Coastal+Mountains

= Coastal Mountains=

California's Coastal Mountains range from the Northwest to the Del Norte County crossing into Mexico. The range is nearly 800 Miles long winding all the way up the coast.Other than the break that contains the Golden Gate the mountains are continuous without large gaps. The mountains separate the coast creating a special climate. The mountains keep most of the precipitation created by the ocean on the west side of the mountains making the east side of the state dry and often creating deserts. The mountains contain many evergreens to the north and allow for the harvesting of trees for lumber. The south and the foothills on the coastal side often consist of chaparral. Wine is sometimes grown in the valleys.

== The abiotic factors in the coastal mountains vary greatly. Some regions can have very little rainfall and be exposed to much sun, while other regions can have a great deal of rainfall and less sun. This variation causes the environment to shift dramatically from chaparral to coniferous forest in only a small region. The northern-most Klamath Mountains are composed primarily of granite and metamorphic rock. This is the result of dramatic changes in temperature and pressure when molten rock was pushed up from the Earth's core. The Coast Range, rising from northern Humboldt County to the Santa Ynez river, are composed of sandstones and shales like those of the ocean floor. Heavy rainfall in the winter, fog in the summer, and overall moderate temperatures allow large conifers such as the redwood trees to grow in the north. The south predominates with chaparral due to scattered rainfall. 1] == == California, Southern California in particular, has a mediterranean climate. These are characterized by light winters, and hot summers with little rainfall. Rainfall occurs normally during the winter and rarely in the summer and in general is very light. The coastal city of Santa Barbara receives an average of 18 inches of rain per year, while Los Angeles receives only 15 inches per year, and San Diego receives only 10. The average in the coastal foothills increases slightly with an average annual rainfall of 20-35 inches per year. Rain tends to be intense over short periods of time, causing landslides and mudflows. This causes sudden dramatic changes in the geography of the coastal mountains. 2] == == Additionally, the collision of the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate have greatly impacted the geography and formation of the coastal mountains. What was once deep ocean basins, such as the Los Angeles Basin and the Oxnard Plain, are now filled with mountain debris. The relatively rapid geological shifts cause mountain soil to be primarily consisting of granite, metamorphic rock, and sandstone. These media are depleted of nutrients and require various adaptations for plants to grow. 2] ==

Biotic Factors
In coastal mountains there are many different biotic factors. With the wide variety of different species found in coastal mountains it is hard to concentrate on just a few species of animal. Every animal and plant species found in the coastal mountains are there for a reason. From plants providing food nutrients for animals and insects to larger mammals that prey on smaller mammals as well as birds. All of these plant systems as well as the food web all complement one another and create a very diverse ecosystem.

Plants
The plant life of the coastal mountains ranges from common florals to poison ivy as well as oak and redwood trees. Along with the flowers and poison oak, there is also an abundance of cactus. The cactus is native to the area and grows rapidly. There is also a large area of coastal scrub as well as other shrubs and trees. These plants are important contributors to the small animals and insects found in the coastal mountains. Whether these plants are providing shelter as well as protection from predators, they offer an abundance of nutrients that are needed to survive in the coastal mountain ecosystem. The plant life in the coastal mountains is very diverse and is essential for the diverse ecosystem that is the coastal mountains.

·  Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus) ·  Lemonade Berry (Rhus integrifolia) · Yellow flowered golden bush (haplopaappus sp.)  ·  Miner’s Lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata) · Mistletoe (Phoradendron tomentosum)  ·  Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) · Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia Littoralis)  · <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> Black Sage (Salvia mellifera)<span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> · <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> California Buckwheat (Erigonum fasciulatum)<span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> · <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Deerweed (Lotus scoparius) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> · <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Golden Poppy (Eschscholzia) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry (Ribes speciosum) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· California Sage Brush (Artemisia Californica)

 The Prickly Pear has large spines. The fruits on a prickly pear are edible and sold in stores under the name tuna. The branches can also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. Many require course, well-drained soil in dry, rocky flats or slopes. Most have yellow, red or purple flowers. They vary in height from less than a foot to six or seven feet.

 3]The gooseberry plant can grow from three to six feet tall. It is has rough branches that have three stout, with spines at each node. The leaves are somewhat lobed to serrate, dark green, roundish, and shiny above and lighter green beneath. The flowers are drooping in groups of one to four with reddish bracts and rough pedicels. The fruit is a red to orange berry about three-eighths inches in diameter. It is found in coastal sage scrub and chaparral, and blooms from January to May.

The Sticky Monkey flower grows in a shrub form, and is native to southwestern North America. It grows from zero point five to one point two tall. The leaves are a deep green and are sticky. They are three to seven centimeters long and grow vertically. The Sticky Monkey is tube-like at the base, and has five broad lobes. The common color is light orange, but can be white to red. It can grow in many climates including thrive in different types of soil. It is pollinated by bees and hummingbirds. The roots of this flower can be used to treat a number of aliments, and was useful by the Pomo Native Americans for antiseptic qualities and expedited the healing of minor scrapes and burns.

It is a trailing plat and grows a maximum of forty centimeters in length, but mature plants can be as small as one centimeter. They are usually bright green, succulent, long, and narrow. The small white or pink flowers have five petals and are two to six millimeters long. They appear from February to May or June. They are grouped from five to forty pair of leaves that are united together around the stem to appear as one circular leaf. They are common in the spring and prefer cool, damp conditions.

 California buckwheat is common shrub and grows on scrubby slopes in chaparral and dry washes in a number of habitats. It can vary in appearance. The leaves grow in clusters at nodes along the branches and are leathery, wooly on the undersides, and rolled under the edges. The flowers appear in dense clusters which may grow in size from only a few millimeters to fifteen centimeters wide. Many Native Americans used the parts of the plant for a number of medicnal uses.

This plant is extremely variable in growth habit and leaf appearance. It will grow in dense shrub in open sunlight. Or it can grow climbing vine in shaded areas. It reproduces by creeping rootstocks or by seeds. The leaves are divided into three leaflets that are three and a half to ten centimeters long. They have scalloped, toothed, or lobed edges. They can resemble the leaves of a true oak, but tend to be more glossy.

 The Golden Poppy can grow from five to sixty centimeters tall. It has alternating braches with leaves that are divided into round, lobed segments. They normally have four petals each being two to six centimeters long and broad. Their color ranges from yellow to orange. They flower from February to September. The petals close at night or if it is cold, and reopen in the morning. They will remain closed if it is cloudy.

 California sagebrush is a grayish-green shrub, three to four feet high. It typically grows to about five feet tall. This sage brush is native to much of central and southern California and is part of the 'sage' in coastal sage scrub. Although it doesn't seem to care if it has clay or sand, it hates being wet in the summer. The stems are very flexible and wand like. The leaves are clustered in branches. There are about fifteen to thirty flowers that come for the stems. Seeds germinate after wildfires, and burnt plants crown sprout after fires. Sage was used in tea for fevers. Smoke was used for burning brush used for removing skunk.

 The berry is small and red that can be steeped in water to make a lemonade drink. It comes from a bushy shrub, no more than ten feet high. White-pink flowers are borne in large clumps all across the plant in the spring. The berries ripen from green to yellow, then red. The berries are covered in a sticky substance. It can survive short freezes but if temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit they will freeze and die. They are also tolerant of drought and can survive near-desert conditions.

In the coastal mountains there is a wide variety of animal life. Each of thee species complements one another and therefore develops a vast food web. From snakes to squirrels, each species in the coastal mountain ecosystem is either a predator or prey. As well as squirrels and snakes, skunks and porcupines can also be found here. Theses burrow to build their homes and are usually found in shady areas underneath larger trees. One of the largest populations of animals however is birds. The coastal mountains are mostly populated by smaller birds; however, the red tail hawk is one of the largest predatory birds to be found in the coastal mountain ecosystem. The coastal mountains are also home to hummingbirds as well as wood peckers which flourish in dry oak trees <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Western Rattlesnakes ( Crotalus viridis)<span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· California Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata)<span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);"> <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Ravens (Corvus corax) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Bobcat (Lynx rufus) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· Red-Tail Hawk (Buteo jamaciensis) <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Ground Squirrels <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">· <span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Rabbits
 * <span style="font-family: Symbol; color: rgb(0, 32, 96); font-weight: normal;">· **<span style="color: rgb(0, 32, 96);">Mountain Lion (** Puma ** ** concolor) **


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The California coastal mountains are ecologically important in that they contribute a large variety of plants and animals to the area. Because of the varying climate, plants such as shrubs to trees as large as redwoods can live in this environment. Additionally, the mountains act as a barrier between the coast and the central valley, retaining humidity on the coastal side and hot dry weather on the central valley side.

1) "California Coastal Mountains" 19 April, 2009. http://ceres.ca.gov/ceres/calweb/coastal/mountains.html 2)  Rundel, Phillip K., and Robert Gustafson. //Introduction to the Plant Life of Southern California.// Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, Ltd., 2005. Print. Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (2005). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed). John Hopkins University Press. (skunk) Petrides, George A. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs (Peterson Field Guides), Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1986, p. 130. (poison ivy) 3) Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry. Retrieved April 22, 2009, from Southern California Wildflowers Web site: http://www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/fuchsiafloweredgooseberry.html