UC Davis Natural Reserve System - McLaughlin Reserve

UC Davis NRS Reserves

McLaughlin Links

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Natural History

	Land Use
	Geology
	Plants
	Insects
	Reptiles & Amphibians
	Birds
	Mammals
	Aquatic Ecology

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Site Map

Tamarisk Removal

Technical Information

	Species Lists
	Maps
	Bibliography
	Weather Link
	Data

McLaughlin External Links:

NRS Systemwide Homepage

Systemwide 
UC Davis NRS Sites

  Natural History of McLaughlin

The McLaughlin Reserve is one of few sites in California that protects unusual serpentine habitats. Chemically hostile to most plants, serpentine deposits cover one third of the reserve, creating islands of rare and endemic plants that have adapted to these harsh soils along with numerous associated endemic insects. Where there are non-serpentine soils, the vegetation shifts suddenly to more typical coast range habitats, including riparian woodland, blue oak woodland and savannah, grassland, and chaparral. Click on the images below for details about the different aspects of McLaughlin's natural history. These sections provide general information on McLaughlin's natural history. More technical information, in the form of species lists and reports, is also available.

	Land Use - The history of humans in the Morgan Valley and Knoxville areas.	Old Manhattan Mine retort with newer One Shot Mercury Mine retort, 1981
		Geology - The processes that influenced (and still influence) the formation of the McLaughlin Reserve.
		Vegetation - Vegetation at McLaughlin, the places they occur, and the plants that comprise them.
		Insects - Insects living at the McLaughlin Reserve.
		Reptiles and Amphibians  - Reptiles and amphibians of McLaughlin
		Birds - The flying creatures of the McLaughlin Reserve
		Mammals - The mammals seen and encountered at McLaughlin
	Aquatic Ecology – the reserve’s aquatic ecosystem.	Davis Creek Reservoir

Credits: Flora and fauna images were obtained from Calphotos (http://galaxy.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/fauna/).  Geology picture was obtained from ECU geology. (http://index.ecu.edu/geology/harper/Metamorphic/display.cfm?ID=16)