PLS 147 Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Pinus Sabiniana, Root Crown, Adenostoma Fasciculatum
Chaparral
● the archetypical California (Mediterranean climate) vegetation
● 8% of CA's 100 million acres
Key differences between coastal sage scrub and chaparral
Hard Chaparral distribution
● Montane Chaparral
○ merges with mixed evergreen
○ off the coast, usually more than 100 m elevation, dry areas throughout montane
region (scattered blue on the map in north east/central portion)
● Southern California chaparral
● Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum) - one of the most characteristic species
Characteristics
● steep, dry, shallow, rocky (poor) soil slopes
○ sometimes serpentine or lateritic soils
● mostly one dense layer
○ 1-3 m evergreen shrubs
■ leaves last more than a year
○ sometimes emerging closed cone species
■ foothill pine
○ successionally, after fire, a rich herb stage
○ otherwise, very little ground cover/ understory
■ few exotics
Traits of chaparral dominants
●woody, multi-stemmed plants (shrubs) with thick, dense shoots
○ usually slow growth
○ stiff
○ hard to walk through
● sclerophyllous: thick, stiff, small, often pale and sometimes prickly/spiny leaves
○ a hard leaf
○ drought adaptations
● highly flammable
○ leaves can be aromatic
○ not adapted to prevent burning
■ evolved traits to make the fire hotter (?)
○ good at surviving fire
■ top-killed
■ root system is intact
■ root crown has many buds that can regrow
■ robust dormant seed bank
● woody shrubs and herbaceous species
● regenerate (after fires) by seed or by resprouting
○ seeders vs sprouters
Key Species (names useful for describing what might be dominant)
● Chamise chaparral
● Manzanita chaparral
● Ceanothus chaparral
● Quercus species (shrub oaks)
● Toyon
● Coffeeberry
Chamise (Adenostoma fasciculatum)
● widespread sprouter and seeder
● often mono-dominant
● needle-like leaves
● redshanks chaparral (A. sparsifolium) is a less widespread chaparral species (southern
taller, more open)
Manzanita (Arctostaphylos)
● >20 species
● long-lived obligate
● facultative seeders
● orbicular stuff leaves
● dense foliage
● canescens, crustacea,
Ceanothus
● >20 species
● mostly obligate seeders
● toothed leaf
● cuneatus, jepsoni, glandulosa
Scrub Oaks
● sprouters
● shorter than regular oaks
● short internodes, stiff leaves
● Scrub Oak: Q dumosa, non-serpentine
● Leather oak: Q. durata, serpentine
Document Summary
Key differences between coastal sage scrub and chaparral. Off the coast, usually more than 100 m elevation, dry areas throughout montane region (scattered blue on the map in north east/central portion) Chamise (adenostoma fasciculatum) - one of the most characteristic species (cid:694)(cid:731)(cid:724)(cid:741)(cid:724)(cid:726)(cid:743)(cid:728)(cid:741)(cid:732)(cid:742)(cid:743)(cid:732)(cid:726)(cid:742) Steep, dry, shallow, rocky (poor) soil slopes. Successionally, after fire, a rich herb stage. Woody , multi-stemmed plants (shrubs) with thick, dense shoots. Sclerophyllous: thick, stiff, small, often pale and sometimes prickly/spiny leaves. Evolved traits to make the fire hotter (?) Root crown has many buds that can regrow. Regenerate (after fires) by seed or by resprouting. Seeders vs sprouters (cid:702)(cid:728)(cid:748) (cid:710)(cid:739)(cid:728)(cid:726)(cid:732)(cid:728)(cid:742) (cid:667)(cid:737)(cid:724)(cid:736)(cid:728)(cid:742) (cid:744)(cid:742)(cid:728)(cid:729)(cid:744)(cid:735) (cid:729)(cid:738)(cid:741) (cid:727)(cid:728)(cid:742)(cid:726)(cid:741)(cid:732)(cid:725)(cid:732)(cid:737)(cid:730) (cid:746)(cid:731)(cid:724)(cid:743) (cid:736)(cid:732)(cid:730)(cid:731)(cid:743) (cid:725)(cid:728) (cid:727)(cid:738)(cid:736)(cid:732)(cid:737)(cid:724)(cid:737)(cid:743)(cid:668) Redshanks chaparral (a. sparsifolium) is a less widespread chaparral species (southern taller, more open) (cid:704)(cid:724)(cid:737)(cid:749)(cid:724)(cid:737)(cid:732)(cid:743)(cid:724) (cid:667)a(cid:741)(cid:726)(cid:743)(cid:738)(cid:742)(cid:743)(cid:724)(cid:739)(cid:731)(cid:748)(cid:735)(cid:738)(cid:742)(cid:668) Stand replacing: kills almost everything above ground. Enough fuel to burn after around 10 years. Regeneration is rapid from dormant seed banks and root-crowns. Some of the most dangerous deadly fires.
