<P> Instead, ecologists divide the Rocky Mountain into a number of biotic zones . Each zone is defined by whether it can support trees and the presence of one or more indicator species . Two zones that do not support trees are the Plains and the Alpine tundra . The Great Plains lie to the east of the Rockies and is characterized by prairie grasses (below roughly 1,800 feet (550 m)). Alpine tundra occurs in regions above the treeline for the Rocky Mountains, which varies from 12,000 feet (3,700 m) in New Mexico to 2,500 feet (760 m) at the northern end of the Rocky Mountains (near the Yukon). </P> <P> The USGS defines ten forested zones in the Rocky Mountains . Zones in more southern, warmer, or drier areas are defined by the presence of pinyon pines / junipers, ponderosa pines, or oaks mixed with pines . In more northern, colder, or wetter areas, zones are defined by Douglas firs, Cascadian species (such as western hemlock), lodgepole pines / quaking aspens, or firs mixed with spruce . Near treeline, zones can consist of white pines (such as whitebark pine or bristlecone pine); or a mixture of white pine, fir, and spruce that appear as shrub - like krummholz . Finally, rivers and canyons can create a unique forest zone in more arid parts of the mountain range . </P> <P> The Rocky Mountains are an important habitat for a great deal of well - known wildlife, such as elk, moose, mule and white - tailed deer, pronghorn, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, badgers, black bears, grizzly bears, coyotes, lynxes, and wolverines . For example, North America's largest herds of moose is in the Alberta - British Columbia foothills forests . </P> <P> The status of most species in the Rocky Mountains is unknown, due to incomplete information . European - American settlement of the mountains has adversely impacted native species . Examples of some species that have declined include western toads, greenback cutthroat trout, white sturgeon, white - tailed ptarmigan, trumpeter swan, and bighorn sheep . In the United States portion of the mountain range, apex predators such as grizzly bears and gray wolves had been extirpated from their original ranges, but have partially recovered due to conservation measures and reintroduction . Other recovering species include the bald eagle and the peregrine falcon . </P>

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