Question

Describe the ecological island effect and how this is related to mountain floral zonation.

Describe the formation of the transverse mountain ranges in Southern California and its impact on the environment.

What are the characteristics of a succulent that gives it a selective advantage. Where would they be found? Provide examples of both desert and montane succulents.

Answer 1

1. Ecological island effect

An ecological island is not an island surrounded by water, but part of the land is isolated from the surrounding land by natural or artificial means, where there are natural micro-habitats in the midst of a large diverse ecosystem.

For example, The largest and highest area of mountain lands occurs in the Himalaya-Tibet region; the longest nearly continuous mountain range is that along the west coast of the Americas from Alaska in the north to Chile in the south. This are not an islands surrounded by a water but the part of land is isolated from the surrounding land by natural.

2. The Transverse Ranges of southern California

The Transverse Ranges are a group of mountain ranges of southern California, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region. It is the set of three mountain chains that were formed by a series of tectonic forces because of the interaction of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate along the San Andreas Fault system. Erosion and Sediment Yields in the Transverse Ranges.

3. Characteristics of succulent

• Defining characteristic - water storage.
• Succulents have stems, leaves or roots that collect water when it's available and save it for the dry time of year.
• This special ability allows these hardy plants to survive on their internal stores of water for extended droughts.

Other than Antarctica, succulents can be found within each continent. Most of the driest places such as steppes, semi-desert.

Desert succulent - agave, yucca and sotol.

Mountane succulent - Crassula atropurpurea (Purple Crassula), Landscape with cacti (Echinopsis atacamensis)