Cushion plants on a talus slope at High Atlas, Morocco
Jana Eichel
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany
In the Moroccan High Atlas mountains, cushion plants, such as the spiny madwort (Alyssum spinosum) colonize talus slopes. With their adapted morphology, these pioneer dwarf shrubs are potentially able to stabilize these slopes. They also act as nurse plants and facilitate establishment for other species. Thereby, these species act as geomorphic and ecosystem engineers.
Categories
Tags
Reuse
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) (opens in a new window)Credit: Jana Eichel (distributed via imaggeo.egu.eu)
Properties
Type
Image
Format
JPG
Size
16.6 MB
Aspect
77:51
Width
4928 px
Height
3264 px
Brand
Pentax
Model
K-30
Exposure
18 mm f/3.5 1/1000 s ISO 100
Coordinates
31.0854, -7.9197
Tint
Deep purplish blue
Submitted
28 February 2014
Taken
24 September 2012
Comments
Are these indeed Alyssum spinosum? They look like Sacropoterium Spinosum.