# Fellfield

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{{Short description|Ecological area}}
[[File:Fellfield.jpg|thumb|right|A fellfield in [Mount Rainier National Park](/source/Mount_Rainier_National_Park) ]]
A '''fellfield''' or '''fell field''' comprises the environment of a slope, usually [alpine](/source/alpine_climate) or [tundra](/source/tundra), where the dynamics of [frost](/source/frost) (freeze and thaw cycles) and of [wind](/source/wind) give rise to characteristic plant forms in [scree](/source/scree) interstices.<ref name="leroux">{{cite web|url=http://academic.sun.ac.za/consecol/students/leroux/leroux.html |title=Peter le Roux |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070822031931/http://academic.sun.ac.za/consecol/students/leroux/leroux.html |archivedate = 2007-08-22}}</ref>

==Soil dynamics==
The freeze-thaw cycles tend to push plants out of the soil. In addition, the high [porosity](/source/porosity) of the soil makes a fellfield a difficult place for plants to grow.<ref name="leroux"/> Fellfields often have typical patterns of rocks: lines of rocks that have been pushed out of the soil, and slid into a low region.<ref name="schoenherr"/>

==Botany==
In [botany](/source/botany) the term "fellfield" describes an [ecoregion](/source/ecoregion), [ecosystem](/source/ecosystem), [habitat](/source/habitat), or [plant community](/source/plant_community). The term frequently used is '''alpine fellfield'''.  Fellfield is usually applied to an [alpine tundra](/source/alpine_tundra) region of high altitude mountains, or high latitude islands, and the [alpine plant](/source/alpine_plant)s there.<ref name="schoenherr">{{cite book|last=Schoenherr|first=Allan A.|title=[A Natural History of California](/source/A_Natural_History_of_California)|publisher=University of California|year=1992|isbn=0-520-06922-6}}</ref>

===Flora===
Fellfields are typically populated by [cushion plant](/source/cushion_plant)s: [perennial](/source/perennial)s that grow close to the ground. Cushion plants are well-adapted to the dryness and short growing season of a fellfield. Cushion plants often have hairy foliage and long [taproot](/source/taproot)s, to gather and retain moisture. Examples of cushion plants include the [lupin](/source/lupin)es and [buckwheat](/source/buckwheat)s.<ref name="schoenherr"/>

====Fellfield species====
*[Alpine flora list](/source/%3ACategory%3AAlpine_flora)
** ''[Azorella selago](/source/Azorella_selago)''
** ''[Oenothera xylocarpa](/source/Oenothera_xylocarpa)''
** ''[Calyptridium umbellatum](/source/Calyptridium_umbellatum)''

Some geologists find it is controversial to share the term for [biology](/source/biology) and [geomorphology](/source/geomorphology) applications.<ref name="schoenherr"/>

==See also==
* [Feldmark](/source/Feldmark)

==References==
{{reflist}}

*F
Category:Habitats
Category:Landforms
Category:Montane ecology
Category:Rock formations

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fellfield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellfield) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fellfield?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.