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Chaparral Biozone
First posted May 4, 2004 Last
updated June 19, 2009
Chaparral is an area characterized by
very low rainfall; hot, dry summers; and frequent fires.
All of the plants and animals must be adapted to surviving
without much moisture and to surviving brushfires. We do not have any proper chaparral
in the Cazadero region, but there are small areas that
have plants that are typical of the classical biozone
of chaparral, and therefore will be included here for
comparison to the other biomes.
If you would like to see a real chaparral
area, the closest ones are in the Sierra foothills.
If you take Highway 120 to Yosemite, the chaparral starts
beyond the blue oak belt at Oakdale. The first expansive
area of chaparral is near the Moccasin Fish Hatchery,
at the foot of Priest Grade, just before Groveland.
The plants of the chaparral region typically
have small, waxy leaves that are very resistent to moisture
loss. The majority of the water that roots absorb for
the typical plant are lost in transpiration (evaporation
from the leaves, through the stomata). Chaparral plants
cannot afford this dalliance, so their leaves are specially
adapted to protect against water loss. Some chaparral
plants are adapted to losing their leaves in a drought,
further extending their ability to survive in a land
with little water. Our chaparral areas are typically
scoured by wind, with poor, rocky soils that do not
retain much moisture. Chaparral plants of our area include
poison
oak and various live oaks, such as coast
live oak
You can read more about chaparral here. Also, the book Introduction to California Chaprral, by the University of California Press, is excellent.
Other Biozones:
Redwood Forest Biozone
Oak Woodland Biozone
Riparian Biozone
Grasslands Biozone
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