Introduction

Abstract

The alpine zone of the Scandinavian mountains has many characteristics in common with the arctic tundra: the pronounced seasonal changes of the climate, and the short turnover intervals between winter and summer. In the treeless plateau e.g. of Hardangervidda at 60° N in southwestern Norway (Sonesson et al., 1975), particularly the spring turnover is of short duration. A long winter, a short summer (2.5–3.5 months) accompanied by lower temperatures characterize to a greater or lesser extent both arctic and alpine regions. Considering these and other characteristics, one can recognise a similarity in environmental conditions and habitats between the alpine zone in the Scandinavian mountains and the arctic tundra. A lower diversity and a smaller range in the true species of tundra and of alpine zone are characteristics of both regions (Kauri, 1975). A great number of animal species are common to both the arctic tundra and the alpine zone, for example in the Norwegian IBP tundra research area at Hardangervidda, including numerous invertebrates and some 50% of the birds and mammals. It therefore seems reasonable to link the alpine belt of the Scandinavian mountains and the arctic tundra together into an arcto-alpine tundra biome (in the sense of Lattin, 1967) or simply a tundra biome (Kendeigh, 1961; Hoffmann, 1974).