PLS 147 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Metamorphic Rock, Endorheic Basin, Alluvium
The Abiotic Bases of CA Plant Communities
● rich in plant communities and species
○ more than 5800 native species (more than all of north and east america?)
● 25% endemic
○ 1000 non-native too
● hotspot for rare species & richness
What determines distribution and diversity?
● soils (substrate, geography)
● climate (local, global patterns)
● history (historical climate)
Three types of rock
● sedimentary (deposited)
○ gravel, clay, sandstone, limestone
● igneous (melted)
○ granite, basalt
● metamorphic (deformed)
○ serpentine: igneous metamorphic rock, contains heavy metals, low water, most
plants cannot live in
○ general
● many types of variation within these three types
California Assembly Line
● different soil plates slamming into California
● creates a ripple of geology
● series of subductions
Geology Message
● Klamath Mountain and Sierras are isolated
Soils
● variation due to parent material
● variation in weathering
○ younger soils are richer than older
■ volcanic areas are richer
■ old and weathered soils eg coastal terraces have lost most of their
nutrients
● Alluvium
○ deposited by river erosion in low-lying areas
○ deep soil, high nutrients
○ bad: salts & selenium in internally drained areas
