The succession of flora and fauna encountered while climbing a mountain in the northern hemisphere is similar to that found when traveling from the base of the same mountain in which general direction?

• A. North
• B. South
• C. East
• D. West

Answer: (A)

When you climb a mountain in the northern hemisphere, the climate becomes cooler and often drier with increasing elevation. That drop in temperature with height creates distinct vegetation and animal communities higher up, much like you’d see if you moved to more temperate zones at higher latitudes. Moving toward the poles in the northern hemisphere likewise brings cooler conditions and a shift in ecosystems—from warmer, broadleaf forests to cooler coniferous forests and eventually to alpine or tundra near the summit. So the sequence of plant and animal life you encounter while ascending a mountain mirrors what you’d see if you traveled from the base toward the north.