Factors
A variety of environmental factors determines the boundaries of altitudinal zones found on mountains, ranging from direct effects of temperature and precipitation to indirect characteristics of the mountain itself, as well as biological interactions of the species. Determining causal factors is complicated by the many interactions that are possible, and by the fact that for each species there is both an upper and a lower limit. Further, it is often assumed that zonation produces discrete communities along an elevation gradient. While it is certain that species change, determining whether the vegetation changes as discrete communities requires careful measurement and statistical tests.
Read more about this topic: Altitudinal Zonation
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