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

Rocky Intertidal Zone Coastal Salt Marsh Chaparral Fresh water Marsh Coastal Sage Scrub Southern Oak Woodland Valley Grassland Riparian Woodland Forests Pinyon-juniper Woodland Joshua Tree Woodland Scrubs

Due to its topographical complexity, Southern California has a large variety of native habitats. It has a Mediterranean climate at lower elevations near the coast, with a cool, wet season and a hot, dry season. This kind of climate puts great stress on plants during the hot, dry season, when, although there is more than adequate sunlight for photosynthesis, to keep the stomata open for photosynthesis would entail a large water loss. Thus, plants have a number of adaptations to conserve water and to prevent overheating of the leaves. Rainfall varies considerably between the different habitats, since mountains cast rain shadows, intercepting rainfall and leaving the leeward sides very dry. Water flowing in channels can provide for very different vegetation than can be seen very nearby on surrounding hillsides. The presence of the ocean greatly influences the climate, moderating temperature fluctuations near the coast, influencing the wind patterns across the basin, and providing a source of fog which can raise humidity near the coast and into the lower elevations inland. In this presentation, I will cover the major habitat types in Southern California, and for each describe the dominant vegetation characterizing it, as well as some of the animals found typically in the habitat.