the.com/scrubland
the underdog ecosystem too tough to be desert, too stubborn to be forest
means Land covered with low, scrappy bushes and stunted trees rather than tall forest or open grass, typically in dry, poor, or marginal soil.
from A compound of "scrub" and "land." The key word is "scrub," which comes from the same Germanic root as "shrub" — the two are essentially the same word that drifted apart, with "scrub" coming to mean stunted, scruffy growth (and lending its name to the brushwood you scour pots with). Add the plain Old English "land" and you get exactly what it says: land full of scrub.
- fire-built
- Many shrubs need fire to release their seeds
- global club
- Covers Mediterranean, Australia, California, and South Africa alike
- biodiversity hotspot
- Holds more plant species than many rainforests
- root depth
- Some shrub roots plunge tens of meters for water
- name game
- Called chaparral, fynbos, maquis, or matorral worldwide
cerrado — brazilian savanna and scrubland covering 2 million km² across central brazil
chaparral — mediterranean scrubland ecosystem covering southern california and northern baja california
fynbos — south african scrubland in western cape with 20% of africa's plant species in 0.5% of land
mallee — australian semi-arid scrubland dominated by low eucalyptus trees across victoria and south australia