Chaparral – A Minor Biome Sample Project

Chaparral Major Climate Hot, dry summers (40ºC) and Cool (10 ºC), moist winters 38-102 cm precipitation/year (mostly winter rain) 2 main seasons

Chaparral Geography Southwestern US, Coastal Chile, Mediterranean Coast, Southern and Western Coastal Australia, and Southwestern South Africa It is found in US (California) Coastal

Chaparral Producers Scrub Oak Chaparral Pea Deerweed Yucca

Chaparral - Producers Scrub Oak 1-2 meters tall Found in Chaparral and other locations Acorns can be irritating to skin http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query

Chaparral– Producers Chaparral Pea Low Dense Thickets Found on hills, slopes and in recently burned areas One of few nitrogen-fixing plants in Chaparral http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query

Chaparral - Producers Deerweed 1 meter mound shape Commonly found in many areas of western North America including Chaparral Attracts Butterflies http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query

Chaparral - Producers Yucca Flower can reach 3 meters tall Found in Southwestern US and Baja California, Mexico Roots can be pounded into a paste and used as shampoo http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query

Chaparral Consumers Blacktail Deer (herbivore) Mouse (herbivore) Kit Fox (omnivore) Puma (carnivore)

Chaparral - Consumers Blacktail Deer (herbivore) 40-90kg (smallest of US deer species) Populations are stable Mating between Whitetail and Blacktail Deer resulted in the Mule Deer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_Deer

Chaparral - Consumers Cactus Mouse (herbivore) 16-22cm from nose to tail Found in many desert areas as well as Chaparral Eats fruits and flowers of plants http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0179

Chaparral - Consumers Kit Fox (omnivore) About the size of a housecat Not threatened Nocturnal Animal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_Fox

Chaparral - Consumers Spotted Skunk (carnivore) 35-55cm (smaller than the striped skunk) No Concern – abundant population Spray to avoid predation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Spotted_Skunk

Chaparral Decomposers Actinomycetes Millipede

Chaparral - Decomposers Actinomycetes Microscopic Found in most soils Fungi-like bacteria that form filaments in the soil http://www.the-compost-gardener.com/actinomycetes.html

Chaparral - Decomposers Millipede 10-13cm long Found everywhere but the polar regions Exudes foul tasting chemicals to avoid predation http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_centipede.php

Chaparral– Food Chain/Web Striped Skunk Cactus Mouse Yucca Sun

Chaparral Specific Example Corsica (an island in the Mediterranean Sea) Ecosystem is healthy, island has many protected areas Often found in disturbed areas http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maquis_shrubland

Chaparral Specific Example Western Cape of South Africa Threatened by the influx of invasive species Fire is an important part in the reproduction of many plants in this location http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fynbos

Chaparral Reasons to Visit Fire Fighting Herb Gathering Rare Biome http://www.radford.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/medit/medit.html