California coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion
Encyclopedia
The California coastal sage and chaparral, a sub-ecoregion of the California chaparral and woodlands
ecoregion, is found in southwestern California
and northwestern Baja California
in Mexico
.
biome
. It covers about 14000 mi2 of coastal terraces, plains, and foothills south to the Punta Baja in northern Baja California, including the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains
, Santa Ana Mountains
, and Santa Rosa Mountains
, the San Joaquin Hills
, the Channel Islands
, Guadalupe Island
, and Cedros Island
. The climate is Mediterranean
, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers with fog.
habitat, California coastal prairie
, and Northern coastal scrub
.
Prominent species include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) and brittlebush Encelia californica
along with California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and Munz's sage (Salvia munzii
). At the southern end of this coastal ecoregion can be found cacti and succulents such as Agave shawii
, coastal cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera
), golden cereus
(Bergerocactus emoryi), and other prickly pear (opuntia
), yucca
and dudleya
species. Higher up the slopes are covered in Chaparral
plants such as chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum
, Ceanothus
and Manzanita Arctostaphylos
species, and higher still are mountain conifers such as the huge sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), and incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens
). Other trees include the rare Torrey pine
s (only found in Torrey Pines State Reserve
on the coast near San Diego and Santa Rosa Island, California
), cypress
es, Southern California black walnut Juglans californica
(now remaining in the San Jose Hills
south and east of Covina, California
), and oak
s such as the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) and valley oak (Quercus lobata) that once covered the Los Angeles basin
and San Fernando Valley
. In and around these different habitats this diverse ecoregion also contains patches of riverside woodland, grassland, and seasonal pools and floodplains. The Channel Islands are mostly covered in coastal sage and chamise chaparral with some oak woodland including rare buckwheats, oaks, and Dudleya’s restricted to these islands.
Habitats of this hot, dry coast must survive and revive following the regular forest fires, and the dominant plant species have adapted to do that. Endemic plants to the ecoregion include San Diego thornmint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia
), San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila
) and San Diego barrel cactus (Ferocactus viridescens
).
and Quino Checkerspot
butterflies among the 200 butterfly species found here. Other animals include the rosy boa
, red-diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber
), the San Diego subspecies of the Coast horned lizard
and the Western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus
), San Diego Pocket Mouse
, Stephens kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi), and Merriam's Kangaroo Rat
, western patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis), and cheese-weed moth lacewing (Chrysoperla
s). Vernal pools in the ecoregion are home to Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni
).
The California Gnatcatcher
is a small bird, endemic to this coastal ecoregion, which has been protected as it's habitat is now designated an Important Bird Area
. Other birds found here are the endemic Nutall’s woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) of the oak woodland, and the coastal populations of the protected cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus).
There are patches of coastal sage scrub in Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
, the Santa Monica Mountains
, the San Joaquin Hills
near Laguna Beach, and the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, California
. Protected areas include the Torrey Pines State Reserve, the Santa Rosa Plateau
Reserve, and Santa Cruz Island
. Important Bird Areas in Mexico include Isla Guadalupe and Isla Cedros, and parts of Sierra de Juárez
and Sierra de San Pedro Mártir.
----
California chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
ecoregion, is found in southwestern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and northwestern Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Location
California coastal sage and chaparral is part of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrubMediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub
Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, defined by the World Wildlife Fund, characterized by dry summers and rainy winters. Summers are typically hot in low-lying inland locations but can be cool near some seas, as near San Francisco, which have a sea of cool waters...
biome
Biome
Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
. It covers about 14000 mi2 of coastal terraces, plains, and foothills south to the Punta Baja in northern Baja California, including the southern slopes of the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
, Santa Ana Mountains
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
, and Santa Rosa Mountains
Santa Rosa Mountains (California)
The Santa Rosa Mountains are a short mountain range in the Peninsular Ranges system, located east of the Los Angeles Basin and northeast of the San Diego metropolitan area of southern California, in the Southwestern United States.-Geography:...
, the San Joaquin Hills
San Joaquin Hills
The San Joaquin Hills are a set of low hills in coastal Orange County, California. They extend in a northwest-southeast direction, starting in the northwest in Newport Beach at the southern edge of the Los Angeles Basin, and extending southeast to San Juan Capistrano.-Geography and habitats:Named...
, the Channel Islands
Channel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
, Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island
Guadalupe Island, or Isla Guadalupe is a volcanic island located 241 kilometers off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula and some 400 kilometers southwest of the city of Ensenada in Baja California state, in the Pacific Ocean...
, and Cedros Island
Cedros Island
Cedros Island is a Mexican island in the Pacific Ocean....
. The climate is Mediterranean
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
, with cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers with fog.
Flora
The species of the California coastal sage and chaparral are diverse, with high endemism. The main plant communities are the endangered Coastal sage scrubCoastal sage scrub
Coastal sage scrub is a low scrubland plant community found in the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of coastal California and northern Baja California. It is characterized by low-growing aromatic, and drought-deciduous shrubs adapted to the semi-arid Mediterranean climate of the...
habitat, California coastal prairie
California coastal prairie
California coastal prairie, also known as northern coastal grassland, is a grassland plant community of California and Oregon in the Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands Biome...
, and Northern coastal scrub
Northern coastal scrub
Northern coastal scrub is a scrubland plant community of California and Oregon. It occurs along the Pacific Coast from Point Sur on the Central California coast in Monterey County, California, to southern Oregon...
.
Prominent species include California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) and brittlebush Encelia californica
Encelia californica
Encelia californica is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name California brittlebush. It is also commonly referred to as "California bush sunflower"....
along with California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) and Munz's sage (Salvia munzii
Salvia munzii
Salvia munzii is a species of sage known by the common name Munz's sage . It is native to northern Baja California, Mexico, and it can be found in a few locations just north of the border in San Diego County, California...
). At the southern end of this coastal ecoregion can be found cacti and succulents such as Agave shawii
Agave shawii
Agave shawii, occasionally called Shaw's Agave is an agave found only along the Pacific coast of Baja California, extending north into the coastal chaparral of southernmost California....
, coastal cholla (Cylindropuntia prolifera
Cylindropuntia prolifera
Cylindropuntia prolifera, known by the common name Coastal cholla, is a species of cactus.-Description:Cylindropuntia prolifera is a mostly erect, treelike cactus which can approach 3 meters in maximum height. The gray-green segments are narrow and cylindrical, surfaced in fleshy tubercles bearing...
), golden cereus
Golden cereus
The golden cereus is a species of cactus. It is the sole member of the genus Bergerocactus, named after Alwin Berger. The plant is also known as golden spine cereus or snake cactus, though this latter name also applies for Echinocereus pensilis.This cactus is frail, appear in clusters, has up to...
(Bergerocactus emoryi), and other prickly pear (opuntia
Opuntia
Opuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
), yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
and dudleya
Dudleya
Dudleya is a genus of succulent perennials, consisting of about 45 species in southwest North America.Many plants in the Dudleya genus were formerly classified as Echeveria....
species. Higher up the slopes are covered in Chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
plants such as chamise Adenostoma fasciculatum
Adenostoma fasciculatum
Adenostoma fasciculatum is a flowering plant native to California and northern Baja California. This shrub is one of the most widespread plants of the chaparral biome.-Description:...
, Ceanothus
Ceanothus
Ceanothus L. is a genus of about 50–60 species of shrubs or small trees in the buckthorn family Rhamnaceae. The genus is confined to North America, the center of its distribution in California, with some species in the eastern United States and southeast Canada, and others extending as far south...
and Manzanita Arctostaphylos
Arctostaphylos
Arctostaphylos is a genus of plants comprised by the manzanitas and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.There are about 60 species of Arctostaphylos, ranging from ground-hugging arctic, coastal, and mountain species to small trees up to 6 m tall. Most are evergreen , with small oval...
species, and higher still are mountain conifers such as the huge sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), and incense cedar (Calocedrus decurrens
Calocedrus decurrens
Calocedrus decurrens is a species of conifer native to western North America, with the bulk of the range in the United States, from central western Oregon through most of California and the extreme west of Nevada, and also a short distance into northwest Mexico in northern Baja California...
). Other trees include the rare Torrey pine
Torrey Pine
The Torrey Pine, Pinus torreyana, is the rarest pine species in the United States, an endangered species growing only in San Diego County and on one of the Channel Islands, endemic to the coastal sage and chaparral ecoregion in the U.S...
s (only found in Torrey Pines State Reserve
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is a coastal state park located in the California community of La Jolla, San Diego, California, off North Torrey Pines Road . Although it is located within San Diego city limits, it remains one of the wildest stretches of land on the Southern California coast...
on the coast near San Diego and Santa Rosa Island, California
Santa Rosa Island, California
Santa Rosa Island is the second largest of the Channel Islands of California at 53,195 acres . Defined by the United States Census Bureau as Block 3009, Block Group 3, Census Tract 29.10 of Santa Barbara County, California, the 2000 census showed an official population of 2 persons. It is part of...
), cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
es, Southern California black walnut Juglans californica
Juglans californica
Juglans californica, the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree of the Juglandaceae family endemic to California....
(now remaining in the San Jose Hills
San Jose Hills
The San Jose Hills are a part of the Transverse Ranges located in Eastern Los Angeles County, California, marking the border between the San Gabriel Valley and the Pomona Valley in the Inland Empire. It includes portions of Covina, West Covina, Walnut, Pomona, and San Dimas.- Geology :The San Jose...
south and east of Covina, California
Covina, California
Covina is a small city in Los Angeles County, California about east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Gabriel Valley region. The population was 47,796 at the 2010 census, up from 46,837 at the 2000 census...
), and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
s such as the coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) and valley oak (Quercus lobata) that once covered the Los Angeles basin
Los Angeles Basin
The Los Angeles Basin is the coastal sediment-filled plain located between the Peninsular and Transverse ranges in southern California in the United States containing the central part of the city of Los Angeles as well as its southern and southeastern suburbs...
and San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. In and around these different habitats this diverse ecoregion also contains patches of riverside woodland, grassland, and seasonal pools and floodplains. The Channel Islands are mostly covered in coastal sage and chamise chaparral with some oak woodland including rare buckwheats, oaks, and Dudleya’s restricted to these islands.
Habitats of this hot, dry coast must survive and revive following the regular forest fires, and the dominant plant species have adapted to do that. Endemic plants to the ecoregion include San Diego thornmint (Acanthomintha ilicifolia
Acanthomintha ilicifolia
Acanthomintha ilicifolia, known by the common name San Diego thornmint, is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family. It is native to Baja California and San Diego County, California, where it is a resident of the chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities and vernal...
), San Diego ambrosia (Ambrosia pumila
Ambrosia pumila
Ambrosia pumila is a rare species of ragweed known by the common names dwarf burr ragweed and San Diego ambrosia. It is native to far southern California and Baja California where it grows in floodplains and scrub. Today it is known from 19 populations...
) and San Diego barrel cactus (Ferocactus viridescens
Ferocactus viridescens
Ferocactus viridescens is a rare species of barrel cactus known by several common names, including Coast barrel cactus and San Diego barrel cactus. It is native to southern California and northern Baja California...
).
Fauna
Wildlife found here includes the Hermes CopperHermes Copper
The Hermes Copper is a species of butterfly in the Lycaenidae family. It is found in Mexico and southern California in the United States. It is known from a small number of areas. Forest fires in the San Diego area in 2003 and 2007 destroyed most of the populations.The wingspan is 25-32 mm...
and Quino Checkerspot
Quino Checkerspot
The Quino Checkerspot is native to California and Mexico. It is a subspecies of the common Edith's Checkerspot and the second such subspecies to be listed under the federal Endangered Species Act. This species, like many others, has undergone several changes in nomenclature and classification...
butterflies among the 200 butterfly species found here. Other animals include the rosy boa
Rosy boa
The Rosy Boa is a snake of the Boidae family, one of only two members of that family native to the United States. The other is the Rubber Boa...
, red-diamond rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber
Crotalus ruber
Crotalus ruber is a venomous pitviper species found in southwestern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.-Description:...
), the San Diego subspecies of the Coast horned lizard
Coast Horned Lizard
The coast horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard which can be found from Baja California north to California's Sacramento Valley. It is a widely divergent species with over 6 subspecies in their relatively small range...
and the Western banded gecko (Coleonyx variegatus
Coleonyx variegatus
The Western Banded Gecko is a species of gecko found in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico .-Description:...
), San Diego Pocket Mouse
San Diego Pocket Mouse
The San Diego Pocket Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. It is found in Baja California in Mexico and California in the United States.-References:...
, Stephens kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi), and Merriam's Kangaroo Rat
Merriam's Kangaroo Rat
Merriam's Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys merriami, is a species of rodent in the family Heteromyidae. The species name commemorates Clinton Hart Merriam.-Range:...
, western patch-nosed snake (Salvadora hexalepis), and cheese-weed moth lacewing (Chrysoperla
Chrysoperla
Chrysoperla is a genus of green lacewings in the insect family Chrysopidae in the order Neuroptera. Therein they belong to the Chrysopini, the largest tribe of subfamily Chrysopinae....
s). Vernal pools in the ecoregion are home to Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni
Streptocephalus woottoni
Streptocephalus woottoni is a rare species of crustacean in the family Streptocephalidae. It is native to southern California in the United States and Baja California in Mexico. Its common name is Riverside fairy shrimp...
).
The California Gnatcatcher
California Gnatcatcher
The California Gnatcatcher, Polioptila californica, is a small 10.8 cm long insectivorous bird which frequents dense coastal sage scrub growth...
is a small bird, endemic to this coastal ecoregion, which has been protected as it's habitat is now designated an Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
. Other birds found here are the endemic Nutall’s woodpecker (Picoides nuttallii) of the oak woodland, and the coastal populations of the protected cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus).
Threats and preservation
This attractive coastline is highly vulnerable to urban, recreational, and agricultural development and only 15% of original habitat is intact . Habitats are vulnerable to livestock grazing, which has removed much native vegetation on the Channel Islands, such as Santa Cruz where sheep were grazed for over 100 years. Another threat ironically is fire control, which only allows the amount of dry material in the forest to build up resulting eventually in massive fires.There are patches of coastal sage scrub in Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and serves as its prime amphibious training base...
, the Santa Monica Mountains
Santa Monica Mountains
The Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
, the San Joaquin Hills
San Joaquin Hills
The San Joaquin Hills are a set of low hills in coastal Orange County, California. They extend in a northwest-southeast direction, starting in the northwest in Newport Beach at the southern edge of the Los Angeles Basin, and extending southeast to San Juan Capistrano.-Geography and habitats:Named...
near Laguna Beach, and the Irvine Ranch in Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
. Protected areas include the Torrey Pines State Reserve, the Santa Rosa Plateau
Santa Rosa Plateau
The Santa Rosa Plateau is an upland plateau and southeastern extension of the Santa Ana Mountains in Riverside County, southern California. It is bounded by the rapidly urbanizing Inland Empire cities of Murrieta to the northeast, and Temecula to the southeast.The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological...
Reserve, and Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island
Santa Cruz Island was the largest privately owned island off the continental United States, but is currently part-owned by the National Park service . The island, located off the coast of California, is long and from wide...
. Important Bird Areas in Mexico include Isla Guadalupe and Isla Cedros, and parts of Sierra de Juárez
Sierra de Juárez
Sierra de Juárez is a mountain range on the Baja California Peninsula, of Baja California, Mexico. It is part of the Peninsular Ranges. The Laguna Mountains of California lie to the north and the Sierra San Pedro Mártir lies to the south....
and Sierra de San Pedro Mártir.
See also
- California chaparral and woodlands biome index
- Flora of California chaparral and woodlands
- List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
External links
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