Treesearch

Rio Grande water is intensively managed and regulated by international and interstate compacts, Native American treaties, local water rights, and federal, state, and local agencies. Legislation and engineering projects in the early twentieth century brought about water impoundment projects and channelization of the Rio Grande which led to the eventual loss of floodplain habitats. In particular, current water management practices in the Middle Rio Grande (MRG) have altered the natural flood regime altering the riparian community and floodplain dynamics which may be causing the demise of...

A floristic study was conducted in a heterogeneous landscape near Moctezuma, Sonora. From August to December 2011, Ranchos El Rodeo and El Básora were visited three times. The vegetation at about 900 m elevation is foothills thornscrub, oak woodland, and induced buffelgrass grassland. A total of 120 plant taxa in 95 genera and 41 families were documented. Taxa were identified using regional literature, consulting with experts, and comparison with specimens in the Universidad de Sonora Herbarium. The families with more taxa are Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Fabaceae, and Solanaceae. The study...

The objectives in this work were to determine nurse species associated with the saguaro, as well as the diversity of plant species in the saguaro patch. We also recorded the presence of termites on saguaro green tissues to evaluate their existence and possible causes for their presence. At each site a point-centered quarter transect was used, where the data on the closet saguaros were taken for size and height, percent litter soil coverage, and termite activity, as well as floristic composition, plant species cover, and the dimension of the associated patch of vegetation. Data on 55...

In September 2011, we initiated a 2-year “camera trap” mammal survey in the Greater Oak Flat Watershed near Superior, Arizona. Our survey area covers a total of 6,475 ha. The area surveyed is primarily a mixing zone of upper Sonoran Desert and interior chaparral, with influences from the Madrean vegetation community. Elevations range from 1150 to 1450 m. Ten cameras were deployed in early October of 2011 and information was gathered and analyzed from that date to April 2012. We located cameras primarily in riparian and xero-riparian drainages. Locations were chosen as logical wildlife...

Sierra La Madera is a Sky Island mountain range in the Madrean Archipelago. It is in Fracción V of the Ajos-Bavispe CONANP Reserve in the Municipios (= Counties) of Cumpas, Granados, Huásabas, Moctezuma, and Villa Hidalgo. Medium and large mammals were inventoried using camera traps. Eighteen Wild View 2® camera traps were deployed during four sampling periods: August- September, September- November, and November-December (two times). The first and second sampling periods were on Ranchos La Bellota, La Palmita, and San Fernando in the southern Sierra La Madera. The last two sampling...

This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for Missouri based on an annual inventory conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program at the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service. These estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information, please refer to page 5 of this report.

A rich diversity of amphibian and reptile species occurs at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch, an 8000-acre sanctuary for native biota and research facility in the semi-arid grasslands of southeastern Arizona, created in 1969 and managed by the National Audubon Society since 1980. Nine species of amphibians and 42 species of reptiles have been identified by staff and researchers within the preserve. Efforts are underway to document the current richness of the herpetofauna. Recent surveys in 2010–2012 have confirmed continued presence of 26 species. As part of that inventory effort, we...

In 2008, Steve Willsey discovered the fragmentary cranium of a bear loose on the floor of a cave at about 2270 m elevation near the crest of the Huachuca Mountains. In 2009, we revisited the cave to examine the specimen with the intention of identifying the species. We photographed and measured the main pieces and left them in the cave. The skull is from an adult, probably male, with prominent sagittal crest. Bears are highly variable morphologically and their remains are difficult to identify. The morphological features and measurements of the Huachuca Mountains cranium are somewhat...

The Coronado National Forest’s (CNF) FireScape program works to remove barriers to fire playing its natural role on the landscape. A long-term goal is creating landscapes that are able to survive wildfire with biodiversity and key ecological processes intact, especially important in the face of a drier, hotter Southwest. The FireScape team is nurturing multiple efforts around the Sky Islands—no two projects are alike, but those underway share an approach that includes multiple jurisdictions, investigations by University of Arizona scientists, public engagement, assessing treatment need at...

Roads are conspicuous and pervasive features of landscapes and represent one of the most significant anthropogenic impacts on natural areas and wildlife. The Madrean Archipelago is defined by natural levels of fragmentation due to geography; however, human population growth and transportation needs threaten to exacerbate levels of isolation in the region. Scientists, as well as transportation and resource management agencies, have increased their concern about road impacts on wildlife. To identify needs of future research and managements, we reviewed 29 road-ecology-related, peer-reviewed...