CHAPARRAL BIOMEMason Carbone and Elizabeth

Wilmouth

Location West coast of the United States West coast of South America Cape Town South Africa Western Tip of Australia Coastal areas of the Mediterranean

Seasons and climate Winter-mild and moist not rainy Summer-hot and dry

Usually mild but can get very hot or nearly freezing

Temperature ranges between 30 and 100 degrees F

Only gets 10-17 inches of rain during the winter

Plants Less than a meter tall Relatively shrubby Desert like plants Many are annuals Perennial forms tend to

have evergreen leaves Flowering briefly after winter rains If caught on fire will burn fast Some are fire resistance either by

underground roots or thick heavy bark

Type of soil Nutrient poor Factor of humans changing their biome to

fit their needs Thin soil Bare rock clay

Animals Mainly grass land and desert types adapted to hot

weather Coyotes Jack rabbits mule deer Alligator lizards Horned toads Praying mantis, honey bees, and lady bugs In Europe: wild goats, sheep, cattle, mouflon, horses, lynx, wild

boar, rabbits, vultures, and eagles

Many small mammals

Food web

Adaptation

Thick bark Fire resistant After burned the perennial forbs survive

underground Resin closes pine cones to protect the

seeds Fauna don’t need a lot of water Have adapted to the hot and dry weather Some seeds need the heat to sprout

Adaptation and competition

Most are small and nocturnal Dig burrows to stay cool Plants have small waxy leaves that hold

water

Interesting facts They hold highly flammable oils Burn out every 30-40 years Important crops in the area are olives and

grapes Has more than one name (Mediterranean

biome) The seeds of some plants will stay

dormant until a fire comes Chaparral biome is the smallest biome

Human impact and influence

Start fires Many parts of the region were lost to cities

and farms Animals were chased away in which many

died National parks and game preservation areas

have been established The parks are trying to save endangered

species in the area An example of the animals that have been

affected by humans are lions and quagga

Djuma Game Reserve Tourist Destination

Qiuz How many years does it take for the

plants to burn out? What two animals have we mainly

affected? What are the two most important crops? What kind of plants are there in the

Chaparral biome? Where are two places that this biome is

located?

Work cited http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/chaparral.htm

http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/main.php?section=biomes&topic=chaparral&subtopic=soil

http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/shrub.htm

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/chaparral.html

http://www.glendale.edu/chaparral/oct06/chaparral.htm http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/impact/impact.chapa

rral.html

Quiz What are in the plants leaves Are there small or large mammals in the

Chaparral Where is it located at How often do they burn out Is the chaparral the largest or smallest

biome