User:Sowon99/California interior chaparral and woodlands
The California interior chaparral and woodlands ecoregion covers 24,900 square miles (64,000 km2) in an elliptical ring around the California Central Valley. It occurs on hills and mountains ranging from 300 feet (91 m) to 3,000 feet (910 m).[1] It is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers. Many plant and animal species in this ecoregion are adapted to periodic fire.
Flora[edit]
These woodlands are varied and rich in plant life. The ecoregion contains areas of grass, chaparral shrublands, savanna dotted with oak, oak woodlands, serpentine soil communities, closed-cone pine forest with small patches of mountain conifers, wetlands, salt marshes, and riverside forests.[1]
Chaparral and oak woodlands are the most widespread plant communities in this ecoregion. The chaparral is composed of diverse shrubs and herbs. These include chamise and several species of manzanita and ceanothus. Gray pine often emerges from the shrubs. Meanwhile, buckeye is extensive and Blue oak is one of the most extensive of the many varieties of oak in the woodlands: scrub oak, coast live oak, canyon live oak, valley oak, and interior live oak.
The pine and cypress communities on the areas of serpentine soil within this ecoregion harbor many endemic species such as milkwort jewelflower. The main trees of this habitat are Sargent cypress and MacNab cypress with California scrub oak.
Fauna[edit]
Over seventy species of mammals occur in this rich ecoregion. The endemic mammals include three species of kangaroo rat - the giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens), Heermann kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermani), and Santa Cruz kangaroo rat (Dipodomys venustus). The salt marsh harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys raviventris) is also included, which is the most populated endemic mammal species in U.S. and Canadian habitats. Some hundred species of birds occur here. Indicator species among them are scrub jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens), acorn woodpeckers(Melanerpes formicivorus) and wrentits (Chamaea fasciata). Unusual invertebrate species, such as army ants (Neivamyrmex spp.), primitive bristletails, and land snails, also exist here.
Fire - Do you think it will be better to make a new paragraph about fire? It was originally under 'threats and preservation', but I don't think the fire is threatening them..[edit]
About one third of the original habitat remains, especially at higher elevations. Adapted to periodic fires, many species and communities in the ecoregion are highly fire resilient, and there are many species which regenerate by fires. The trees of Closed-cone pine forest burned in every 25-50 years, and a few species including the knobcone pine (Pinus attenuata) adapted to open the cones and release seeds for new growth following the heat of forest fires. As fire regulation and suppression becomes more effective these communities cannot renew themselves.
Where to put this..? And I don't understand the context of this information.
Protected areas of the ecoregion include: American River Parkway, Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, Point Reyes National Seashore, Mount Tamalpais State Park, Mount Diablo State Park, Henry W. Coe State Park, Pinnacles National Park, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area and Carrizo Plain National Monument.
References[edit]
- "California interior chaparral and woodlands | Ecoregions | WWF". World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
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