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by Marla Conti,
Adjunct Instructor of Geography
Chaparral
is the name of our
school newsletter, but what is “chaparral,” anyway? Do you spread it on
toast? Is it something you wear for special occasions? Would
you find it under your bed, or is it a fancy word for something having
to do with higher education?
To quote one
of my old Glendale College professors from the 1970s, “Run, don’t walk,
to the nearest dictionary.” But how many of us really look up those
unfamiliar words we encounter on a daily basis? Let’s face it, we
hardly ever get around to it, so here’s the inside scoop on chaparral
for the lexiphobic among us: chaparral is a
biome, which means the plants and animals unique to a specific area.
The chaparral
biome is found in only a few places on earth–the West Coast of the
United States, the west coast of South America, the Capetown area at the
tip of South Africa, the western edge of Australia, and the coastal
areas of the Mediterranean. Speaking of the Mediterranean, chaparral is
found only in the Mediterranean climate zones, the sole climate in the
world with a winter maximum of rain. It is very hot and dry in the summer, with rain
only during the mild winter. This unique phenomenon is due to a complex interplay
between the Subtropical High Pressure Zone, the Jet Stream, and the
Westerly Wind Belt. Chaparral country can have
flat plains, rocky hills, or mountain slopes, and it is often the
setting for movies about the “Wild West.”
The plants and
animals of the
chaparral are well
adapted to the hot, dry conditions. Most
of the plants have xerophytic adaptations, like small, waxy leaves and succulent stems or
roots that hold moisture. Examples are yucca, scrub oak, cactus, and
mesquite. Because of the frequency of fires
during the summer, some native plants have seeds that require the intense heat from a
fire in order to sprout, thus giving the plant a head start on the
competition for scarce resources when the landscape begins to
re-establish itself. Although wheat grows well in hot, dry weather, the
most important crops in Mediterranean
climates are olives and grapes–a trip to Trader Joe’s will verify that
wines are indeed produced in all of the areas with chaparral biomes:
France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Chile, Australia, and of course,
California.
The animals of
the chaparral are all grassland and desert types, also adapted to the
hot, dry weather. A few examples are coyotes, jackrabbits, mule deer,
gophers, squirrels, lizards, tortoises, and horned toads. Insects are
also abundant, like honeybees, praying mantis, and ladybugs. Although
cold-blooded lizards soak up the morning sun on rocks, mammals often stay
hidden in dens or burrows during the heat of the day, coming out only at
night to hunt for prey. Birds, like scrub jays and mockingbirds, feed
on the numerous berries and acorns of the chaparral, while
red-tailed hawks and ravens feed on small animals and carrion.
Next time you
pick up the
Chaparral, don’t forget the
unique weather we have and the special adaptations of our plants and
animals—the distinctive setting
of Glendale College in the chaparral-covered hills of Southern California.
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