By: Cathy Jacobs, PH.D, Dept. of Biology
California State University Dominguez Hills

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Chaparral

Topanga State Park

Coyote Bush

Chaparral is the dominant habitat found in the mountains of Southern California. It can be divided into the lower chaparral (from about 1000-5000 ft.) and the upper chaparral (above 5000 ft.) These are divided by their tolerance for snow. Plants in the lower chaparral can tolerate frost, but not snow, while plants in the upper chaparral can tolerate snow. Steep hillsides with poor, thin soil cannot support larger plants, but chaparral can grow here. The plants must be able to tolerate long periods without rain, in dry soil, with baking sun. These plants are seldom drought-deciduous. Most are evergreen, since they do most of their growth in the cool moist season. This vegetation is often called sclerophyllous, since the leaves are often small, hard, with waxy coatings or epidermal hairs. These help reduce water loss, and may also reduce temperature. They often have two root systems; shallow roots for catching water when it falls as rain, and tap roots. Some chaparral plants are allelopathic, producing toxins which inhibit plant growth near them. There is a pronounced north-slope, south-slope difference in species composition, with

Scarlet Larkspur

south-facing slope plants having smaller leaves. This habitat is fire-adapted, promotes fire, and requires fire to persist. Plants in the chaparral either are resprouters (sprouting back from the surviving roots) or reseeders (requiring fire to promote germination of the seeds). Without fire, chaparral plants age and die, and often are not replaced. Some species of plants are "fire follower", found abundantly after burns, and later replaced by the dominant bushes growing up. Lower chaparral plants include chamise, toyon, coffeeberry, sugar bush, laurel

Elderberry

sumac, poison oak, yucca, California buckwheat, black sage, holly-leaf cherry, scrub oak, and many species of Ceanothus (California lilac). Upper chaparral plants again show north-slope, south-slope distinctions, such that south-facing slopes have evergreen shrubs with thick oval leaves, while north-facing slopes are drought-tolerant conifers. On south-facing slopes, various manzanitas and birch-leaf mountain mahogany, and scrub oak are common. Animals include the wrentit, Bewickís wren, California towhee, scrub jay, California thrasher, bushtit, plain titmouse, red-tailed hawk, great horned owl, coyote, mountain lion, bobcat, raccoon, striped skunk, gray fox, ringtail, western gray squirrel, dusky-footed wood rat, California mouse, deer mouse, kingsnake, Pacific diamondback, racer, western fence lizard, and side-blotch lizard.