List of life zones by region
The climate and ecology of different locations on the globe naturally separate into life zones, depending on elevation, latitude, and location. The generally strong dependency on elevation is known as altitudinal zonation: the average temperature of a location decreases as the elevation increases.
The general effect of elevation depends on atmospheric physics. However, the specific climate and ecology of any particular location depends on specific features of that location. This article provides a list of life zones by region, in order to illustrate the features of life zones for regions around the globe.
Central Europe: Switzerland and Germany
Planar zone, under 300 m, under 150 m, agriculture.Foothill zone, 300 – 800 m, 150 – 300 m, oak limit. European Beech, Sessile oak, Pedunculate oak or English oak, European or common hornbeam and small-leaved Lime. Grape crop limit, around 600 m, Switzerland, North, south-facing slopes, estimated 7.5 °C. Crops: maize for feed; sweet maize.Submontane zone, 700 - 1,000 m, 300 – 450 m, European Beech, Silver Fir or European Silver Fir and Norway Spruce. Coniferous forests by reforestation limit around 800 m, North.Montane zone, 800 – 1,200 m, 450 – 650 m, rye crop limit and wheat crop limit.Mid-Montane zone, 1,000 – 1,400 m, 650 – 800 m. Limit of the whole year populated areas, limit of a growing season of 100 days.Altimontane zone, 1,300 – 1,850 m, 800 – 1,500 m. Deciduous forests limit, Sycamore Maple and European Beech.Subalpine zone, 1,500 – 2,500 m, above 1,500 m, Scots Pine, Norway Spruce, Swiss Pine limit and European Larch limit, 2,000 m, some specimens up to 2,850 m, south-facing slopes. Tree line and Krummholz zone or ecotone, Sub-alpine meadow and Alpine climate.Alpine zone, 2,000 - 3,000 m, Montane grasslands and shrublands. Mountain Pine or Mugo Pine limit. Alpine meadows just used in the warm season.Snow zone, above 3,000 m, alpine desert, permafrost, scree and above snow line.Mediterranean: Corsica
Thermomediterranean vegetation belt, 150 m and 100 m ; shrub of Pistacia lentiscus and dense mediterranean coastal scrub with Quercus ilex, Phillyrea, Myrtus communis and wild olive.- Mesomediterranean vegetation belt, up to 700 m and 900 m ; Erica arborea, Arbutus unedo and Quercus ilex. Forests include Quercus suber, Pinus pinaster, Quercus pubescens and Castanea sativa too.Supramediterranean vegetation belt, 500– 700 m up to 900- 1,000 m, or 800- 1,000 m to 1,200- 1,350 m ; Erica arborea, Quercus ilex, Quercus petraea, Pinus nigra ssp. laricio, Alnus cordata, Ilex aquifolium, Taxus baccata and Ostrya carpinifolia.Montane vegetation belt, 900- 1,000 m to 1,600 m and 1,300 to 1,800 m ; forests of Pinus nigra ssp. laricio, Fagus sylvatica and Abies alba. Quercus ilex, Quercus pubescens, Pinus pinaster, Castanea sativa and Erica arborea not present anymore.Cryo-oromediterranean vegetation belt, 1,700- 1,800 m to 2,200 m ; above the upper Tree line, dwarft bushes of Genista lobelii var. lobelioides, Astragalus sirinicus ssp. genargenteus, Anthyllis hemanniae, Thymus herbabarona, Berberis aetnensis and Juniperus communis ssp. alpina.Subalpine vegetation belt, 1,400- 1,600 m to 2,100 m ; Alnus viridis ssp. suaveolens, Acer pseudoplatanus, Sorbus aucuparia ssp. praemorsa.Alpine vegetation belt, above 2,100 m; sparse vegetation.
- Indicator plants: Rock Speedwell, Potentilla crassinervia, Armeria pusilla, Cerastium thomasii, Phyteuma serratum, Stachys corsica and Helichrysum frigidum.
Tropical Andes 10°S
Classic Version - Regions of the Amazonic Side- Sea level,, but the cold Humboldt Current generates fog.
- Tierra caliente up to.
- Tierra templada up to. The warmest month has an average temperature of below.
- Tierra fría below. The warmest month has an average temperature of below.
- Tierra helada above. The tree line occurs when the warmest month has an average temperature of below.
- Tierra Nevada, above the Snow line at.
Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, Tanzania & Mount Kenya, Kenya,- Malindi; Kenya; 23 m; average annual temperature 26.5 °C; average annual precipitation 1'095 mm;
- Kilimanjaro Base at around 1,300, crops at around 1,300 - 1,800 m : Coffee, Banana, Mango, Avocado. Traditional agriculture uses a multilayer system to save water: Bananas are under the shadows of mango trees, avocado trees and Albizia schimperiana var. amaniensis, Coffee bushes and vegetables are under the shadows of bananas;
- Nairobi International Airport; Kenya; 1,624 m; average annual temperature 19.0 °C; average annual precipitation 889 mm;
- Subtropical moist broadleaf forests, between, max. 3,300 m. Bamboo Zone needs quite a lot of water, it is missing at the Kilimanjaro because of the agriculture;
- Timberline forest, "goat's beard" lichen, between ;
- Tree line,, max. 3,500 m ;
- Heathland and chaparral, between. Giant Lobelias, up to ca. 4,000 m; Subalpine forests with Ericaceae up to 4,100 m ;
- Afro-alpine zone, above about, giant groundsels up to 4,500 m;
- Nival zone, usually above.
- Vulcano Kibo - Uhuru Peak, 5,895 m rock and ice. As the conifers are absent, the tree line is lower.
Vegetation zones
In the altitudes between some of the most extreme examples of adaptations can be found. At altitudes below the daily temperature fluctuations are less extreme, the average daily temperature steadily increases, and the growth forms and ecology of the Dendroseneico reflect the increased influence of biotic factors over abiotic factors.Jade Dragon Snow Mountains
The Jade Dragon Snow Mountains contain the glacier nearest of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere. The landmarks 4,506 m and 4,680 m at the end of the glacier can be reached through the cable car from Ganhaizi. The mountain desert begins around 4,000 m. The Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan encompasses the watershed areas of the Yangtze, Mekong and Salween rivers and is the joint of the Palearctic realm and the Indomalayan realm.- Shanzidou Peak; ;
- Lijiang; Yunnan is at 2,600 m, the Black Dragon Pool is 15 km south of the mountains;
- Quambo/ Changdu; 3,306 m; avg annual temperature 7.5 °C; avg annual precipitation 463 mm;
- Sichuan Xichang; 1,591 m; avg annual temperature 16.9 °C; avg annual precipitation 974 mm;
- Taiwan Airport; 48 m; avg annual temperature 21.6 °C; avg annual precipitation 1,714 mm;
- Haikou airport, Hainan; 15 m; avg annual temperature 23.9 °C; avg annual precipitation 1,613 mm;
- Hanoi; 15 m; avg annual temperature 23.8 °C; avg annual precipitation 1,682 mm;
Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacífico
- Mazatlán; 4 m; average annual temperature 24.3 °C, average annual precipitation 860 mm,
- City of Los Mochis, Sinaloa and its port Topolobampo; sea level
- Rising as high as above sea level near the continental divide
- Chihuahua, Chihuahua; 1,435 m; average annual temperature 18.4 °C, average annual precipitation 368 mm,
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
- Dhaka, Bangladesh; 9 m; average annual temperature 25.6 °C, average annual precipitation 2,039 mm,
- Kolkata, West Bengal; 6 m; average annual temperature 26.9 °C, average annual precipitation 1,739 mm,
- Rangpur, Bangladesh; 34 m; average annual temperature 24.2 °C, average annual precipitation 2,309.5 mm,
- Siliguri, West Bengal; 122 m; average annual temperature is 23.7 °C, average annual precipitation 3,340 mm,
- Cherrapunji, Meghalaya; 1,313m; average annual temperature 17.3 °C, average annual precipitation 11,777 mm,
- Darjeeling, West Bengal; 2,127 m; average annual temperature 11.8 °C, average annual precipitation 3,037 mm,
Other regions
- Life zones of the North Cascades in the Pacific Northwest of America
- Life zones of the Sierra Nevada in California