Download Chamiso plant - Mercer Island School District

Visit the Chaparral
Pristine Adventures Co.
WHERE IS THE CHAPARRAL?
LOCATIONS
Northern California
Mediterranean coastline
Southern Australia
Midwest United States
Chile, South America
South Africa
Costal Europe
FEATURES
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Hard, dry under saturated soil
Drought ridden plants and earth
Inland from coast but not quite desert
Dominated by shrubs and small trees
Wildfires occur often in summer months
Located on foothills and small plains
Plants have hard sclerophyllous evergreen leaves (evaporation
resistant)
CLIMATE
 Warm, moist climate in winter
 Arid, dry climate in summer
 Mild temperatures and low rainfall
throughout the year
 Average annual temperature: 61 °F
 Average annual rainfall: 21 cm
CHAPARRAL PLANTS
Sage Brush: Strong, tall,
drought resistant bush
that dominates the
foothills
Blue Oak: One of the largest
trees in California, stores lots
of moisture, provides food
for many species
Coyote Bush: Small bush that
dominates the ground level,
wiry and woody plant
French Broom: blooms mostly
in winter months, tall beautiful
yellow flower
CHAPARRAL ANIMALS
Black Tailed Jackrabbit: Small wiry
hare, prefers open areas, survives on
grass, leaves, and twigs
Golden Jackal:
Small wolf like
animal that eats
half meat
(hares, rodents,
birds) and half
plants (leaves,
twigs, fruits)
Puma: larger member of the
cat family, eats deer, rodents,
and plants, adaptable to many
climates
Cactus Wren: non-migratory, exploratory birds that
survive on insects and small fruit
UNIQUE PLANTS
 The Chaparral features many plants that are capable of
surviving intense droughts and attacks from predators
 The South African Chaparral has 6,000 plant species found
nowhere else on earth
 Chamiso plant: A small tree like plant that convers itself in a
wax substance to trap in moisture to survive during the dry
months. The wax, however, is highly flammable and burns like
oil which serves as a disadvantage during forest fires
UNIQUE ANIMALS
 Most of the animals in the Chaparral are scavengers and
omnivores, surviving on what they can find available to them
in the surrounding plant community
 There are a very small number of predators because of the
scarcity of food
 Kangaroo Rat: does not drink hardly any water and instead
conserves its metabolic water by not sweating, producing
little urine. It takes dust baths to stay clean and remains
mostly inactive throughout its life.
SEASONAL INFORMATION
 Best time to visit: Winter and Fall
 With its mild to warm temperatures and moist winter climate,
the Chaparral of fers the perfect getaway from those cold wet
winter months!
 Abundant wildlife can be seen year round
 Flowers bloom in winter months along with the emergence of
newborn jackals and pumas from their dens
ACTIVITIES
 The chaparral of fers many beautiful hiking trails ranging in
dif ficulty from beginner to advanced
 Mountain biking trails line the valleys and ridges and provide
a great opportunity for some high speed fun
 Of f road vehicle rock climbing and trail riding for those who
like to live on the edge (Warning: drive at your own risk)
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
 Lumber companies are cutting down ancient trees and
burning the shrub land
 Cities are fast being developed right on top of the homes of
many indigenous Chaparral plant and animal species
 Climate change is taking the already dry Chaparral climate
and making it even more uninhabitable to an decreasing
number of wildlife
REFERENCES
 http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htm
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaparral
 http://www.ehow.com/list_7516571_environmental -problemschaparral-biomes.html
 Jake Rogers