10) Montane

Formation of Southeast Asia and Mountain Ranges

• Indian Plate collided with Asia (Eocene).
• Opening of South China Sea (Eocene).
• Collision of Australia (Oligocene).
• Closure of the South China Sea (Miocene).
• Uplift of eastern Indonesia island (Miocene).
• Establishment of the Island of Java (Pleocene).

Mountain Ranges and Climate

• Latitude and altitude affect climate and vegetation in biomes.
• Mountains (ice and snow).
• Tundra (herbs, lichens, and mosses).
• Taiga (coniferous forests).
• Temperate deciduous forests.
• Tropical rain forests.

Vegetation Physiognomy

• Multi-story mesophyll (leaf size $4500-18255$ $mm^2$) at low altitude.
• Single-story notophyll ($2025-4500$ $mm^2$) lower-montane forest.
• Dwarf subalpine woodland; microphyll ($225-2025$ $mm^2$) upper montane forest.
• Grassland above the tree line..

Leaf Size

• Microphyll: less than $2,025$ $mm^2$.
• Notophyll: $2,025–4,500$ $mm^2$.
• Mesophyll: greater than $4,500$ $mm^2$.

Plant Dispersal

• Three major dispersal paths along montane chains:
  • Sumatra track.
  • Luzon track.
  • New Guinea Track.

Mount Kinabalu Endemism

• Most of its unique biodiversity is younger than the mountain itself (6 million years).
• Comprises a mix of immigrant pre-adapted lineages and descendants from local lowland ancestors.

Kinabalu Flora Zonation

• Lowland forest, dipterocarps, from $150-500$m
• Upper dipterocarp forests $500-1200$m.
• Entrance is around $1200-1800$m.
• Common genera: Quercus, Castanopsis, Lithocarpus, and Trigonobalanus