fbpx
Wikipedia

Chaparral

Chaparral (/ˌʃæpəˈræl, ˌæp-/ SHAP-ə-RAL, CHAP-)[1] is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California, in southern Oregon and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate (mild wet winters and hot dry summers) and infrequent, high-intensity crown fires.

Chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains, near Santa Barbara, California

Many chaparral shrubs have hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves, as contrasted with the associated soft-leaved, drought-deciduous, scrub community of coastal sage scrub, found often on drier, southern facing slopes.

Three other closely related chaparral shrubland systems occur in central Arizona, western Texas, and along the eastern side of central Mexico's mountain chains, all having summer rains in contrast to the Mediterranean climate of other chaparral formations. Chaparral comprises 9% of California's wildland vegetation and contains 20% of its plant species.

Etymology edit

The name comes from the Spanish word chaparro, which translates to "place of the scrub oak".

Introduction edit

In its natural state, chaparral is characterized by infrequent fires, with natural fire return intervals ranging between 30 years and over 150 years.[2] Mature chaparral (at least 60 years since time of last fire) is characterized by nearly impenetrable, dense thickets (except the more open desert chaparral). These plants are flammable during the late summer and autumn months when conditions are characteristically hot and dry. They grow as woody shrubs with thick, leathery, and often small leaves, contain green leaves all year (are evergreen), and are typically drought resistant (with some exceptions[3]). After the first rains following a fire, the landscape is dominated by small flowering herbaceous plants, known as fire followers, which die back with the summer dry period.

Similar plant communities are found in the four other Mediterranean climate regions around the world, including the Mediterranean Basin (where it is known as maquis), central Chile (where it is called matorral), the South African Cape Region (known there as fynbos), and in Western and Southern Australia (as kwongan). According to the California Academy of Sciences, Mediterranean shrubland contains more than 20 percent of the world's plant diversity.[4] The word chaparral is a loanword from Spanish chaparro, meaning place of the scrub oak, which itself comes from a Basque word, txapar, that has the same meaning.

Conservation International and other conservation organizations consider chaparral to be a biodiversity hotspot[5] – a biological community with a large number of different species – that is under threat by human activity.

California chaparral edit

California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion edit

 
Old-growth chaparral more than a century old
 
Coastal sage scrub in San Diego County

The California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, has three sub-ecoregions with ecosystemplant community subdivisions:

Chaparral and woodlands biota edit

For the numerous individual plant and animal species found within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, see:

Some of the indicator plants of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion include:

Chaparral soils and nutrient composition

Chaparral characteristically is found in areas with steep topography and shallow stony soils, while adjacent areas with clay soils, even where steep, tend to be colonized by annual plants and grasses. Some chaparral species are adapted to nutrient-poor soils developed over serpentine and other ultramafic rock, with a high ratio of magnesium and iron to calcium and potassium, that are also generally low in essential nutrients such as nitrogen.

California cismontane and transmontane chaparral subdivisions edit

Another phytogeography system uses two California chaparral and woodlands subdivisions: the cismontane chaparral and the transmontane (desert) chaparral.

California cismontane chaparral edit

Cismontane chaparral ("this side of the mountain") refers to the chaparral ecosystem in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome in California, growing on the western (and coastal) sides of large mountain range systems, such as the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the San Joaquin Valley foothills, western slopes of the Peninsular Ranges and California Coast Ranges, and south-southwest slopes of the Transverse Ranges in the Central Coast and Southern California regions.

Cismontane chaparral plant species edit

In Central and Southern California chaparral forms a dominant habitat. Members of the chaparral biota native to California, all of which tend to regrow quickly after fires, include:

 
An old-growth manzanita, a classic member of the chaparral plant community
Cismontane chaparral bird species edit

The complex ecology of chaparral habitats supports a very large number of animal species. The following is a short list of birds which are an integral part of the cismontane chaparral ecosystems.

 
Wrentit, the most characteristic bird of the chaparral
Characteristic chaparral bird species include:
Other common chaparral bird species include:

California transmontane (desert) chaparral edit

Transmontane chaparral or desert chaparraltransmontane ("the other side of the mountain") chaparral—refers to the desert shrubland habitat and chaparral plant community growing in the rainshadow of these ranges. Transmontane chaparral features xeric desert climate, not Mediterranean climate habitats, and is also referred to as desert chaparral.[6][7] Desert chaparral is a regional ecosystem subset of the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, with some plant species from the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion. Unlike cismontane chaparral, which forms dense, impenetrable stands of plants, desert chaparral is often open, with only about 50 percent of the ground covered.[8] Individual shrubs can reach up to 10 feet (3.0 m) in height.

 
Transmontane chaparral in the Laguna Mountains, Cleveland National Forest

Transmontane chaparral or desert chaparral is found on the eastern slopes of major mountain range systems on the western sides of the deserts of California. The mountain systems include the southeastern Transverse Ranges (the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains) in the Mojave Desert north and northeast of the Los Angeles basin and Inland Empire; and the northern Peninsular Ranges (San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, and Laguna Mountains), which separate the Colorado Desert (western Sonoran Desert) from lower coastal Southern California.[8] It is distinguished from the cismontane chaparral found on the coastal side of the mountains, which experiences higher winter rainfall. Naturally, desert chaparral experiences less winter rainfall than cismontane chaparral. Plants in this community are characterized by small, hard (sclerophyllic) evergreen (non-deciduous) leaves. Desert chaparral grows above California's desert cactus scrub plant community and below the pinyon-juniper woodland. It is further distinguished from the deciduous sub-alpine scrub above the pinyon-juniper woodlands on the same side of the Peninsular ranges.

Due to the lower annual rainfall (resulting in slower plant growth rates) when compared to cismontane chaparral, desert chaparral is more vulnerable to biodiversity loss and the invasion of non-native weeds and grasses if disturbed by human activity and frequent fire.

Transmontane chaparral distribution edit

Transmontane (desert) chaparral typically grows on the lower (3,500–4,500 feet (1,100–1,400 m) elevation) northern slopes of the southern Transverse Ranges (running east to west in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties) and on the lower (2,500–3,500 feet (760–1,070 m)) eastern slopes of the Peninsular Ranges (running south to north from lower Baja California to Riverside and Orange counties and the Transverse Ranges).[9] It can also be found in higher-elevation sky islands in the interior of the deserts, such as in the upper New York Mountains within the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert.[citation needed]

The California transmontane (desert) chaparral is found in the rain shadow deserts of the following:

Transmontane chaparral plants edit
Transmontane chaparral animals edit

There is overlap of animals with those of the adjacent desert and pinyon-juniper communities.[10]

Fire edit

Chaparral is a coastal biome with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The chaparral area receives about 38–100 cm (15–39 in) of precipitation a year. This makes the chaparral most vulnerable to fire in the late summer and fall.

 
Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) resprouting after a high-intensity chaparral fire
 
Wildflower display after the 2007 Witch Creek Fire, San Diego County, California
 
Impact of high fire frequency: chaparral/sage scrub type converted to non-native grassland

The chaparral ecosystem as a whole is adapted to be able to recover from naturally infrequent, high-intensity fire (fires occurring between 30 and 150 years or more apart); indeed, chaparral regions are known culturally and historically for their impressive fires. (This does create a conflict with human development adjacent to and expanding into chaparral systems.) Additionally, Native Americans burned chaparral near villages on the coastal plain to promote plant species for textiles and food.[11] Before a major fire, typical chaparral plant communities are dominated by manzanita, chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum and Ceanothus species, toyon (which can sometimes be interspersed with scrub oaks), and other drought-resistant shrubs with hard (sclerophyllous) leaves; these plants resprout (see resprouter) from underground burls after a fire.[12]

Plants that are long-lived in the seed bank or serotinous with induced germination after fire include chamise, Ceanothus, and fiddleneck. Some chaparral plant communities may grow so dense and tall that it becomes difficult for large animals and humans to penetrate, but may be teeming with smaller fauna in the understory. The seeds of many chaparral plant species are stimulated to germinate by some fire cue (heat or the chemicals from smoke or charred wood).[12] During the time shortly after a fire, chaparral communities may contain soft-leaved herbaceous, fire following annual wildflowers and short-lived perennials that dominate the community for the first few years – until the burl resprouts and seedlings of chaparral shrub species create a mature, dense overstory. Seeds of annuals and shrubs lie dormant until the next fire creates the conditions needed for germination.

Several shrub species such as Ceanothus fix nitrogen, increasing the availability of nitrogen compounds in the soil.[13]

Because of the hot, dry conditions that exist in the California summer and fall, chaparral is one of the most fire-prone plant communities in North America. Some fires are caused by lightning, but these are usually during periods of high humidity and low winds and are easily controlled. Nearly all of the very large wildfires are caused by human activity during periods of hot, dry easterly Santa Ana winds. These human-caused fires are commonly ignited by power line failures, vehicle fires and collisions, sparks from machinery, arson, or campfires.

Threatened by high fire frequency edit

Though adapted to infrequent fires, chaparral plant communities can be eliminated by frequent fires. A high frequency of fire (less than 10-15 years apart) will result in the loss of obligate seeding shrub species such as Manzanita spp. This high frequency disallows seeder plants to reach their reproductive size before the next fire and the community shifts to a sprouter-dominance. If high frequency fires continue over time, obligate resprouting shrub species can also be eliminated by exhausting their energy reserves below-ground. Today, frequent accidental ignitions can convert chaparral from a native shrubland to non-native annual grassland and drastically reduce species diversity, especially under drought brought about by climate change.[14][15]

Wildfire debate edit

There are two older hypotheses relating to California chaparral fire regimes that caused considerable debate in the past within the fields of wildfire ecology and land management. Research over the past two decades have rejected these hypotheses:

  1. That older stands of chaparral become "senescent" or "decadent", thus implying that fire is necessary for the plants to remain healthy,[16]
  2. That wildfire suppression policies have allowed dead chaparral to accumulate unnaturally, creating ample fuel for large fires.[17]

The perspective that older chaparral is unhealthy or unproductive may have originated during the 1940s when studies were conducted measuring the amount of forage available to deer populations in chaparral stands.[18] However, according to recent studies, California chaparral is extraordinarily resilient to very long periods without fire[19] and continues to maintain productive growth throughout pre-fire conditions.[20][21] Seeds of many chaparral plants actually require 30 years or more worth of accumulated leaf litter before they will successfully germinate (e.g., scrub oak, Quercus berberidifolia; toyon, Heteromeles arbutifolia; and holly-leafed cherry, Prunus ilicifolia). When intervals between fires drop below 10 to 15 years, many chaparral species are eliminated and the system is typically replaced by non-native, invasive, weedy grassland.[22][23][24]

The idea that older chaparral is responsible for causing large fires was originally proposed in the 1980s by comparing wildfires in Baja California and southern California. It was suggested that fire suppression activities in southern California allowed more fuel to accumulate, which in turn led to larger fires.[17] This is similar to the observation that fire suppression and other human-caused disturbances in dry, ponderosa pine forests in the Southwest of the United States has unnaturally increased forest density.[25] Historically, mixed-severity fires likely burned through these forests every decade or so,[25] burning understory plants, small trees, and downed logs at low-severity, and patches of trees at high-severity.[26] However, chaparral has a high-intensity crown-fire regime, meaning that fires consume nearly all the above ground growth whenever they burn, with a historical frequency of 30 to 150 years or more.[2] A detailed analysis of historical fire data concluded that fire suppression activities have been ineffective at excluding fire from southern California chaparral, unlike in ponderosa pine forests.[19] In addition, the number of fires is increasing in step with population growth and exacerbated by human-caused climate change. Chaparral stand age does not have a significant correlation to its tendency to burn.[27]

Large, infrequent, high-intensity wildfires are part of the natural fire regime for California chaparral.[28] Extreme weather conditions (low humidity, high temperature, high winds), drought, and low fuel moisture are the primary factors in determining how large a chaparral fire becomes.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "chaparral". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  2. ^ a b Halsey, R.W.; Keeley, J.E. (2016). "Conservation Issues: California chaparral" (PDF). Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier Publications, Inc. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09584-1. ISBN 9780124095489.
  3. ^ Venturas, Martin D.; MacKinnon, Evan D.; Dario, Hannah L.; Jacobsen, Anna L.; Pratt, R. Brandon; Davis, Stephen D. (2016-07-08). "Chaparral Shrub Hydraulic Traits, Size, and Life History Types Relate to Species Mortality during California's Historic Drought of 2014". PLOS One. 11 (7): e0159145. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1159145V. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159145. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 4938587. PMID 27391489.
  4. ^ "Discovering Rainforest Locations". California Academy of Sciences.
  5. ^ . Archived from the original on 2007-07-14.
  6. ^ a b A Natural History of California, Allan A. Schoenerr, Figure 8.9 – 8.10, Table 8.2
  7. ^ a b County of San Diego Department of Planning and Land Use Multiple Species Conservation Program, (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-11-06. Retrieved 2010-09-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ a b A Natural History of California, Allan A. Schoenherr, pp.8–9, 357, 327, ISBN 978-0-520-06922-0
  9. ^ A Natural History of California, Allan A. Schoenherr, pp.327, Figure 8.9, ISBN 978-0-520-06922-0
  10. ^ Knowling, Doug (2016-10-10). Ecological Restoration: Wildfire Ecology Reference Manual. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781365453458.
  11. ^ Fire, native peoples, and the natural landscape. Vale, Thomas R., 1943-. Washington, DC: Island Press. 2002. ISBN 9781559638890. OCLC 614708491.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ a b Parker, V. T. (2016). Mooney, H.; Zavaleta, E. (eds.). "Chaparral". Ecosystems of California. Oakland, CA: University of California Press: 479–507.
  13. ^ Kummerow, J.; Alexander, J.V.; Neel, J.W.; Fishbeck (1978). "Symbiotic Nitrogen fixation in ceanothus roots". Botany. 65 (1): 63–69. doi:10.1002/j.1537-2197.1978.tb10836.x. JSTOR 2442555.
  14. ^ Syphard, Alexandra D.; Radeloff, Volker C.; Keeley, Jon E.; Hawbaker, Todd J.; Clayton, Murray K.; Stewart, Susan I.; Hammer, Roger B. (2007-07-01). "Human Influence on California Fire Regimes". Ecological Applications. 17 (5): 1388–1402. Bibcode:2007EcoAp..17.1388S. doi:10.1890/06-1128.1. ISSN 1939-5582. PMID 17708216.
  15. ^ Pratt, R. Brandon; Jacobsen, Anna L.; Ramirez, Aaron R.; Helms, Anjel M.; Traugh, Courtney A.; Tobin, Michael F.; Heffner, Marcus S.; Davis, Stephen D. (2014-03-01). "Mortality of resprouting chaparral shrubs after a fire and during a record drought: physiological mechanisms and demographic consequences". Global Change Biology. 20 (3): 893–907. Bibcode:2014GCBio..20..893P. doi:10.1111/gcb.12477. ISSN 1365-2486. PMID 24375846. S2CID 19688559.
  16. ^ Hanes, Ted L. (1971-02-01). "Succession after Fire in the Chaparral of Southern California". Ecological Monographs. 41 (1): 27–52. Bibcode:1971EcoM...41...27H. doi:10.2307/1942434. ISSN 1557-7015. JSTOR 1942434.
  17. ^ a b Minnich, Richard A. (1983-03-18). "Fire Mosaics in Southern California and Northern Baja California". Science. 219 (4590): 1287–1294. Bibcode:1983Sci...219.1287M. doi:10.1126/science.219.4590.1287. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 17735593. S2CID 46485059.
  18. ^ Halsey, R.W. (2009). "Chaparral as a natural resource: changing the conversation about chaparral and fire" (PDF). Proceedings of the CNPS Conservation Conference: 82–86.
  19. ^ a b Keeley, Jon E.; Pfaff, Anne H.; Safford, Hugh D. (2005-10-03). "Fire suppression impacts on postfire recovery of Sierra Nevada chaparral shrublands*". International Journal of Wildland Fire. 14 (3): 255–265. doi:10.1071/wf05049. ISSN 1448-5516.
  20. ^ Hubbard, R.F. (1986). Stand Age and Growth Dynamics in Chamise Chaparral. San Diego: Master’s thesis, San Diego State University.
  21. ^ Larigauderie, A.; Hubbard, T.W.; Kummerow, J. (1990). "Growth dynamics of two chaparral shrub species with time after fire". Madroño. 37 (4): 225–236. JSTOR 41424817.
  22. ^ Keeley, Jon E. (1995). "Future of California Floristics and Systematics: Wildfire Threats to the California Flora". Madroño. 42 (2): 175–179. JSTOR 41425064.
  23. ^ Haidinger, Tori L.; Keeley, Jon E. (1993). "Role of high fire frequency in destruction of mixed chaparral" (PDF). Madroño. 40: 141–147. (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-14.
  24. ^ Zedler, P.H. (1995). Keeley, J.E.; Scott, T (eds.). "Fire frequency in southern California shrublands: biological effects and management options". Brushfires in California Wildlands: Ecology and Resource Management. Fairfield, WA: International Association of Wildland Fire: 101–112.
  25. ^ a b Swetnam, T.W.; Allen, C.D.; Betancourt, J.L. (1999). "Applied historical ecology: using the past to manage for the future". Ecological Applications. 9 (4): 1189–1206. doi:10.1890/1051-0761(1999)009[1189:AHEUTP]2.0.CO;2.
  26. ^ Hanson, C.T; Sherriff, R.L; Hutto, R.L.; DellaSala, D.A.; Veblen, T.T.; Baker, W.L. (2015). DellaSala, D.A.; Hanson, C.T. (eds.). The Ecological Importance of Mixed-Severity Fires: Nature's Phoenix. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. pp. 3–22.
  27. ^ Moritz, Max A.; Keeley, Jon E.; Johnson, Edward A.; Schaffner, Andrew A. (2004-03-01). "Testing a basic assumption of shrubland fire management: how important is fuel age?". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2 (2): 67–72. doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2004)002[0067:tabaos]2.0.co;2. ISSN 1540-9309.
  28. ^ Mensing, S.A.; Michaelsen, J.; Byrne, R. (1999). "A 560 year record of Santa Ana fires reconstructed from charcoal deposited in the Santa Barbara Basin, California" (PDF). Quaternary Research. 51 (3): 295–301. Bibcode:1999QuRes..51..295M. doi:10.1006/qres.1999.2035. S2CID 55801393.
  29. ^ The Serengeti Rules documentary: example Serengeti/gnu

Bibliography edit

  • Haidinger, T.L., and J.E. Keeley. 1993. Role of high fire frequency in destruction of mixed chaparral. Madrono 40: 141–147.
  • Halsey, R.W. 2008. Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California. Second Edition. Sunbelt Publications, San Diego, CA. 232 p.
  • Hanes, T. L. 1971. Succession after fire in the chaparral of southern California. Ecol. Monographs 41: 27–52.
  • Hubbard, R.F. 1986. Stand age and growth dynamics in chamise chaparral. Master's thesis, San Diego State University, San Diego, California.
  • Keeley, J. E., C. J. Fotheringham, and M. Morais. 1999. Reexamining fire suppression impacts on brushland fire regimes. Science 284:1829–1832.
  • Keeley, J.E. 1995. Future of California floristics and systematics: wildfire threats to the California flora. Madrono 42: 175–179.
  • Keeley, J.E., A.H. Pfaff, and H.D. Stafford. 2005. Fire suppression impacts on postfire recovery of Sierra Nevada chaparral shrublands. International Journal of Wildland Fire 14: 255–265.
  • Larigauderie, A., T.W. Hubbard, and J. Kummerow. 1990. Growth dynamics of two chaparral shrub species with time after fire. Madrono 37: 225–236.
  • Minnich, R. A. 1983. Fire mosaics in southern California and northern Baja California. Science 219:1287–1294.
  • Moritz, M.A., J.E. Keeley, E.A. Johnson, and A.A. Schaffner. 2004. Testing a basic assumption of shrubland fire management: How important is fuel age? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2:67–72.
  • Pratt, R. B., A. L. Jacobsen, A. R. Ramirez, A. M. Helms, C. A. Traugh, M. F. Tobin, M. S. Heffner, and S. D. Davis. 2013. Mortality of resprouting chaparral shrubs after a fire and during a record drought: physiological mechanisms and demographic consequences. Global Change Biology 20:893–907.
  • Syphard, A. D., V. C. Radeloff, J. E. Keeley, T. J. Hawbaker, M. K. Clayton, S. I. Stewart, and R. B. Hammer. 2007. Human influence on California fire regimes. Ecological Applications 17:1388–1402.
  • Vale, T. R. 2002. Fire, Native Peoples, and the Natural Landscape. Island Press, Washington, DC, USA.
  • Venturas, M. D., E. D. MacKinnon, H. L. Dario, A. L. Jacobsen, R. B. Pratt, and S. D. Davis. 2016. Chaparral shrub hydraulic traits, size, and life history types relate to species mortality during California's historic drought of 2014. PLoS ONE 11(7): p.e0159145.
  • Zedler, P.H. 1995. Fire frequency in southern California shrublands: biological effects and management options, pp. 101–112 in J.E. Keeley and T. Scott (eds.), Brushfires in California wildlands: ecology and resource management. International Association of Wildland Fire, Fairfield, Wash.
  • Campbell, Neil A.; Brad Williamson; Robin J. Heyden (2006). Biology: Exploring Life. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Prentice Hall. ISBN 0-13-250882-6.

External links edit

  • The California Chaparral Institute website

chaparral, this, article, about, plant, community, plant, used, medicinally, larrea, tridentata, other, uses, disambiguation, shap, chap, shrubland, plant, community, found, primarily, california, southern, oregon, northern, portion, baja, california, peninsul. This article is about the plant community For the plant used medicinally see Larrea tridentata For other uses see Chaparral disambiguation Chaparral ˌ ʃ ae p e ˈ r ae l ˌ tʃ ae p SHAP e RAL CHAP 1 is a shrubland plant community found primarily in California in southern Oregon and in the northern portion of the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico It is shaped by a Mediterranean climate mild wet winters and hot dry summers and infrequent high intensity crown fires Chaparral in the Santa Ynez Mountains near Santa Barbara CaliforniaMany chaparral shrubs have hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves as contrasted with the associated soft leaved drought deciduous scrub community of coastal sage scrub found often on drier southern facing slopes Three other closely related chaparral shrubland systems occur in central Arizona western Texas and along the eastern side of central Mexico s mountain chains all having summer rains in contrast to the Mediterranean climate of other chaparral formations Chaparral comprises 9 of California s wildland vegetation and contains 20 of its plant species Contents 1 Etymology 2 Introduction 3 California chaparral 3 1 California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion 3 1 1 Chaparral and woodlands biota 3 2 California cismontane and transmontane chaparral subdivisions 3 2 1 California cismontane chaparral 3 2 1 1 Cismontane chaparral plant species 3 2 1 2 Cismontane chaparral bird species 3 2 2 California transmontane desert chaparral 3 2 2 1 Transmontane chaparral distribution 3 2 2 2 Transmontane chaparral plants 3 2 2 3 Transmontane chaparral animals 4 Fire 4 1 Threatened by high fire frequency 4 2 Wildfire debate 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External linksEtymology editThe name comes from the Spanish word chaparro which translates to place of the scrub oak Introduction editIn its natural state chaparral is characterized by infrequent fires with natural fire return intervals ranging between 30 years and over 150 years 2 Mature chaparral at least 60 years since time of last fire is characterized by nearly impenetrable dense thickets except the more open desert chaparral These plants are flammable during the late summer and autumn months when conditions are characteristically hot and dry They grow as woody shrubs with thick leathery and often small leaves contain green leaves all year are evergreen and are typically drought resistant with some exceptions 3 After the first rains following a fire the landscape is dominated by small flowering herbaceous plants known as fire followers which die back with the summer dry period Similar plant communities are found in the four other Mediterranean climate regions around the world including the Mediterranean Basin where it is known as maquis central Chile where it is called matorral the South African Cape Region known there as fynbos and in Western and Southern Australia as kwongan According to the California Academy of Sciences Mediterranean shrubland contains more than 20 percent of the world s plant diversity 4 The word chaparral is a loanword from Spanish chaparro meaning place of the scrub oak which itself comes from a Basque word txapar that has the same meaning Conservation International and other conservation organizations consider chaparral to be a biodiversity hotspot 5 a biological community with a large number of different species that is under threat by human activity California chaparral editCalifornia chaparral and woodlands ecoregion edit Main article California chaparral and woodlands nbsp Old growth chaparral more than a century old nbsp Coastal sage scrub in San Diego CountyThe California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of the Mediterranean forests woodlands and scrub biome has three sub ecoregions with ecosystem plant community subdivisions California coastal sage and chaparral In coastal Southern California and northwestern coastal Baja California as well as all of the Channel Islands off California and Guadalupe Island Mexico California montane chaparral and woodlands In southern and central coast adjacent and inland California regions including covering some of the mountains of the California Coast Ranges the Transverse Ranges and the western slopes of the northern Peninsular Ranges California interior chaparral and woodlands In central interior California surrounding the Central Valley covering the foothills and lower slopes of the northeastern Transverse Ranges and the western Sierra Nevada range Chaparral and woodlands biota edit For the numerous individual plant and animal species found within the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion see Flora of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Some of the indicator plants of the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion include Quercus species oaks Quercus agrifolia coast live oak Quercus berberidifolia scrub oak Quercus chrysolepis canyon live oak Quercus douglasii blue oak Quercus wislizeni interior live oak Artemisia species sagebrush Artemisia californica California sagebrush coastal sage brush Arctostaphylos species manzanitas Arctostaphylos glauca bigberry manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita common manzanita Ceanothus species California lilacs Ceanothus cuneatus buckbrush Ceanothus megacarpus bigpod ceanothus Rhus species sumacs Rhus integrifolia lemonade berry Rhus ovata sugar bush Eriogonum species buckwheats Eriogonum fasciculatum California buckwheat Salvia species sages Salvia mellifera Californian black sageChaparral soils and nutrient compositionChaparral characteristically is found in areas with steep topography and shallow stony soils while adjacent areas with clay soils even where steep tend to be colonized by annual plants and grasses Some chaparral species are adapted to nutrient poor soils developed over serpentine and other ultramafic rock with a high ratio of magnesium and iron to calcium and potassium that are also generally low in essential nutrients such as nitrogen California cismontane and transmontane chaparral subdivisions edit Another phytogeography system uses two California chaparral and woodlands subdivisions the cismontane chaparral and the transmontane desert chaparral California cismontane chaparral edit Cismontane chaparral this side of the mountain refers to the chaparral ecosystem in the Mediterranean forests woodlands and scrub biome in California growing on the western and coastal sides of large mountain range systems such as the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in the San Joaquin Valley foothills western slopes of the Peninsular Ranges and California Coast Ranges and south southwest slopes of the Transverse Ranges in the Central Coast and Southern California regions Cismontane chaparral plant species edit For more flora species see Category Natural history of the California chaparral and woodlands In Central and Southern California chaparral forms a dominant habitat Members of the chaparral biota native to California all of which tend to regrow quickly after fires include nbsp An old growth manzanita a classic member of the chaparral plant communityAdenostoma fasciculatum chamise Adenostoma sparsifolium redshanks Arctostaphylos spp manzanita Ceanothus spp ceanothus Cercocarpus spp mountain mahogany Cneoridium dumosum bush rue Eriogonum fasciculatum California buckwheat Garrya spp silk tassel bush Hesperoyucca whipplei yucca Heteromeles arbutifolia toyon Acmispon glaber deerweed Malosma laurina laurel sumac Marah macrocarpus wild cucumber Mimulus aurantiacus bush monkeyflower Pickeringia montana chaparral pea Prunus ilicifolia islay or hollyleaf cherry Quercus berberidifolia scrub oak Q dumosa scrub oak Q wislizenii var frutescens Rhamnus californica California coffeeberry Rhus integrifolia lemonade berry Rhus ovata sugar bush Salvia apiana Californian white sage Salvia mellifera Californian black sage Xylococcus bicolor mission manzanitaCismontane chaparral bird species edit For more bird species see Category Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands The complex ecology of chaparral habitats supports a very large number of animal species The following is a short list of birds which are an integral part of the cismontane chaparral ecosystems nbsp Wrentit the most characteristic bird of the chaparralCharacteristic chaparral bird species include Wrentit Chamaea fasciata California thrasher Toxostoma redivivum California towhee Melozone crissalis Spotted towhee Pipilo maculatus California scrub jay Aphelocoma californica Other common chaparral bird species include Anna s hummingbird Calypte anna Bewick s wren Thryomanes bewickii Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus Costa s hummingbird Calypte costae Greater roadrunner Geococcyx californianus California transmontane desert chaparral edit Transmontane chaparral or desert chaparral transmontane the other side of the mountain chaparral refers to the desert shrubland habitat and chaparral plant community growing in the rainshadow of these ranges Transmontane chaparral features xeric desert climate not Mediterranean climate habitats and is also referred to as desert chaparral 6 7 Desert chaparral is a regional ecosystem subset of the deserts and xeric shrublands biome with some plant species from the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion Unlike cismontane chaparral which forms dense impenetrable stands of plants desert chaparral is often open with only about 50 percent of the ground covered 8 Individual shrubs can reach up to 10 feet 3 0 m in height nbsp Transmontane chaparral in the Laguna Mountains Cleveland National ForestTransmontane chaparral or desert chaparral is found on the eastern slopes of major mountain range systems on the western sides of the deserts of California The mountain systems include the southeastern Transverse Ranges the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains in the Mojave Desert north and northeast of the Los Angeles basin and Inland Empire and the northern Peninsular Ranges San Jacinto Santa Rosa and Laguna Mountains which separate the Colorado Desert western Sonoran Desert from lower coastal Southern California 8 It is distinguished from the cismontane chaparral found on the coastal side of the mountains which experiences higher winter rainfall Naturally desert chaparral experiences less winter rainfall than cismontane chaparral Plants in this community are characterized by small hard sclerophyllic evergreen non deciduous leaves Desert chaparral grows above California s desert cactus scrub plant community and below the pinyon juniper woodland It is further distinguished from the deciduous sub alpine scrub above the pinyon juniper woodlands on the same side of the Peninsular ranges Due to the lower annual rainfall resulting in slower plant growth rates when compared to cismontane chaparral desert chaparral is more vulnerable to biodiversity loss and the invasion of non native weeds and grasses if disturbed by human activity and frequent fire Transmontane chaparral distribution edit Transmontane desert chaparral typically grows on the lower 3 500 4 500 feet 1 100 1 400 m elevation northern slopes of the southern Transverse Ranges running east to west in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and on the lower 2 500 3 500 feet 760 1 070 m eastern slopes of the Peninsular Ranges running south to north from lower Baja California to Riverside and Orange counties and the Transverse Ranges 9 It can also be found in higher elevation sky islands in the interior of the deserts such as in the upper New York Mountains within the Mojave National Preserve in the Mojave Desert citation needed The California transmontane desert chaparral is found in the rain shadow deserts of the following Sierra Nevada creating the Great Basin Desert and northern Mojave Desert Transverse ranges creating the western through eastern Mojave Desert Peninsular ranges creating the Colorado Desert and Yuha Desert 6 7 Transmontane chaparral plants edit Adenostoma fasciculatum chamise a low shrub common to most chaparral with clusters of tiny needle like leaves or fascicles similar in appearance to coastal Eriogonum fasciculatum Agave deserti desert agave Arctostaphylos glauca bigberry manzanita smooth red bark with large edible berries glauca means blue green the color of its leaves Ceanothus greggii desert ceanothus California lilac a nitrogen fixer has hair on both sides of leaves for heat dissipation Cercocarpus ledifolius curl leaf mountain mahogany a nitrogen fixer important food source for desert bighorn sheep Dendromecon rigida bush poppy a fire follower with four petaled yellow flowers Ephedra spp Mormon teas Fremontodendron californicum California flannel bush lobed leaves with fine coating of hair covered with yellow blossoms in spring Opuntia acanthocarpa buckhorn cholla branches resemble antlers of a deer Opuntia echinocarpa silver or golden cholla depending on color of the spines Opuntia phaeacantha desert prickly pear fruit is important food source for animals Purshia tridentata buckbrush antelope bitterbrush Rosaceae family Prunus fremontii desert apricot Prunus fasciculata desert almond commonly infested with tent caterpillars of Malacosoma spp Prunus ilicifolia holly leaf cherry Quercus cornelius mulleri desert scrub oak or Muller s oak Rhus ovata sugar bush Simmondsia chinensis jojoba Yucca schidigera Mojave yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei syn Yucca whipplei foothill yucca our lord s candle Transmontane chaparral animals edit There is overlap of animals with those of the adjacent desert and pinyon juniper communities 10 Canis latrans coyote Lynx rufus bobcat Neotoma sp desert pack rat Odocoileus hemionus mule deer Peromyscus truei pinyon mouse Puma concolor mountain lion Stagmomantis californica California mantisFire editChaparral is a coastal biome with hot dry summers and mild rainy winters The chaparral area receives about 38 100 cm 15 39 in of precipitation a year This makes the chaparral most vulnerable to fire in the late summer and fall nbsp Chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum resprouting after a high intensity chaparral fire nbsp Wildflower display after the 2007 Witch Creek Fire San Diego County California nbsp Impact of high fire frequency chaparral sage scrub type converted to non native grasslandThe chaparral ecosystem as a whole is adapted to be able to recover from naturally infrequent high intensity fire fires occurring between 30 and 150 years or more apart indeed chaparral regions are known culturally and historically for their impressive fires This does create a conflict with human development adjacent to and expanding into chaparral systems Additionally Native Americans burned chaparral near villages on the coastal plain to promote plant species for textiles and food 11 Before a major fire typical chaparral plant communities are dominated by manzanita chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum and Ceanothus species toyon which can sometimes be interspersed with scrub oaks and other drought resistant shrubs with hard sclerophyllous leaves these plants resprout see resprouter from underground burls after a fire 12 Plants that are long lived in the seed bank or serotinous with induced germination after fire include chamise Ceanothus and fiddleneck Some chaparral plant communities may grow so dense and tall that it becomes difficult for large animals and humans to penetrate but may be teeming with smaller fauna in the understory The seeds of many chaparral plant species are stimulated to germinate by some fire cue heat or the chemicals from smoke or charred wood 12 During the time shortly after a fire chaparral communities may contain soft leaved herbaceous fire following annual wildflowers and short lived perennials that dominate the community for the first few years until the burl resprouts and seedlings of chaparral shrub species create a mature dense overstory Seeds of annuals and shrubs lie dormant until the next fire creates the conditions needed for germination Several shrub species such as Ceanothus fix nitrogen increasing the availability of nitrogen compounds in the soil 13 Because of the hot dry conditions that exist in the California summer and fall chaparral is one of the most fire prone plant communities in North America Some fires are caused by lightning but these are usually during periods of high humidity and low winds and are easily controlled Nearly all of the very large wildfires are caused by human activity during periods of hot dry easterly Santa Ana winds These human caused fires are commonly ignited by power line failures vehicle fires and collisions sparks from machinery arson or campfires Threatened by high fire frequency edit Though adapted to infrequent fires chaparral plant communities can be eliminated by frequent fires A high frequency of fire less than 10 15 years apart will result in the loss of obligate seeding shrub species such as Manzanita spp This high frequency disallows seeder plants to reach their reproductive size before the next fire and the community shifts to a sprouter dominance If high frequency fires continue over time obligate resprouting shrub species can also be eliminated by exhausting their energy reserves below ground Today frequent accidental ignitions can convert chaparral from a native shrubland to non native annual grassland and drastically reduce species diversity especially under drought brought about by climate change 14 15 Wildfire debate edit There are two older hypotheses relating to California chaparral fire regimes that caused considerable debate in the past within the fields of wildfire ecology and land management Research over the past two decades have rejected these hypotheses That older stands of chaparral become senescent or decadent thus implying that fire is necessary for the plants to remain healthy 16 That wildfire suppression policies have allowed dead chaparral to accumulate unnaturally creating ample fuel for large fires 17 The perspective that older chaparral is unhealthy or unproductive may have originated during the 1940s when studies were conducted measuring the amount of forage available to deer populations in chaparral stands 18 However according to recent studies California chaparral is extraordinarily resilient to very long periods without fire 19 and continues to maintain productive growth throughout pre fire conditions 20 21 Seeds of many chaparral plants actually require 30 years or more worth of accumulated leaf litter before they will successfully germinate e g scrub oak Quercus berberidifolia toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia and holly leafed cherry Prunus ilicifolia When intervals between fires drop below 10 to 15 years many chaparral species are eliminated and the system is typically replaced by non native invasive weedy grassland 22 23 24 The idea that older chaparral is responsible for causing large fires was originally proposed in the 1980s by comparing wildfires in Baja California and southern California It was suggested that fire suppression activities in southern California allowed more fuel to accumulate which in turn led to larger fires 17 This is similar to the observation that fire suppression and other human caused disturbances in dry ponderosa pine forests in the Southwest of the United States has unnaturally increased forest density 25 Historically mixed severity fires likely burned through these forests every decade or so 25 burning understory plants small trees and downed logs at low severity and patches of trees at high severity 26 However chaparral has a high intensity crown fire regime meaning that fires consume nearly all the above ground growth whenever they burn with a historical frequency of 30 to 150 years or more 2 A detailed analysis of historical fire data concluded that fire suppression activities have been ineffective at excluding fire from southern California chaparral unlike in ponderosa pine forests 19 In addition the number of fires is increasing in step with population growth and exacerbated by human caused climate change Chaparral stand age does not have a significant correlation to its tendency to burn 27 Large infrequent high intensity wildfires are part of the natural fire regime for California chaparral 28 Extreme weather conditions low humidity high temperature high winds drought and low fuel moisture are the primary factors in determining how large a chaparral fire becomes See also editCalifornia Chaparral Institute California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion California coastal sage and chaparral California montane chaparral and woodlands California interior chaparral and woodlands Heath habitat Fire ecology Keystone species reintroduction sufficient native keystone grazing species in grasslands will promote tree growth reducing wildfire likelihood 29 Garrigue International Association of Wildland FireReferences edit chaparral Dictionary com Unabridged Online n d a b Halsey R W Keeley J E 2016 Conservation Issues California chaparral PDF Reference Module in Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences Elsevier Publications Inc doi 10 1016 B978 0 12 409548 9 09584 1 ISBN 9780124095489 Venturas Martin D MacKinnon Evan D Dario Hannah L Jacobsen Anna L Pratt R Brandon Davis Stephen D 2016 07 08 Chaparral Shrub Hydraulic Traits Size and Life History Types Relate to Species Mortality during California s Historic Drought of 2014 PLOS One 11 7 e0159145 Bibcode 2016PLoSO 1159145V doi 10 1371 journal pone 0159145 ISSN 1932 6203 PMC 4938587 PMID 27391489 Discovering Rainforest Locations California Academy of Sciences The Biodiversity Hotspots Conservation International Archived from the original on 2007 07 14 a b A Natural History of California Allan A Schoenerr Figure 8 9 8 10 Table 8 2 a b County of San Diego Department of Planning and Land Use Multiple Species Conservation Program Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2010 11 06 Retrieved 2010 09 14 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link a b A Natural History of California Allan A Schoenherr pp 8 9 357 327 ISBN 978 0 520 06922 0 A Natural History of California Allan A Schoenherr pp 327 Figure 8 9 ISBN 978 0 520 06922 0 Knowling Doug 2016 10 10 Ecological Restoration Wildfire Ecology Reference Manual Lulu com ISBN 9781365453458 Fire native peoples and the natural landscape Vale Thomas R 1943 Washington DC Island Press 2002 ISBN 9781559638890 OCLC 614708491 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link a b Parker V T 2016 Mooney H Zavaleta E eds Chaparral Ecosystems of California Oakland CA University of California Press 479 507 Kummerow J Alexander J V Neel J W Fishbeck 1978 Symbiotic Nitrogen fixation in ceanothus roots Botany 65 1 63 69 doi 10 1002 j 1537 2197 1978 tb10836 x JSTOR 2442555 Syphard Alexandra D Radeloff Volker C Keeley Jon E Hawbaker Todd J Clayton Murray K Stewart Susan I Hammer Roger B 2007 07 01 Human Influence on California Fire Regimes Ecological Applications 17 5 1388 1402 Bibcode 2007EcoAp 17 1388S doi 10 1890 06 1128 1 ISSN 1939 5582 PMID 17708216 Pratt R Brandon Jacobsen Anna L Ramirez Aaron R Helms Anjel M Traugh Courtney A Tobin Michael F Heffner Marcus S Davis Stephen D 2014 03 01 Mortality of resprouting chaparral shrubs after a fire and during a record drought physiological mechanisms and demographic consequences Global Change Biology 20 3 893 907 Bibcode 2014GCBio 20 893P doi 10 1111 gcb 12477 ISSN 1365 2486 PMID 24375846 S2CID 19688559 Hanes Ted L 1971 02 01 Succession after Fire in the Chaparral of Southern California Ecological Monographs 41 1 27 52 Bibcode 1971EcoM 41 27H doi 10 2307 1942434 ISSN 1557 7015 JSTOR 1942434 a b Minnich Richard A 1983 03 18 Fire Mosaics in Southern California and Northern Baja California Science 219 4590 1287 1294 Bibcode 1983Sci 219 1287M doi 10 1126 science 219 4590 1287 ISSN 0036 8075 PMID 17735593 S2CID 46485059 Halsey R W 2009 Chaparral as a natural resource changing the conversation about chaparral and fire PDF Proceedings of the CNPS Conservation Conference 82 86 a b Keeley Jon E Pfaff Anne H Safford Hugh D 2005 10 03 Fire suppression impacts on postfire recovery of Sierra Nevada chaparral shrublands International Journal of Wildland Fire 14 3 255 265 doi 10 1071 wf05049 ISSN 1448 5516 Hubbard R F 1986 Stand Age and Growth Dynamics in Chamise Chaparral San Diego Master s thesis San Diego State University Larigauderie A Hubbard T W Kummerow J 1990 Growth dynamics of two chaparral shrub species with time after fire Madrono 37 4 225 236 JSTOR 41424817 Keeley Jon E 1995 Future of California Floristics and Systematics Wildfire Threats to the California Flora Madrono 42 2 175 179 JSTOR 41425064 Haidinger Tori L Keeley Jon E 1993 Role of high fire frequency in destruction of mixed chaparral PDF Madrono 40 141 147 Archived PDF from the original on 2016 04 14 Zedler P H 1995 Keeley J E Scott T eds Fire frequency in southern California shrublands biological effects and management options Brushfires in California Wildlands Ecology and Resource Management Fairfield WA International Association of Wildland Fire 101 112 a b Swetnam T W Allen C D Betancourt J L 1999 Applied historical ecology using the past to manage for the future Ecological Applications 9 4 1189 1206 doi 10 1890 1051 0761 1999 009 1189 AHEUTP 2 0 CO 2 Hanson C T Sherriff R L Hutto R L DellaSala D A Veblen T T Baker W L 2015 DellaSala D A Hanson C T eds The Ecological Importance of Mixed Severity Fires Nature s Phoenix Amsterdam Netherlands Elsevier pp 3 22 Moritz Max A Keeley Jon E Johnson Edward A Schaffner Andrew A 2004 03 01 Testing a basic assumption of shrubland fire management how important is fuel age Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2 2 67 72 doi 10 1890 1540 9295 2004 002 0067 tabaos 2 0 co 2 ISSN 1540 9309 Mensing S A Michaelsen J Byrne R 1999 A 560 year record of Santa Ana fires reconstructed from charcoal deposited in the Santa Barbara Basin California PDF Quaternary Research 51 3 295 301 Bibcode 1999QuRes 51 295M doi 10 1006 qres 1999 2035 S2CID 55801393 The Serengeti Rules documentary example Serengeti gnuBibliography editHaidinger T L and J E Keeley 1993 Role of high fire frequency in destruction of mixed chaparral Madrono 40 141 147 Halsey R W 2008 Fire Chaparral and Survival in Southern California Second Edition Sunbelt Publications San Diego CA 232 p Hanes T L 1971 Succession after fire in the chaparral of southern California Ecol Monographs 41 27 52 Hubbard R F 1986 Stand age and growth dynamics in chamise chaparral Master s thesis San Diego State University San Diego California Keeley J E C J Fotheringham and M Morais 1999 Reexamining fire suppression impacts on brushland fire regimes Science 284 1829 1832 Keeley J E 1995 Future of California floristics and systematics wildfire threats to the California flora Madrono 42 175 179 Keeley J E A H Pfaff and H D Stafford 2005 Fire suppression impacts on postfire recovery of Sierra Nevada chaparral shrublands International Journal of Wildland Fire 14 255 265 Larigauderie A T W Hubbard and J Kummerow 1990 Growth dynamics of two chaparral shrub species with time after fire Madrono 37 225 236 Minnich R A 1983 Fire mosaics in southern California and northern Baja California Science 219 1287 1294 Moritz M A J E Keeley E A Johnson and A A Schaffner 2004 Testing a basic assumption of shrubland fire management How important is fuel age Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2 67 72 Pratt R B A L Jacobsen A R Ramirez A M Helms C A Traugh M F Tobin M S Heffner and S D Davis 2013 Mortality of resprouting chaparral shrubs after a fire and during a record drought physiological mechanisms and demographic consequences Global Change Biology 20 893 907 Syphard A D V C Radeloff J E Keeley T J Hawbaker M K Clayton S I Stewart and R B Hammer 2007 Human influence on California fire regimes Ecological Applications 17 1388 1402 Vale T R 2002 Fire Native Peoples and the Natural Landscape Island Press Washington DC USA Venturas M D E D MacKinnon H L Dario A L Jacobsen R B Pratt and S D Davis 2016 Chaparral shrub hydraulic traits size and life history types relate to species mortality during California s historic drought of 2014 PLoS ONE 11 7 p e0159145 Zedler P H 1995 Fire frequency in southern California shrublands biological effects and management options pp 101 112 in J E Keeley and T Scott eds Brushfires in California wildlands ecology and resource management International Association of Wildland Fire Fairfield Wash Campbell Neil A Brad Williamson Robin J Heyden 2006 Biology Exploring Life Boston Massachusetts Pearson Prentice Hall ISBN 0 13 250882 6 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chaparral The California Chaparral Institute website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chaparral amp oldid 1191866518, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.