Climate : In the winter the Chaparral climate, also known as the Mediterranean climate, is mild and moist, but not rainy. During the summer it is very hot and dry. The temperature is usually mild but it can get very hot or nearly freezing. The temperature range is between 30° and 100° F.
This biome only gets about 10-17 inches of rain all year, and most of it comes in the winter. Because of the long period of dryness in the summer, only plants with hard leaves can survive, such as scrub oaks, chamiso shrubs, pines, cork and olive trees. Many leaves are also hairy so they can collect the moisture out of the air and use it.
Plants: The most common type of chaparral contains plants like large shrubs, corn oak, and scattered scrub that are densely packed together. This type of chaparral is called maquis in Europe and chamiso-redshank in California. Chamiso is the most common shrub in that area. Chamiso-redshank chaparral also contains plants like poison oak, small scrub oaks, manzanita, and sugar sumac.
Animals: Because the chaparral contains patches of other biomes in it, it also shares some of the same animals that the other biomes do. However, the chaparral also has animals that depend and live solely in the biome. In California, ground birds like the quail, wrentit, and thrasher live and nest in the protection of thick, low growing shrubs. In the fynbos, the protea seed-eater remains in the chaparral to feed on protea
seeds.
In the winter the Chaparral climate, also known as the Mediterranean climate, is mild and moist, but not rainy. During the summer it is very hot and dry. The temperature is usually mild but it can get very hot or nearly freezing. The temperature range is between 30° and 100° F.
This biome only gets about 10-17 inches of rain all year, and most of it comes in the winter. Because of the long period of dryness in the summer, only plants with hard leaves can survive, such as scrub oaks, chamiso shrubs, pines, cork and olive trees. Many leaves are also hairy so they can collect the moisture out of the air and use it.
Plants:
The most common type of chaparral contains plants like large shrubs, corn oak, and scattered scrub that are densely packed together. This type of chaparral is called maquis in Europe and chamiso-redshank in California. Chamiso is the most common shrub in that area. Chamiso-redshank chaparral also contains plants like poison oak, small scrub oaks, manzanita, and sugar sumac.
Animals:
Because the chaparral contains patches of other biomes in it, it also shares some of the same animals that the other biomes do. However, the chaparral also has animals that depend and live solely in the biome. In California, ground birds like the quail, wrentit, and thrasher live and nest in the protection of thick, low growing shrubs. In the fynbos, the protea seed-eater remains in the chaparral to feed on protea
seeds.