Editing Death Valley National Park (section)

==Biology==
[[File:Sphinx moth on rock nettle at Mosaic Canyon.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sphingidae|Sphinx moth]] on a [[Eucnide urens|rock nettle]] in Mosaic Canyon]]
[[Habitat (ecology)|Habitat]] varies from [[Salt pan (geology)|salt pan]] at {{convert|282|ft|m}} below sea level to the sub-alpine conditions found on the summit of Telescope Peak, which rises to {{convert|11049|ft|m}}.<ref name="NPSplants">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Plants"</ref> Vegetation zones include [[creosote bush]], [[salt bush|desert holly]], and [[mesquite]] at the lower elevations and [[Sagebrush|sage]] up through [[shadscale]], [[blackbrush]], [[Yucca brevifolia|Joshua tree]], [[Piñon pine|pinyon]]-[[juniper]], to [[limber pine]] and [[Great Basin bristlecone pine|bristlecone pine]] woodlands.<ref name="NPSplants"/> The salt pan is devoid of vegetation, and the rest of the valley floor and lower slopes have sparse cover, although where water is available, an abundance of vegetation is usually present.
These zones and the adjacent desert support a variety of wildlife [[species]], including 51 species of native [[mammal]]s, 307 species of [[bird]]s, 36 species of [[reptile]]s, 3 species of [[amphibia]]ns, and 2 species of native [[fish]].<ref name="NPSanimal">[[#NPSwebsite|NPS website]], "Animals"</ref>

Small mammals are more numerous than large mammals, such as [[bighorn sheep]], [[coyote]]s, [[bobcat]]s, [[kit fox]]es, [[cougar]]s, and [[mule deer]].<ref name="NPSanimal"/> Mule deer are present in the pinyon/juniper associations of the Grapevine, Cottonwood, and Panamint ranges.<ref name="NPSanimal"/> Bighorn sheep are a rare species of mountain-dwelling sheep that exist in isolated bands in the Sierra and in Death Valley. These are highly adaptable animals and can eat almost any plant. They have no known predators, but humans and [[donkey|burro]]s compete for habitat.

[[File:Death Valley Pupfish spawning in Salt Creek.jpg|thumb|left|[[Death Valley pupfish]] spawning in Salt Creek]]
The ancestors of the [[Death Valley pupfish]] swam to the area from the [[Colorado River]] via a long-since dried-up system of rivers and lakes (see [[Lake Manly]]). They now live in two separate populations: one in Salt Creek and another in Cottonball Marsh. Death Valley is one of the hottest and driest places in North America, yet it is home to over 1,000 species of [[plant]]s; 23 of which, including the very rare rock lady (''[[Holmgrenanthe]]''), are not found anywhere else.<ref name="NPSplants"/>

Adaptation to the dry environment is key. For example, creosote bush and mesquite have tap-[[root]] systems that can extend {{convert|50|ft|m}} down in order to take advantage of a year-round supply of [[ground water]]. The diversity of Death Valley's plant communities results partly from the region's location in a transition zone between the [[Mojave Desert]], the [[Great Basin Desert]] and the [[Sonoran Desert]]. This location, combined with the great relief found within the park, supports vegetation typical of three biotic [[life zone]]s: the lower Sonoran, the Canadian, and the arctic/alpine in portions of the Panamint Range. Based on the Munz and Keck (1968) classifications, seven plant communities can be categorized within these life zones, each characterized by dominant vegetation and representative of three vegetation types: scrub, desert woodland, and coniferous forest. Microhabitats further subdivide some communities into zones, especially on the valley floor.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 15, 2023 |title=NPS Death Valley General Management Plan |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/general-management-plan.htm |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>

Unlike more typical locations across the Mojave Desert, many of the water-dependent Death Valley habitats possess a diversity of plant and animal species that are not found anywhere else in the world.<ref name="FocusWater"/> The existence of these species is due largely to a unique geologic history and the process of [[evolution]] that has progressed in habitats that have been isolated from one another since the [[Pleistocene]] epoch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2021 |title=National Park Service Death Valley Geologic Formations |url=https://www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/geologicformations.htm |access-date=November 15, 2023 |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>