Chaparral

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Chaparral A Minor Biome

• Sample Project

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Chaparral

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

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Chaparral

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

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Chaparral

• Producers
• Scrub Oak
• Chaparral Pea
• Deerweed
• Yucca

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Chaparral

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

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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

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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.a
  sp?recordNumberMA0179

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Chaparral - Consumers

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

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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

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Chaparral

• Decomposers
• Actinomycetes
• Millipede

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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

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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.p
  hp

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Chaparral Food Chain/Web
Striped Skunk
Cactus Mouse
Yucca
Sun
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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

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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

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Chaparral

• Reasons to Visit
• Fire Fighting
• Herb Gathering
• Rare Biome
• http//www.radford.edu/swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/b
  iomes/medit/medit.html