Plant Life
Chamise (Producer): Chamise is an evergreen shrub with small narrow leaves. It has the ability to sprout after a fire from an underground woody plant structure called lignotuber (woody tap-roots), basal burls, or root-crown burls. This means that the structure of the plant has seeds that are several feet in the ground and then sprout when a fire is followed by a winter rain. Chamise also has a trait called seed dimorphism. It means that the plant produces two seeds at once; one runs off of “normal” conditions and the other remains dormant until a fire occurs.
Manzanita (Producer): Manzanita is an evergreen dwarf shrub related to the bearberry. It also has the ability to sprout after a fire from woody tap-roots as does chamise. Scrub Oak (Producer): Scrub Oak is a shrubby dwarf oak that forms thickets. Because of the fires that are periodic in this biome, they have learned to adapt to way the biome works. All three of these plants have a thing called sclerophyllous (hardened leaves). These hardened leaves hold any moisture they get from the air and keep it to take care of the seeds. they basically protect the seeds until the fire is over and then their seeds crack open and spread to continue the same cycle. There is not much of a difference when it comes to all three of these plants. all plants in this biome are able to do the same thing because of constant droughts and fires every 10 years or so. |
http://polyland.calpoly.edu/overview/archives/derome/chaparral.html
http://www.biosbcc.net/b100plant/htm/hard.htm
http://www.biosbcc.net/b100plant/htm/hard.htm
Animal Life
Mountain Lion (Carnivore): The mountain lion (also known as the Puma) is incredibly Adaptable to the chaparral environment. its primary source of food is usually deer but it can eat insects, birds, basically anything small to medium sized animal. it hides its food in ditches so it can feed off its kill for several days. Mountain lions are able to go without water for long periods of time because of their adaption to the heat in Chaparral.
jackrabbits (herbivore): jackrabbits have humongous ears. their ears help them absorb major heat or major cold which helps them live in chaparral. Their long legs help them get up to speed of 36 mph and outrun their predators. they tend to live out in open so they can see their predators. these rabbits eat grass, twigs, And leaves. They conserve their water supply by eating their food twice. Coyote (Omnivore): Coyotes are able to go without water for long periods of time (just because of their adaption to the heat). most coyotes hunt in pacts to catch larger prey like deer for example. They hunt their prey into exhaustion and then feast upon it. if they are hunting by themselves (which is rare) they stalk their prey through the grass and snatch them up. coyotes are successful killers and their hunts can range from 14 minutes to 21 hours. |
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/puma.htm
http://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/coyote/
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral_animal_page.htm
http://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/coyote/
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral_animal_page.htm
Location
Chaparral covers less than 5% of the Earth! chaparral can be found Between 30 to 50 degrees N and 30 to 40 degrees S Latitudes. A chaparral climate can be found in the central and southern coast of cali, the coast areas of the mediterranean Sea, in the coastal western and southern parts of Australia, the chilean coast in south america, and the cape town region of South Africa. These locations are usually found surrounding deserts and grasslands.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral_climate.htm
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/bioshrubland.php
https://www.storehouse.co/stories/2027-temperate-woodland-and-scrubland
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/bioshrubland.php
https://www.storehouse.co/stories/2027-temperate-woodland-and-scrubland