View source for Montane grasslands and shrublands

{{See also|Montane ecosystem}}
{{short description|Biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund}}
[[File:Biome_map_10.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Montane grasslands and shrublands extent]]

'''Montane grasslands and shrublands''' are a [[biome]] defined by the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]].<ref name=wwf>{{CC-notice|bysa3}} {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401124639/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat10.cfm|archive-date=2011-04-01|url=http://wwf.panda.org:80/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat10.cfm|title=Montane Grasslands and Shrubland Ecoregions|author=World Wide Fund for Nature|access-date=2019-05-29|url-status=live}}</ref> The term ''montane'' in the name of the biome refers to high elevation, rather than the ecological term that denotes the region below the [[treeline]]. The biome includes high-elevation ([[montane ecosystem|montane]] and [[alpine tundra|alpine]]) [[grassland]]s and [[shrubland]]s around the world, including the [[Puna grassland|puna]] and [[páramo]] in South America, [[subalpine zone|subalpine]] heath in New Guinea and East Africa, [[steppe]]s of the Tibetan plateaus, and other similar subalpine habitats.<ref name=wwf/>
Drier subtropical montane grasslands, savannas, and woodlands include the [[Ethiopian Highlands]], the [[Eastern Highlands|Zambezian montane grasslands]] and woodlands, and the montane habitats of southeastern Africa.<ref name=wwf/><ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Werger|editor-first1=MJA|editor-last2=van Bruggen|editor-first2=AC|year=1978|title=Biogeography and ecology of southern Africa|publisher=Springer|isbn=9789061930839}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=White|first=F|year=1983|title=The vegetation of Africa: A descriptive memoir to accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO vegetation map of Africa|series=Natural Resources Research|volume=20|publisher=UNESCO|location=Paris, France}}</ref>

The páramos of the northern [[Andes]] are the most extensive examples of the habitat type. Although ecoregion biotas are most diverse in the Andes, these ecosystems are distinctive wherever they occur in the tropics. The heathlands and moorlands of East Africa (e.g., [[Mount Kilimanjaro]], [[Mount Kenya]], [[Rwenzori Mountains]]), [[Mount Kinabalu]] of Borneo, and the [[New Guinea Highlands|Central Range of New Guinea]] are all limited in extent, isolated, and support endemic plants and animals.<ref name=wwf/>
The plants and animals of tropical montane páramos display striking adaptations to cool, wet conditions and intense sunlight. Around the world, characteristic plants of these habitats display features such as [[rosette (botany)|rosette structure]]s, waxy surfaces, and abundant [[pilosity]].<ref name=wwf/>

The montane grasslands of the [[Tibetan Plateau]] still support relatively intact migrations of Tibetan antelope (''[[Pantholops hodgsoni]]'') and kiang, or Tibetan wild ass (''[[Equus hemionus]]''). A unique feature of many tropical páramos is the presence of giant rosette plants from a variety of plant families, such as [[Lobelia]] (Africa), [[Puya (genus)|Puya]] (South America), [[Cyathea]] (New Guinea), and [[Argyroxiphium]] (Hawai’i). These plant forms can reach elevations of {{convert|4,500-4,600|m}} above sea level.<ref name=wwf/>

==Montane grassland and shrubland ecoregions==
{{clear right}}
{{Afrotropical montane grasslands and shrublands}}
{{Australasian montane grasslands and shrublands}}
{{Indomalayan montane grasslands and shrublands}}
{{Neotropical montane grasslands and shrublands}}
{{Paleartic montane grasslands and shrublands}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Environment|Ecology|Earth sciences}}
*{{annotated link|Montane ecosystems}}
*{{annotated link|Steppe}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons-inline}}

{{Biomes}}
{{Biodiversity of South Africa|ecoreg}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Montane Grasslands And Shrublands}}
[[Category:Montane grasslands and shrublands| ]]
[[Category:Montane ecology]]
[[Category:Terrestrial biomes]]