montane
montane — noun
- montanesingular
- montanesplural
1. a woodland zone found on the slopes of high mountains, where trees are adapted t
a woodland zone found on the slopes of high mountains, where trees are adapted to cooler temperatures and thinner soil than in lowland forests.
The montane was so thick with moss that sunlight barely reached the ground.
noun used as a count noun for a forest zone
Jude studied how birds living in the montane differ from those in the lowlands.
Cutting down the montane has caused soil to wash down the mountainside into the river.
The government turned the upper slopes into a park to protect the montane from logging.
In Taiwan, the montane of the Central Mountain Range is home to unique tree species.
- mountain forest
a more general, everyday term; 'montane' is the technical ecological label
- upland forest
similar meaning but less specific about the altitude zone
用法筆記
In ecology, 'montane' as a countable noun refers to a specific forest zone on a mountain, not just any wooded area on a slope. It is often contrasted with 'lowland forest'.
常見錯誤
montane — adjective
- montanepositive
- more montanecomparative
- most montanesuperlative
1. describing plants, animals, or environments that are typical of mountain regions
describing plants, animals, or environments that are typical of mountain regions, where the climate is colder and wetter than at lower altitudes.
The montane forests of Taiwan are home to some of the island's rarest birds.
collocation: montane forests
Lea packed warm clothes for the sudden montane weather changes on the hiking trail.
Montane grasslands cover the slopes just above the treeline in the Himalayas.
Several rare orchids grow only in the montane cloud forests of Southeast Asia.
The study examined how montane plants survive in thin soil and strong winds.
- lowland
describes areas at low altitude, opposite of montane habitat zones
用法筆記
Unlike 'mountainous', which describes land that has many mountains, 'montane' describes the ecological zone on the slopes themselves. It is almost always used before a noun describing a habitat (forest, grassland, cloud forest).