Question

What type of climate is generally found in costal sage scrub areas? How would this affect recovery after disturbance? Please explain in great detail!

Answer 1

Coastal sage scrub communities occur on the west coast part of United States on relativelt shallow, dry soils in areas where a Mediterranean climate prevails. They are found at elevations ranging from near sea level to 1800 feet. It is located in a moister climate such as under the influence of coastal fogs may reach six and a half or more feet tall. However, one located in a drier climate, such as on the interior slope of a hillside located in a rain shadow, may reach only nine inches tall. Factors such as lattitude, proximity to th eocean and substrate all exercise their influence on the distribution, species composition and physiognomy of coastal scrun communities.

Fire is an important element in the ecology of coastal scrub. The predominant species have crowns whose vegetative buds resprout after fires, just as many chaparral species. The rapid regrowth by root crown sprouting and small wind dispersed seeds often make these species successional to chapparal after fire or other disturbance. When fire occurs too frequently, coastal scrub may be replaced by grasslands that are often dominated by non native annual species.