| Zusammenfassung: | The characteristics of the geoecological patterns within the California section of the Basin and Range Province are described from the desert basins (Death Valley, Owens Valley) to the true alpine environment above the timberline (White Mountains). A sequence of the altitudinal belts of vegetation is established: hot desert shrubs (creosote bush community), winter-cold desert shrubs (shadscale and sagebrush communities), semiarid woodland (pinyon-juniper woodland), subalpine woodland and forest (bristlecone and limber pines), and alpine belt above the timberline. Climate, substrate, landforms, geomorphic processes, soils, water, and vegetation are discussed in relation to their specific features and interdependence. A detailed bibliography is included to demonstrate the recent progress of research within this mountainous region with its wide-ranging scale of ecosystems.
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