Plant Communities of the Rocky Mountains

2. What are plant communities? Often defined by major plant species / types Temperature and precipitation prevail Altitude determines the above Several types in Colorado From lowest (and hottest) to highest (and coldest)

3. Desert and semi-desert Mainly canyon country in the western part of the state Less than 14 inches of rainfall 4,000 to 6,500 feet in elevation Lower areas dominated by shrubs like rabbitbrush and sagebrush Higher areas dominated by Pinyon Pine and Juniper

4. Rabbit brush and Pinyon Pine

5. Moving on up - Grasslands Dominated by grasses 3,500 to 6,500 feet More precipitation (about 20 inches) Eastern third of Colorado Can still find some sagebrush and rabbitbrush and cactus, but many more mixed grasses Tall grass and short grass in Colorado

6. Grasslands

7. Bouteloua sp. Grasslands

8. Big Will and Will J. in tallgrass

9. Prickly Pear amongst the grasses

10. Foothills Includes mesa tops 6,500 to 8,500 feet Ponderosa pine, still some pinyon and juniper Oak thickets (we only have one Gambel’s) Mountain mahogany 14 to 25 inches of precipitation

11. Foothills

12. Inspiration Point – sagebrush and P.J.

13. Will J. enjoying the foothills

14. Bobcat in the foothills

15. Montane Forest Mixed conifer and aspen (most wide ranging tree in U.S.) 8,000 to 10,000 feet Understory vegetation is mostly shrubs Willow shrubs in riparian areas 18-30 inches of precipitation ¼ to ½ as snowfall

16. Montane Forests

17. Pentaphylloides floribunda aka Rocky Mountain Cinquefoil

18. Penstemon whippleanus

19. Aquilegia caerulea

20. Subalpine Thick spruce/fir forests Aspens only in lower elevation here 25-40 inches of precipitation a year Last zone before alpine

21. Hard at work in Breckenridge

22. More hard work in the montane /subalpine

23. Mertensia ciliata mountain bluebell

24. Castilleja rhexifolia X miniata Indian paintbrush

25. Chaemerion danielsii

26. Alpine Alpine tundra (not arctic tundra) Dwarf shrubs, herbs, and cushion plants Above treeline (about 11,500 feet in CO) 30-55 inches of moisture Most as snowfall

27. Above the trees

28. Big horn sheep

29. Eritrichium aretoides alpine forget-me-not

30. Gentiana parryi - Parry’s gentian

31. Silene acaulis – moss campion

32. TROPICAL ALPINE Azorella compacta