See Sierra Nevada for general information about the mountain range in the United States.
Sierra Nevada forests
Subalpine forest at the base of Temple Crag
Ecology
Realm
Nearctic
Biome
Temperate coniferous forests
Bird species
197[1]
Mammal species
103[1]
Geography
Country
United States of America
State
California, Nevada
Conservation
Global 200
Yes
Habitat loss
1.0785%[1]
Protected
72.55%[1]
The ecology of the Sierra Nevada, located in the U.S. states of California and Nevada, is diverse and complex. The combination of climate, topography, moisture, and soils influences the distribution of ecological communities across an elevation gradient from 500 to 14,500 feet (200 to 4,400 m). Biotic zones range from scrub and chaparral communities at lower elevations, to subalpine forests and alpine meadows at the higher elevations. Particular ecoregions that follow elevation contours are often described as a series of belts that follow the length of the Sierra Nevada.[2] There are many hiking trails, paved and unpaved roads, and vast public lands in the Sierra Nevada for exploring the many different biomes and ecosystems.[3]
The western and eastern Sierra Nevada have substantially different species of plants and animals, because the east lies in the rain shadow of the crest. The plants and animals in the east are thus adapted to much drier conditions.[4]
The altitudes listed for the biotic zones are for the central Sierra Nevada.
The climate across the north–south axis of the range varies somewhat: the boundary elevations of the biotic zones move by as much as 1,000 feet (300 m) from the north end to the south end of the range.[4]
^ abcd
Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; et al. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
^Storer, Tracy Irwin; Usinger, Robert Leslie (2004-09-01). Sierra Nevada Natural History. p. 20. ISBN 978-0-520-24096-4.
^ This article incorporates public domain material from "Vegetation Overview". Yosemite National Park. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
^ abSchoenherr, Allan A. (1992). A Natural History of California. University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-06922-6.
and 26 Related for: Ecology of the Sierra Nevada information
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TheSierraNevada (/siˌɛrə nɪˈvædə, -ˈvɑːd-/ see-ERR-ə niv-A(H)D-ə) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California...
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(such as the Central Valley), forested mountains (such as theSierraNevada), and coastal forests. Different authorities define the boundaries of ecoregions...
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TheSierraNevada bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis sierrae) is subspecies of bighorn sheep unique to theSierraNevada mountains of California. A 2016 genetics...
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Sierra National Forest is a U.S. national forest located on the western slope ofthe central SierraNevada in California, bounded on the northwest by Yosemite...
The John Muir Trail (JMT) (Paiute: Nüümü Poyo, N-ue-mue Poh-yo) is a long-distance trail in theSierraNevada mountain range of California, passing through...
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The Bucks Lake Wilderness is a 23,958-acre (97.0 km2) wilderness area located in the Plumas National Forest section oftheSierraNevada, in northeastern...
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are largely between the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Madre Oriental on the east, and the rain shadow–creating Cascades, SierraNevada, Transverse, and Peninsular...
Global Information
This article incorporates public domain material from "Vegetation Overview". Yosemite National Park. National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
