California coastal prairie
As California coastal prairie a form of will grasslands referred to as from Los Angeles , California , to southern Oregon along the Pacific coast can be found. Wind, fire, salty spray and grazing prevent the growth of trees and bushes and thus form this open grassland. If grazing is stopped and / or there is no fire, the area becomes forested. The soil of the coastal prairie is formed by nutritious, darker Mollisol . Adjacent to the grassland is often found Northern coastal scrub , a bush type , which also occurs in California and Oregon.
California coastal prairie is the most biodiverse type of grassland in North America and is also the most neglected landscape type in the United States . Around 24 percent of this type of landscape was built over.
The typical species or genera of this plant community include the sweet grass genera Danthonia and fescue ( Festuca ). There are also bracken ( Pteridium ), the Douglas-Iris ( Iris douglasiana ), Dichelostemma capitatum and Sisyrinchium bellum . The endangered Holocarpha macradenia is found sporadically. In addition to this species, numerous other endangered species can be found mainly on grazed areas of the grassland and disappear without the sheep or cattle grazing. It is typical of the grassland that it stays green even in summer and does not wither, which is why it is ideal for grazing.
Agriculture and development pose great dangers for this type of landscape, but neobiota introduced by humans such as earthworms, snails, earwigs and especially grasses are increasingly destroying the habitat. Woolly honeydew grass ( Holcus lanatus ), reed fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) and Phalaris aquatica are among the most important introduced grasses, which, however, can be decimated by targeted grazing in contrast to the more robust native flora.
Typical occurrences of the California coastal prairie are Point Reyes National Seashore and the coastal strip of Redwood National Park .