- Baja California Desert
The Baja California desert is a Desert
ecoregion ofMexico 'sBaja California Peninsula .etting
The ecoregion covers 77,700 square kilometers (30,000 square miles), and includes most of the Peninsula's western slope. It is bounded on the west by the
Pacific Ocean and on the east by thePeninsular Ranges . North of 30º north latitude, the Baja California desert transitions to theCalifornia chaparral and woodlands . The southern tip of the peninsula lies within theSan Lucan xeric scrub ecoregion.The climate is dry and subtropical. Although rainfall is low, the Pacific Ocean provides some humidity and moderates the temperature compared to the
Sonoran desert , which lies on the east slope of the Peninsular Ranges.Flora
The ecoregion is mostly covered by
xeric shrub s, which create varying associations based on elevation and soil conditions. The ecoregion has close to 500species ofvascular plant s, of which a number are endemic, for example theBoojum tree orCreeping Devil .References
* Ricketts, Taylor H., Eric Dinerstein, David M. Olson, Colby J. Loucks, et al. (1999). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: a Conservation Assessment". Island Press, Washington DC.
External links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na1301_full.html Baja California desert (World Wildlife Fund)]
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