2 - Fit to survive and reproduce under demanding environmental conditions (Ranunculus glacialis, Alps, 3150 m).
 

This picture was taken in the middle of the short nival zone summer (8 August). What looks fatal from a lowland perspective is not really problematic for high altitude specialists. These plants need only a few days of good weather in a 5 - 6 week summer to complete their seasonal life cycle. As perennials they can also survive years in which snow cover does not disappear. Surprisingly, these plants can even cope with substantial losses of green leaves due to snow-vole grazing, which suggests that they are not constrained by a shortage of photoassimilates.

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