Ecology of California
The ecology of California can be understood by dividing the state into a number of ecoregions, which contain distinct ecological communities of plants and animals in a contiguous region. The ecoregions of California can be grouped into four major groups: desert ecoregions (such as the Mojave Desert), Mediterranean ecoregions (such as the Central Valley), forested mountains (such as the Sierra Nevada), and coastal forests.[1]
Different authorities define the boundaries of ecoregions somewhat differently: this article follows the definitions of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Deserts
The deserts in California receive between 2 and 10 inches (51 and 254 mm) of rain per year.
Mediterranean ecoregions
The coast of California from
The WWF distinguishes between different chaparral ecoregions based on species
These chaparral ecoregions contain numerous plant communities, including oak savanna,[10] oak woodland, conifer woodlands, chamise chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and coastal grassland.[8] These plant communities often occur as a mosaic,[9] caused by fire.[11]
California's
Forested mountains
The cooler and wetter mountains of northern California are covered by
The Sierra Nevada are home to half of the
The Klamath and Siskiyou Mountains are a notable biodiversity hotspot, containing one of the four most biodiverse temperate forests in the world.[17] The diversity is caused by the ecoregion being adjacent to a number of other ecoregions, diverse soil, and having refugia caused by isolation in the last ice age.[17] Some endemic species in the Klamath mountains are limited to only one mountain or valley.[17]
The Eastern Cascades slopes of the Modoc Plateau are characterized by a mosaic of open
Coastal forests
The coast of California north of San Francisco contains the
The redwood forests thrive in a thin belt up to 35 miles (56 km) wide next to the coast, where the trees are kept moist by winter rains and summer fog.[22] The redwood forests are also notable for having the highest forest productivity in the world.[22]
See also
- Ecology portal
- California portal
- List of California birds
- Fauna of California
- California Floristic Province
- Geography of California
- California native plants
- Protected areas of California
References
- ISBN 2-922305-18-X.
- ^ "Sonoran Desert". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "Mojave Desert". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "Great Basin shrub steppe". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b "Level III ecoregions of the United States" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
- ^ a b c "American Semi-Desert and Desert". Ecological Subregions of the United States. US Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2008-05-07.
- ^ "California Chaparral & Woodlands". World Wildlife Fund. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
- ^ a b c d "California coastal sage and chaparral". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b c d "California montane chaparral and woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b "California interior chaparral and woodlands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ISBN 978-0-521-55986-7.
- ^ "California Central Valley grasslands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ "California Dry Steppe". Ecological Subregions of the United States. US Forest Service. Archived from the original on 2015-02-21. Retrieved 2012-10-24.
- ^ "Restoring California's Native Grasses". United States Department of Agriculture.
- ^ Johnson, John (2001-05-13). "Conflicting Visions for 'Serengeti of California'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b "Sierra Nevada forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b c d "Klamath-Siskiyou forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ^ a b "Eastern Cascades forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.
- ISBN 978-0-520-24096-4.
- ^ ISBN 0-520-06922-6.
- ISBN 1-878441-09-4.
- ^ a b c "Northern California coastal forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund.