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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature:  Shrubland Ecosystem


California's boundaries cover almost 156,000 square miles. It includes many diverse ecosystems including redwood forests, kelp forests and Death Valley's deserts. According to the California Chaparral Institute, the shrubland ecosystem is the most prevalent ecosystem in California with over 4 million acres.

An ecosystem encompasses all the living organisms and the physical features of an area. It also includes the interactions between them. An ecosystem stands apart from others because of its dominant feature, for example ocean, desert, forest or estuarine ecosystems. A habitat refers to a single population of organisms within the ecosystem.

Sparse and low-growing vegetation characterizes the shrubland ecosystem or California chaparral. This ecosystem experiences dry summers and winter rains. Some of the organisms native to the chaparral include Chaparral yucca, sage and the big-eared wood rat.
California shrublands have low shrubs and little rain For a number of reasons, shrubland ecosystems have been delegated as second class environments when compared to forests or grasslands. While forests provided cover, and grasslands a place to hunt, but shrublands have often been seen as the stuff that gets in the way of the forester or the rancher.

With chains dragged between tractors, abuse by fire, and the application of herbicides, humans have attempted to remove shrubs from the landscape. Such shortsighted approaches to land management have usually resulted in dire consequences for the natural environment. The shrubland ecosystem provides incredibly diverse habitats for the majority of animal life in many regions.

California Sage Scrub is a special plant community dominated by aromatic semi-woody, and semi-deciduous drought-tolerant shrubs. Often referred to as "soft chaparral," the California sage scrub can be found on south facing slopes on coastal and inland mountains from north-central to southern California and into Baja California.
The chaparral is special plant community dominated by woody, drought-hardy shrubs, shaped by a Mediterranean-type climate  with summer drought, winter rain, and infrequent wildfire. A chaparral environment is found in California, southern Oregon, northern Baja California, and a few unique places in Arizona.

Chaparral lands are the closest natural neighbor to many of California’s densest population centers, and shrubland vegetation provides crucial  values for watershed protection, recreation, and wildlife. But proximity to people poses major threats. 

From the coastal mesas and mountain foothills of the southern California and Northern Baja California to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains to Big Sur and Sonoma, chaparral-dominated shrublands form a sublime natural carpet of vegetation over rugged terrain.
Animals and plants in California shrublands use little water Wildlife populations in chaparral tend to be comparatively low, particularly in dense continuous stands. However, both the desert mule deer and whitetail deer are important species found in chaparral. Species such as antelope, collared peccary, and Gambel's quail are found in fringe areas. Badgers, bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, and skunks are found in chaparral, depending partly on the availability of food supplies, such as small rodents. Ordinarily, the chaparral type does not support fisheries resources. Streamflow for untreated areas is often limited in amount, and is intermittent. Even where water supplies may be more adequate, access difficulties for fishermen could limit utilization of a fisheries resource.

Average annual precipitation varies from about 14 inches at the lower limits of the chaparral shrubland type to 30 inches at the higher elevations. Approximately 60 % of the annual precipitation occurs as rain or snow between November and April. Summer rains occur in July and August, which are the wettest months of the year. Annual potential evapotranspiration rates can approach 35 inches.
Both tourists and seasoned Californians love the chaparral at all times of the year, when it is brown and rusty in late summer, as well as when the winter rains have brought out the greens of the different foliages. Chaparral soils are typically coarse-textured, deep, and poorly developed. Granites occur on more than half of the shrublands. The topography is characterized by mountain ranges dissected by steep-walled gorges and canyons.

The mission of The Chaparral Lands Conservancy is to protect shrubland ecosystems as an integral and beautiful feature of California’s natural landscape through land preservation and stewardship. The Conservancy was founded in 2009 by veteran San Diego environmental advocate David Hogan to advance the conservation of shrublands, related ecosystems, dependent plants and animals and especially endangered species.
 
 
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