The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of southwestern Oregon, northern, central, and southern California (United States) and northwestern Baja California (Mexico), located on the west coast of North America. It is an ecoregion of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, and part of the Nearctic realm.

Setting

Three sub-ecoregions

The California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion is subdivided into three smaller ecoregions. Hesperoyucca whipplei, colloquially known as Chaparral Yucca, is commonplace throughout the lower elevations of the climate zone.

There are two types of chaparral: soft and hard chaparral. Hard chaparral is usually evergreen, located at higher elevation and is harder to walk through. Soft chaparral tends to be drought deciduous, live at lower elevations and tends to be easier to walk through.

Fauna

Species include the California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica), Costa's hummingbird (Calypte costae), coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum), and rosy boa (Lichanura trivirgata). Other animals found here are the Heermann kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni), Santa Cruz kangaroo rat (Dipodomys venustus), and the endangered white-eared pocket mouse (Perognathus alticolus). Historically, Native Americans burned chaparral to promote grasslands for textiles and food. Though adapted to infrequent fires, chaparral plant communities can be exterminated by frequent fires especially with climate change induced drought. Today, frequent accidental ignitions can convert chaparral from a native shrubland to nonnative annual grassland and drastically reduce species diversity, especially under global-change-type drought. El Segundo blue butterfly, Palos Verdes blue butterfly, all of which are endemic to Southern California scrub communities.

See also

  • California Chaparral Institute
  • California coastal prairie
  • California montane chaparral
  • Chaparral
  • Closed-cone pine forest
  • Coast Redwood forest
  • Coastal sage scrub
  • Mixed evergreen forest
  • Northern coastal scrub
  • Oak woodland
  • Sierra Nevada lower montane forest

References

  • Bakker, Elna (1971) An Island Called California. University of California Press; Berkeley.
  • Dallman, Peter R. (1998). Plant Life in the World's Mediterranean Climates. California Native Plant Society–University of California Press; Berkeley.
  • Ricketts, Taylor H; Eric Dinerstein; David M. Olson; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (1999). Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC.
  • Schoenherr, Allan A. (1992). A Natural History of California. University of California Press; Berkeley.
  • World Wildlife Fund: California Chaparral and Woodlands ecoregion
  • California Chaparral Institute website
  • California Coastal Sage and Chaparral images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu (slow modem version)
  • California Interior Chaparral and Woodlands images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu — (slow modem version)
  • California Montane Chaparral and Woodlands images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu — (slow modem version)