Download California Vegetation

1. Introduction
California Vegetation
1995
Uniqueness of California
• Most diverse in temperate North America
• Few in temperate regions of the world
approach California’s biodiversity
Why so diverse
• Size of the state: 800 miles long, 200 miles
wide
• Range of latitudes: 33° to 42° N
• Topography: -276 to 14495 ft
How Unique Really?
Region
California
Texas
Florida
Italy
Chile
Peru
Taiwan
Area (km2)
Latitude (°)
Altitude (m)
# of Species
Diversity/Adjusted
by area
411,000
9
(33-42 N)
4,480
4,844
1.00/1.00
692,400
10
(26-36 N)
2,667
4,498
0.93/0.55
151,900
6.7 (24.331 N)
105
4,300
(incl. naturalized)
0.89/2.40
294,100
13
(35-48 N)
4,810
5599
(all vascular plants)
1.16/1.62
743,800
39
(17-56 S)
6,893
5284
(all vascular plants)
1.09/0.60
1,280,000
18
(0-18 S)
6,800
17144
(all vascular plants)
3.54/1.14
36,000
3.2
(22-25.2 N)
3,950
4,077
0.84/9.61
Vascular plants
• Vascular Plants: those with xylem and phloem
tissues to transport water, nutrients, etc.
(focus of the book)
• Non-vascular Plants: algae, mosses, liverworts,
fungi
Flora vs Vegetation
• Flora: all the plant species of a place
• Vegetation: the general aspect and species
composition of the plant life of a place
– Plant Community: a general term for the
assemblage of plant species growing together in a
particular area
– Vegetation Types: such as various kinds of forests,
woodlands, grasslands, marshlands
Vegetation
Flora
Native: 4,844 species, 82.5% of total; alien species 17.5%.
Source of the text: 1993 The Jepson Manual.
Large families
47% of species are from these 8 families.
Introduction to California Plant Life
2003
Family
# of genera
# of species
% of the flora
Asteraceae
185
907
14%
Poaceae
106
438
7%
Fabaceae
44
400
6%
Scrophularacae
30
313
5%
Brassicaceae
56
279
4%
Cyperaceae
14
210
3%
Total: 39%
Source of the text: CNPS 2001
6,300 native plants (vs. 4,844 in Jepson 1993)
Large genera
10.6% of the species are from these 7 genera.
Floristic Provinces
• California F. P.: west of Cascade-Sierra Nevada
mountains, and Transverse and Peninsular Ranges.
Including a corner of Oregon and a corner of Baja
California.
• Great Basin F. P.: rain shadow of C.F.P., north of Owens
Lake and Death Valley; plateau, high desert, basin and
range. Extending to Nevada, Utah and other adjacent
states.
• Sonoran F. P.: hot, dry deserts of transmontane
California south of Owens and Death Valley. Including
Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Covering a large portion
of the southwestern US and northern Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
California Floristic Province
• Area: 85% of the state
• Vascular species: 81%
Endemism
An endemic species is one that is confined to a specific location.
About 50% of the species in California Floristic Province are endemic.
Possible reasons for high endemism
• Specialized climate: Mediterranean, coastal
fog drip, etc.
• Specialized soil: serpentine, dune, vernal pool,
etc.
• Paleoendemics (Relict species): widespread in
the past.
• Neoendemics: more recently evolved--a
millions years ago or less (some Gilia, Madia,
Hemizonia, Clarkia).
Introduced Plants
Rare and Endangered Species
Taxa: including subspecies and varieties.
CNPS has the 8th Edition, released in 2010, as the current database.