The Golden State
The Golden State
California is historically and metaphorically symbolized as the “Golden State” in tribute to the gold rush of 1849, but for many living in the state, gold is also a reminder of its sunny Mediterranean climate, or perhaps the Golden Gate Bridge. After describing California, this chapter introduces the central hypotheses of the book: California's pre-Hispanic vegetation consisted of vast carpets of wildflowers, not bunch grasslands; the introduction of European species triggered a biological invasion; the transformation of herbaceous cover began along the coast and shifted inland, the pace of change was dependent on habitat, climate variability; and, most importantly, the time of arrival and adaptive modes of the invaders; and the collapse of indigenous forblands over most of California happened with the invasion of bromes in the twentieth century.
Keywords: gold, California, pre-Hispanic vegetation, biological invasion, indigenous forblands
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