Why are the Andes mountains so diverse?

Why are the Andes mountains so diverse?

The Andes are most diverse in Colombia, where the mountain system is subdivided into three branches created by the valleys of the Atrato, Magdalena, and Cauca rivers. This subdivision has generated contrasting piedmonts on each range.

What are the ecosystems of the Andes?

The Tropical Andes contain a wide spectrum of microclimates, harbouring a unique diversity of ecosystems, such as glaciers, high mountain grasslands, mountain forests, rivers, lakes and wetlands.

Why is biodiversity important to the Andes?

However, biodiversity in the Tropical Andes is critical to anyone and everyone who relies on its biodiversity for a food source—which is actually much of the world. The region is a source of thousands of different species of potato, legumes, fruits, and roots, along with different species of grains such as quinoa.

Why is Andes named as the global epicenter of biodiversity?

Biodiversity. The Tropical Andes are a biodiversity hotspot named the “global epicentre of biodiversity” according to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. The Tropical Andes is an area of rich biodiversity. This location contains about 45,000 plant species of which 20,000 are endemic.

What is biodiversity and why is it important for ecosystem health?

Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example, A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops. Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms.

What do you know about biodiversity?

The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.

Are there forests in the Andes?

The extraordinary cloud forests of the Andes occur because humidity moving west from the Amazon rainforests cools and condenses into water as it rises up the mountain slopes. Straddling the equator, the Andean cloud forests of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru are the most diverse, fragile and complex cloud forests on earth.

What kind of animals live in the Andes Mountains?

The members of the genus Lycalopex are fox-like canids found in the Andean region of South America. The most common among the six species of this unique canid group is the South American gray fox. Others include the Andean fox, Pampas fox, Hoary fox, Darwin’s fox, and the Sechuran fox.

What is one ecosystem service or resource from the Andes region that humans rely on?

Importance of Ecosystem Services Andean waters irrigate major agricultural regions of South America and provide a major source of power through hydropower for many of the hotspot’s 57 million citizens.

What are some interesting facts about the Andes Mountains?

The Andes are the world’s highest mountain range outside of Asia. The average height of Andes Mountains is approximately 4,000 meters (13,000 feet). The highest elevation in the Andes is Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, which is 6,961 meters (22,838 feet) above sea level. It is the highest mountain outside Asia.

What is a ecosystem diversity?

Ecosystem Diversity can be defined as the variety of different habitats, communities and ecological processes. A biological community is defined by the species that occupy a particular area and the interactions between those species.

Why is diversity important in an ecosystem?