Chaparral

Map

Climate Characteristics Avg. Temp: degrees Celsius (50-54) Avg. Annual Rainfall: –Very little, drought common, around 10 to 17 inches p/year. Climate often regarded as Mediterranean or tropical. Drought often causes large forest fires.

Geographic Location Found between the N latitudes. Often found on the western coasts of the continents. The region of California that is troubled by forest fires is a chaparral region.

Flora of the Chaparral Consist of mostly forests, woodlands and shrubs with vegetation types that can range from forests to woodlands to savannas to shrublands and to grasslands Hardwood evergreen trees such as oak are very popular in chaparral biomes such as blue oak, poison oak, cork oak, scrub oak, and live oak. Consist of around 48,250 known vascular plan species which is almost 20% of the total plants known world wide.

Flora Adaptations Plants that have adapted to this biome are typically less than a meter tall and are very shrubby in appearance. They have many characteristics of desert plants due to the hot dry climate and many are annuals that only flower briefly after rains. Plants often have hard leaves to retain the little moisture they collect. Hairy leaves collect water vapor in the air.

Flora Adaptations Plants often have seeds that lay dormant until a fire. The heat of the fire pops open the shell and releases the seed. In some instances seeds have been known to stay dormant for 100 years before germinating. Plants often drop their leaves during the summer droughts

Chaparral Plants

Fauna of the Chaparral The animals in the chaparral biome highly consist of different varieties of bird such as Sage sparrows, Lawrence’s goldfinch, and Fox sparrows. This biome consists of roughly 30% to 50% of the worlds known animals such as cotton tail rabbits, coyotes, raccoons, different variations of deer and other mammals.

Fauna Adaptations Many animals found in Chaparral climates are similar to those found in desert regions. These species often need less water than usual to survive. Most are smaller in order to hide in and around smaller plants Animals may have large ears to release heat from their body. Many are scavengers.

Chaparral Animals

Threats to the biome. DEVELOPEMENT –Many are cleared for housing, golf, and other forms of development. Much of the remaining habitat, mainly near the coast, is found in only very small patches and is highly isolated, fragmented, and surrounded by development, which is generally a hostile environment for most native species. EXCESSIVE FIRE –Because the Chaparral is so very hot and dry, fires usually take place here. An entire chaparral and coastal sage scrub ecosystem can be eliminated and replaced by non-native weeds and creating a scrubland. Chaparral plants have adapted to some fire regimes in order to survive and carry on AFTER a fire. NEGATIVE PUBLIC ATTITUDES –or misconceptions is one, if not, the most destructive reason for the Chaparral's downfall. Without the public's understanding and support, chaparral and other native scrublands have no protection against the other two threats.