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Article: Life in Mauna Kea's alpine desert.(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Endangered Species Bulletin
- Article date:
- March 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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High above the sunny beaches, rocky coastline, and lush, tropical forests of the Big Island of Hawai'i lies a unique environment unknown even to many residents. The harsh, barren, cold alpine desert is so hostile that it may appear devoid of life. However, a few species existing nowhere else have formed a precarious ecosystem-in-miniature of insects, spiders, other arthropods, and simple plants and lichens. Welcome to the summit of Mauna Kea!
Rising 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level, Mauna Kea is the highest island mountain in the world. It is a gigantic classic shield volcano, and the broad landscape of its summit is an alpine desert composed of cinder ...