Download or read book Structure and Function of an Alpine Ecosystem written by William D. Bowman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2001-04-26 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book will provide a complete overview of an alpine ecosystem, based on the long-term research conducted at the Niwot Ridge LTER. There is, at present, no general book on alpine ecology. The alpine ecosystem features conditions near the limits of biological existence, and is a useful laboratory for asking more general ecological questions, because it offers large environmental change over relatively short distances. Factors such as macroclimate, microclimate, soil conditions, biota, and various biological factors change on differing scales, allowing insight into the relative contributions of the different factors on ecological outcomes.