| California Central Valley grasslands | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Waterfowl in the Central Valley wetlands | |
 Location of the California Central Valley grasslands | |
| Ecology | |
| Realm | Nearctic |
| Biome | temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands |
| Borders | California interior chaparral and woodlands |
| Bird species | 184[1] |
| Mammal species | 79[1] |
| Geography | |
| Area | 46,275 km2 (17,867 sq mi) |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Coordinates | 37°00′N 120°18′W / 37°N 120.3°W[2] |
| Climate type | Mediterranean (Csa) |
| Conservation | |
| Conservation status | Critical/endangered[3] |
| Protected | 1,935 km2 (4%)[4] |
The California Central Valley grasslands is a temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in California's Central Valley. It a diverse ecoregion containing areas of desert grassland (at the southern end), prairie, savanna, riparian forest, marsh, several types of seasonal vernal pools, and large lakes such as now-dry Tulare Lake (which was the largest freshwater lake in the United States west of the Mississippi), Buena Vista Lake, and Kern Lake.
The Central Valley has been greatly altered by human activity. Most of the land has been converted to farms, pastureland, or cities. Most of the valley's wetlands have been drained. The introduction of exotic plants, especially grasses, has altered the region's ecology.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Atlaswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Central Valley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wwfwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, pp. 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b. [1]