The California Chaparral, which you can tell by the name, is located on the coastal areas of the state of California on the western region of the United States of America. The California Chaparral is hot, dry, and mild climate in summer with rainy and cool winters. The summers are so hot that there are frequent fires and dry spells. The average amount of precipitation is between 12 – 40 inches and is mostly rain. The precipitation is equally spread throughout the seasons of spring, fall and winter evenly. Biomes are identified by their Köppen symbol. It’s used by geographers and climatologists. The Köppen symbol for this specific biome is Csa, with Cs meaning mild humid climate with a dry summer and a standing for very hot summers.

Chaparral occurs on slopes facing south, and in drier areas and also found on mountains. As beautiful as this biome may appear from the outside looking in, there are many things being done to negatively affect its environment and animals and plants that live within it. There is a lot of damage being done by human influences, really bad droughts and wildfires, and
California Chaparral. (2017). Blueplanetbiomes.org. Retrieved 1 October 2017, from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/calif_chaparral.htm

The laurel sumac is a native plant within the California Chaparral. Its scientific name is malosma laurina, which is the only species in this genus. Its one of the first plants to resprout after a fire. One of its niches other than being a producer, is that parasitic plants that die in the summer can grow into other plants. There are many species that travel over and through the California Chaparral. The California thrasher, Red Diamond rattlesnake and Spotted Towhee are chaparral natives. There are some species that aren’t from the area but can also be found in the region. Some non-native plant species are the Bromus, Wild Oats, Filaree and Mustard. The California Chaparral was once home to the now extinct California Grizzly Bear. During its time, it was the ruler of the chaparral.

The last Ursus arctos californicus was spotted in 1924 and the last one in Southern California was shot in 1908. The California Condor nearly became extinct. It now remains an endangered species. These two species were two of the most famous species of the California Chaparral. The Sea Lab, Conservation Volunteers International Program, San Jose Conservation Corps Center, Oxnard Water Conservation Program and Gibbon Conservation Center are five of possibly many conservation programs that are in place to protect endangered species and keep the integrity of the land intact in the state of California. Biodiversity/Evolution. (2017). Chaparral Biome. Retrieved 1 October 2017, from http://chapparalbiomehollywood.weebly.com/biodiversityevolution.html

Human population pressures reduce and fragment habitat health, diversity and availability everywhere as humans modify the face of the earth to better suit our own needs. This destroys the homes and food sources for countless plants and animals. Building homes and cities, building roads, damming and changing the courses of rivers, draining wetlands, irrigating dry lands, mining metals or fossil fuels, cutting down forests, introducing invasive and exotic species, grazing down prairies. All of these activities make the earth more convenient for humans at the expense of other species and biodiversity in general. Humans are directly responsible for the downward spiraling of the California Chaparral.

The air quality of the California Chaparral is diminishing and has been diminishing for awhile now. This originates from industrialism, the process of manufacturing goods, and combustion from vehicles. These two factors give off carbon along with other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere, which is the main cause for global warming. Due to the successful city of Los Angeles being located right inside the chaparral biome, the chaparral has been destroyed and houses, factories, and many types of buildings have taken the place of the biome. Many parts of the biome been destroyed, which is a problem for many of the various species of animals that live in the chaparral. Many of the homes of animals such as rabbits, foxes, pumas and many more are losing their shelter due to human’s’ needs. The chaparral is also being affected by the many factories, cars, and industries that are located in L.A.

They are sending too much carbon into the atmosphere than the natural world can store away by natural processes, which is making the quality of the air worse. The animals are taking the most direct effect by this overflow of polluting and industrialization. They’re losing their place to live and some species, for example, amphibians are becoming an endangered species because they breathe through their skin and the carbon is easily deposited into their system quickly.
Pollution. (2017). Chaparral, Southern California- Let’s Go!. Retrieved 1 October 2017, from http://chapparalofsouthcal.weebly.com/pollution.html

The recent droughts in California have had a large effect on California’s ecosystems, including chaparral shrublands. In many areas, chaparral species have experienced substantial dieback and mortality.This is a concern for a number of reasons, but one important concern is how this dead material on the landscape affects flammability and the possibility of high intensity fires.

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