THE MEDITERRANEAN WOODLAND
AND SHRUB LAND
A FEW FUN FACTS…
 Because this type of biome is found
all over the world, it has many
names. For example, in North
America it is called chaparral. In
Spain, the common name is matoral,
and in Australia they refer to this
biome as mallee.
 In Europe and North Africa, this
biome is home to the cork oak, which
is where we get our cork from.
A FEW FUN FACTS…
Another natural symbol of the Mediterranean is
the olive tree. It has been used and cultivated
since 3,000 BC.
The Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and
Scrub is one of only five shrub lands of its
kind, which together support 20% of the plant
species on Earth.
GEOGRAPHY
Found on every continent except on Antarctica, and are
typically found along the Mediterranean and North
America.
The majority of this biome is found north of the
subtropical deserts in the Northern Hemisphere, and
south of them in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Mediterranean woodlands and forests occupy
357,900 sq kilometers.
GEOGRAPHY (CONTINUED)
The largest cluster of this
biome is in the
Mediterranean basin,
however, areas also exist in
South America, the western
coast of South Africa,
California, and the
southwestern tip of
Australia.
CLIMATE
The climate is cool and moist during the fall,
winter, and spring, and in the summer it is hot
and dry.
The frost varies from one region to another, but it
is a danger in the biome.
The combination of dry summers and dense
vegetation, rich in essential oils, creates ideal
conditions for frequent and intense fires.
The red area indicates the rainfall in the Mediterranean
Shrub lands. It typically gets just over 100mm of rain per
year but can get as low as 20mm. Average temperatures
range from below 0 to about 20 C
SOILS
The soils are generally low to moderate fertility
and are considered fragile. South Africa has
exceptionally low fertility.
Fire coupled with overgrazing has stripped the
soils from some Mediterranean landscapes,
whereas in other places, under careful
stewardship, have kept their reliability for
thousands of years.
Wild fire in California
BIOLOGY (PLANTS)
A large variety of plants grow here, and they cover the costal plains,
and highland regions. More than 25,000 species of plants dwell
here and more than half are endemic- a natural to or
characteristic of a specific place
Plants adapted to this biome tend to be less than a meter tall, shrub
like, and are similar to desert plants in that they are able to
survive hot dry summers.
Some species have high concentrations of flammable materials, so
many species are fire resistant, either by underground roots or
thick heavy bark.
BIOLOGY (ANIMALS)
Most of the animals in this biome are small and
nocturnal. Large animals wouldn’t be able to survive
the heat
Reptile diversity is high here, and some regions are
home to large mammals including the endangered
Barbary Leopard.
HUMAN INFLUENCES
The largest threat to the biome is
development.
Many people are urbanizing this area
because of its convenient location next to
the coast.
There is a lack of worker capacity,
knowledge, and resources to help
implement necessary protection
programs. There are several national
parks in these areas, however, funding is
low
ENDANGERED SPECIES
• Unfortunately the Mediterranean
Woodland and Shrubland also referred
to as the Chaparral is home to several
endangered species of animals such as ,
Barbary Leopard, California Condor,
CALIFORNIA CONDOR(GYMNOGYPS)
Endangered due to poaching, lead
poisoning, and habitat loss.
They are scavengers and feed off of
dead carcasses.
As of the early 2000’s there were
22 Condor left in the wild.
As of 2012 the California Condor is
considered of the worlds rarest
bird species.
LYNX(LYNX LYNX)
Lynx are found in many different
regions for example Spain.
They eat small animals such as rabbits,
fox, and small deer.
In the 1950s the rabbit population was
wiped out by disease causing their
numbers to drop. Since then they
have adapted to hunt other animals
for food numbers are still low, only
1000 left in the world.
BARBARY LEOPARD(PANTHERA PARDUS PANTHERA)
Commonly know as the leopard. It is one of
seven subspecies of Leopard.
The Barbary Leopard is found through Africa
and the Atlas Mountains to the middle and
far east Asia north toward Siberia.
Their global population is unknown, but it has
decreased and been fragmented throughout
many parts of Africa and the middle east.
Their estimated population is around 5000.
Their biggest threats are poaching, and human
expansion into there habitats. Many Leopard
are killed by humans who feel threatened by
there presence or whose livestock have
been killed by the Leopards.
ISLAND FOX(UROCYON LITTORALIS)
Native to only 6 islands in the Channel
Islands and also in California.
The Island Fox is one of the top preys to the
Golden Eagle.
The Island Fox is very prone to diseases and
parasites which can rapidly kill
populations of the fox.
Destruction of the habitats have hurt the food
supplies to the Island Fox population.
They feed on fruit, insects, birds, eggs, crabs,
lizards, and very small mammals.
There are about 700 Island Fox left in the
wild.
BALEARIC SHEARWATER(PUFFINUS MAURETANICUS)
The Balearic Shearwater lives mainly off of
the Mediterranean Sea, it breeds on the
island coastal cliffs of the Balearic Island.
The Shearwater feeds on fish and mollusks.
One of the main reasons this species is in
danger is due to water pollution.
The Shearwater makes its nests in burrows
which it visits only at night to keep from
being eaten by other large animals and
birds.
There are around 1200 Balearic Shearwaters
left as of 2012.
REFERENCES
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/shrub.htm
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0113340/text/impact/impact.chapar
ral.html
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/institucion/cooperacion_internacional/
TallerNDF/LinksDocumentos/Casos%20de%20Estudio/Mammals/WG5%20CS4.
pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_Shearwater
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx
THE END