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Abstract
In the Sky Island region, cienegas are rare marshlands amidst arid surroundings where groundwater perennially intersects the surface. Their unique physical properties give rise to a characteristic plant community dominated by wetland graminoids. Evaporation usually causes the water to be alkaline, and vegetation around a cienega commonly includes halophytes and other unusual species. Depending on their age and size, they may also harbor high levels of endemism. Cienegas are far from pristine, and like many wetlands and riparian areas, they have probably been exploited for millennia. In the American Southwest, these habitats are hypothesized to have been in severe decline over the past 150 years due to a variety of man-made factors. In light of their biological and cultural importance, it is important to learn as much as we can about their current condition and conservation potential.
Parent Publication
Keywords
Madrean Archipelago,
Sky Islands,
southwestern United States,
northern Mexico,
natural environment,
fauna,
flora,
research,
management,
biodiversity,
climate change
Citation
Makings, Elizabeth. 2013. Flora and vegetation of the Saint David and Lewis Springs Cienegas, Cochise County, Arizona. In: Gottfried, Gerald J.; Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gebow, Brooke S.; Eskew, Lane G.; Collins, Loa C. Merging science and management in a rapidly changing world: Biodiversity and management of the Madrean Archipelago III and 7th Conference on Research and Resource Management in the Southwestern Deserts; 2012 May 1-5; Tucson, AZ. Proceedings. RMRS-P-67. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 71-76.
