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Southern California: Biotic Communities and Disturbance Regimes

 Long Beach, CA

The plants native to this area are tolerant to drought conditions and increased salinity due to the Mediterranean climate of this area.  Most of the plants found in this area are for gardens/landscaping in urban areas.  Public areas must get their trees approved by the city council before it is to be planted (City of Long Beach 2017).  As this is an area of dense urbanization, the terrestrial fauna in the area is slim.  Outside of pets, there are common animals such as squirrels, opossums, birds, rats, coyotes etc. 

Lyonathamnus floribundus (Cataline Ironwood)


(UFEI)

(UFEI)


Cataline ironwoods are successful in this area because they are drought resistance and tolerant to salty soils (UFEI).  They are most likely out competed by other species in other areas in terms of growth rate and height, so they stay within the western/central areas of California. 

Procyon lotor (raccoon)

(Cabi 2021)

(Cabi 2021)


Raccoons are found almost anywhere in North America as they are a very generalized species.  They have a diet that consists of almost anything. This means that they are relatively abundant in urban areas as they will be able to eat human trash with little competition.  Due to their tolerance to a wide range of temperatures and precipitation, their distribution is mainly limited by physical barriers.  They are invasive and have a very high rate of colonizing success (Cabi 2021).

(SCEDC 2021)


The dominant natural disturbance in this area is earthquakes. Long Beach has experienced 395 earthquakes in the past 365 days. (Earthquake Track 2021). Earthquakes have the potential to destroy animal shelter and uproot plants (Animal Ethics 2021). Since the biota in this area coexist with humans, they are not at a severe risk from earthquake disturbance.  The racoons get food from humans and the cataline ironwoods are planted by humans in public areas.  Humans will not be leaving this area for an extended period of time, so the populations of these two species will not be significantly affected by this natural disturbance.

 

San Bernardino National Forest

The national forest contains areas of mixed conifer forests, oak woodlands, and semi arid areas.  It also has and elevation range of 440 -11499 ft above sea level (USDA1).  Along with its temperature and precipitation fluctuations, it is home to thousands of different species with plenty of diversity between birds, reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and plants.

The San Bernardino National Forest provides habitat for 71 threatened animal species and 85 threatened plant species (USDA2)

Haliaeetus leucocephalus (Bald Eagle)

(DEC)

(DEC)


Bald Eagles tend to be limited by water availability as they feed on fish primarily (DEC). They fly north to breed.  They do not do well in urbanized areas, so they won’t be found near cities.  The San Bernardino National forest does not allow urban expansion, so they will do well in this area.  They are also endangered, so a sheer lack of numbers limits their distribution as well.

Juniperus occidentalis (Western juniper)

(Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019)

(Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019)


The western juniper is found in areas with mean annual precipitations from 8-13 inches (Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019).  The sites they are found in also areas with an average July Temperature of about 66 degrees Fahrenheit (Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019).   They have a short growing season (130 days) so they must be present in these conditions if they are to grow, which greatly limits their distribution (Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019).  They tend to dominate areas of low and mid elevation slopes.  The requirements for temperature, precipitation, and elevation make the leeward slopes of the San Bernardino National Forest ideal for this tree. 



The dominant natural disturbance in this area is fire.  This area is covered in vegetation, which serves as fuel for the fires.  It also has a semi-arid region on the leeward sides of its mountains which create dry conditions that allow for fires to start. The fires directly kill vegetation, but allow for succession to occur after the fire has stopped (Fryer and Tirmenstein 2019).  This would create large fluctuations with the western juniper population.  The bald eagle populations in this area would decrease because they use trees for shelter.  The eagles would most likely relocate to a different forest. Some eagle may be directly killed by the fire as well.

(Quintanilla 2020)

 

Mojave National Preserve

The Mojave National Preserve wildlife is home to less than 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and amphibians combined (NPS 2020). Biodiversity is low in these areas due to low precipitation and limited vegetation.

Larrea tridentata (Creosote bush)

(Marshall 1995)

(Marshall 1995)

 

 


The creosote bush is dominant in areas of low bio density with lots of sunlight.  It is adapted to survive with little water availability and high temperatures, so it is the dominant plant species in the Mojave Desert (Marshall 1995).   It would not survive well outside of desert areas because other plants would shade this plant (as this bush does not grow tall compared to a tree).

Crotaphytus bicinctores (Great Basin Collared Lizard)

(Smith and Tanner 1972)

(Smith and Tanner 1972)



The great basin collared lizard does well in the Mojave National Preserve because of its extreme heat tolerance.  It also has a similar color and texture pattern of the eroded surfaces in the desert.  To avoid predation, this lizard is great at digging holes for shelter. Its distribution may be limited by its physical appearance.  It would not blend in as well in other areas, which would make it more prone to predation.  These lizards are also very territorial, so the are less willing to leave their grounds.

 


(Davis 2020)

The dominant natural disturbances in this area are fires and climate extremes.  An example of a climate extreme would be a year of extremely wet conditions.  This would affect erosion rates which would redistribute soil resources (USGS 2008) .  This could affect where great basin collared lizards could burrow as well as where creosote bushes grow.  Fires could directly kill both lizards and bushes.  However, similarly to the San Bernardino National Forest, succession occurs after the fire.  This allows for new growth of the creosote bushes and the return of the lizards. 





Works Cited

Animal Ethics. 2021. “Animals in natural disasters” https://www.animal-ethics.org/animals-natural-disasters/

Cabi. 2021. “Procyon lotor” Invasive Species Compendium. https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/67856#todistribution

City of Long Beach. 2017. “Approved Tree List”http://www.longbeach.gov/globalassets/city-manager/media-library/documents/memos-to-the-mayor-tabbed-file-list-folders/2017/march-2--2017---approved-tree-list

Davis, Mark. 2020. “Wildfire burns at least 5K acres in Mojave preserve near Las Vegas” Las Vegas Review. https://www.reviewjournal.com/local/local-nevada/wildfire-burns-at-least-5k-acres-in-mojave-preserve-near-las-vegas-2096265/

Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). “Bald Eagle Management” Bald Eagle. https://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/74052.html

Earthquake Track. 2021. “Recent Earthquakes Near Long Beach, California, United States”. https://earthquaketrack.com/us-ca-long-beach/recent

Fryer, Janet L and Tirmenstein, D. 2019. “Juniperus occidentalis. Fire Effects Information System.” Fire Sciences Laboratory. https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/junocc/all.html#:~:text=Western%20juniper%20is%20native%20to,Nevada%20and%20southern%20California%20(fig.&text=Populations%20are%20expanding%20most%20rapidly,Oregon%20%5B89%2C231%5D

Marshall, Anna. 1995. “Larrea Tridentia. Fire Effects Information System”. Fire Sciences Laboratory. https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/lartri/all.html

National Park Service (NPS). 2020. “Animals” Mojave National Preserve, California”. https://www.nps.gov/moja/learn/nature/animals.htm

Quintanilla, Itxy. 2020. "Heading to the San Bernardino National Forest? New Rules Are In Place To Prevent More Fires" LAist. https://laist.com/latest/post/20200804/san-bernardino-national-forest-fire-prevention-rules

Southern California Earthquake Data Center (SCEDC). 2021. “Long Beach Earthquake” Chornological Earthquake Index. https://scedc.caltech.edu/earthquake/longbeach1933.html

Smith and Tanner. 1972. “Great Basin Collared Lizard” California Herps. http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/c.bicinctores.html

Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute (UFEI). “Catalina Ironwood”. https://selectree.calpoly.edu/tree-detail/lyonothamnus-floribundus-aspleniifolius

United Stated Department of Agriculture (USDA1). “Nature and Science” San Bernardino Natural Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/sbnf/learning/nature-science#:~:text=Animals%20and%20Plants&text=The%20local%20mountains%20provides%20habitat,85%20species%20of%20sensitive%20plants).&text=The%20major%20mountain%20ranges%20within,San%20Jacinto%20and%20Santa%20Rosa

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA2). “About the Forest” San Bernardino Natural Forest. https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/sbnf/about-forest

United States Geological Survey (USGS). 2008. “Monitoring Ecosystem Quality and Function in Arid Settings of the Mojave Desert”. Scientific Investigations Report. 2008-5064 https://pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2008/5064/sir2008-5064.pdf



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