The Chaparral Practice

Explain how animals that need water daily can acquire it in the chaparral biome if a source of open groundwater is unavailable.

Animals like quails that need water daily but cannot find streams, ponds, rivers or other sources of open groundwater are often able to absorb moisture from the foods they eat. In the case of the quail, they are able to absorb moisture from the insects and fruit they eat.

Explain how the increased flammability of chaparral shrubs is a beneficial adaptation.

Trees will compete with shrubs for light and space so by adapting for increased flammability, chaparral scrubs promote natural wildfires to eliminate their competitors. While these fires destroy the trees, the shrubs are still able to germinate afterwards.

Explain how horned toads squirting blood from their eyes is a particularly good defense against coyotes.

The blood that horned toads shoot from their eyes contains a chemical that is poisonous to canines. As a species of canine, coyotes are particularly vulnerable to this defensive adaptation of horned toads.

Explain whether or not you expect the chaparral biome to be sensitive to the loss of a single species.

The chaparral biome has a large amount of biodiversity, which helps insulate an environment against the loss of a single species. Therefore, one would not expect the chaparral biome to be too sensitive to the loss of a single species.

How is a varied diet an advantageous adaptation for animals dwelling in the chaparral biome?

The chaparral is characterized by sparse, rough terrain and nutrient-poor soil meaning that no single resource is overly abundant. Therefore, a varied diet allows an animal to make use of a wider selection of the resources that are available to it and thereby thrive.

Chaparral biomes are generally _______. a. found near coasts b. found in mountainous regions c. nutrient rich d. cool during the summer months

a. found near coasts

Which of the following would you least likely find living in the chaparral biome? a. ground birds b. pine trees c. olive trees d. aromatic plants

b. pine trees

The chaparral biome is best characterized by _______. a. heavy snowfall b. woody scrub plants c. flat terrain d. mountainside terrain

b. woody scrub plants

The heaviest and fastest of all the small wildcats is the _______. a. jaguar b. tiger c. caracal d. bobcat

c. caracal

Marmots are a type of _______. a. canine b. feline c. squirrel d. nocturnal predator

c. squirrel