by Chidi Ihuoma
The word Chaparral comes from the Spanish word, "chaparro" meaning scrub oak. It is found in the coastal areas in California. Chaparral climate/ Mediterranean climate, or scrub climate, is a hot, dry, and mild climate in summer with rainy and cool winters. The summers are so hot that there are frequent fires and dry spells. There is a great abundance of fire-adapting plants. The chaparral grows in soils that are shallow and unable to hold water. The terrain is steep, and because of this there is severe erosion.
Most of the 12-40 inches per year of precipitation is in the form of rain: fall, winter, and spring receiving equal amounts. Any snow that may fall in the winter melts very quickly. The precipitation also increases in elevation. During the summer, places along the coastline usually get more moderate weather and more moisture from fog than interior regions.
There are two misconceptions relating to California chaparral. 1) Chaparral needs to burn to remain healthy, and 2) fire suppression policies have allowed chaparral to accumulate unnatural levels of fuel. California chaparral is extraordinarily resilient to very long periods without fire. Old-growth chaparral in excess of one hundred years old remains a productive, dynamic ecosystem. There is no scientific evidence to support the notion that native shrublands have become unhealthy due to overgrowth. In fact, seeds of many chaparral plants actually require 30 years or more worth of accumulated leaf litter before they will successfully germinate. When intervals between fires drop below 10 to 15 years, many chaparral species are eliminated and the system is typically replaced by non-native, weedy grassland.
Chaparral plants sprout quickly, and grow and spread rapidly. This rapid growth, along with the plants' ability to produce heat-resistant seeds that remain dormant yet viable in ground litter for long periods of time, contributes to the ability of chaparral flora to recover quickly following fire. Furthermore, many nutrients are locked in the foliage of chaparral plants. Through burning, these nutrients are recycled back into the soil.
As chaparral plants age, they become less productive, but are not overtaken by invading species. Fire in this type of community serves to replace older plants with younger, more productive ones of the same species rather than to eliminate exotic species and replace them with native ones.
Whenever chaparral burns, everything goes, no matter the age. This is characteristic of a crown fire regime as opposed to the surface fire type found in ponderosa forests. A young, 5-year-old stand of chaparral has already produced more than enough material to fuel and carry a catastrophic wildfire across the landscape.
In California, a main concern associated with the chaparral is the large human populations that live in and around this biome. With people living in this dry biome, there is a concern about fire. Fire occurs naturally, but can also be caused by human activity. There are many endangered and sensitive species living in this region. Surrounding Santa Barbara, there are two National Parks to help protect the important chaparral habitat. The Los Padres National Forest stretches from the hills northward to Monterey County, and the Channel Islands National Park includes the five northern Channel Islands off the coast. Both of these parks contain many natural and cultural resources, including unique species and Native American artifacts.
A Couple of Animals
California Thrasher
California Tiger Salamander
Links
http://www.lincoln.smmusd.org/staff/Vanderveen_Web/Ecology/Chaparral/chaparralanimallist.htm
www2.kpr.edu.on.ca/cdciw/biomes/chaparral.htm
www.blueplanetbiomes.org/calif_chap_climate.htm
www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/ profiles/terrestrial/na/na1203.html