A mountain has many kinds of plant communities.
The top of a very high mountain is always covered with ice and snow. No plants grow there.
A little lower on the mountain, the snow melts in summer and many plants bloom. Some plant-eaters, such as vicunas in South America and yaks in Tibet, live this high on mountains. Small rodents called alpine marmots live there. So do pikas, which are related to the rabbit.
Lower on the mountain, forests grow. In North America and Europe, you can find bears, deer, elk, foxes, and insects at this level. Trout live in the streams. In eastern Africa, mountain gorillas live in cool mountain forests. Plant-eating animals, such as deer, often move up the slopes in summer and down in winter, to be where food is plentiful.
The plants and animals at the foot of the mountain are the same kinds that live in the surrounding countryside, whether it is forest or desert.
Picture Credit : Google
