Treesearch

The Madrean Archipelago and its associated valleys have the highest diversity of lizards in the United States. This is due to a convergence of ecoregions in an area that provides excellent environmental conditions for life history needs of terrestrial ectotherms. The study area, near Safford, Arizona, is known to have about 20 species of sympatric lizards, although only about one-half are common. The lizard community is represented by species of the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts, semi-desert grasslands, and lower Madrean and boreal woodlands. It has recently been suggested that lizard...

Climate change is a serious immediate and long-term threat to wildlife species. State and federal agencies are working with universities and non-government organizations to predict, plan for, and mitigate such uncertainties in the future. Endemic species may be particularly at-risk as climate-induced changes impact their limited geographic ranges. The Madrean Archipelago is characterized by high levels of endemism, natural fragmentation, and increasingly poor connectivity among the mesic montane islands within an arid matrix of low elevation deserts and grasslands. The region already has...

Successful reintroduction of the American chestnut will require far more than blight resistance. The greatest challenge will be the ability of blight-resistant seedlings to survive and reproduce in a forest that presents both native and non-native threats

Summer rains in the northeastern US bring out fist-sized masses of grainy yellow goo, frequently on wood chip mulch or decaying wood. The first concerned "what is that" phone call usually is followed the next day by a more alarmed "what is that", when the blob has moved a foot or two across the mulch. All too often, alarm moves to disgust when I put the common name of "dog vomit fungus" (Fuligo septica is the scientific name) on the mass. This is actually a great opportunity to learn about and enjoy a richly varied and beautiful part of our natural biodiversity.

This publication provides an overview of forest resource attributes for New Jersey based on an annual inventory conducted by the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program of the U.S. Forest Service, Northern Research Station. These estimates, along with web-posted core tables, will be updated annually. For more information, refer to page 4 of this report. Table 1 of this report was corrected 12/5/2013.

During the first week of May 2012, the Third Conference on Biodiversity and Management of the Madrean Archipelago brought together more than 300 people with an interest in this region. It included scientists, land managers, activists, and land owners from both sides of the international border. After three and a half days of presentations, the participants gathered for a moderated discussion of major issues for biodiversity and management. They were also asked to suggest ways in which people could build stronger collaborations. The following is a summary of those discussions, with minor...

Many conservation strategies have been developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in cooperation with others to protect habitat and enhance the recovery of fish and wildlife populations in the San Bernardino Valley, which straddles Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. Habitats along this international border have been impacted by illegal activities, frustrating recovery of rare species. In addition, potential threats to national security have prompted the United States to aggressively control the country’s boundaries, thus creating additional challenges for land managers...

Flowery rhetoric often gives birth to new terms that convey images and concepts, lead to inspiration and initiative. On the 1892-1894 expedition to resurvey the United States-Mexico boundary, Lieutenant David Dubose Gaillard described the Arizona-Sonora borderlands as “bare, jagged mountains rising out of the plains like islands from the sea” (Mearns 1907; Hunt and Anderson 2002). Later Galliard was the lead engineer on the Panama Canal construction project.

Attendees of the annual Santa Cruz River Researchers’ Day meetings have identified a need to expand collaboration, partnership, and sharing of lessons learned across the watershed. To help guide this interest, Sonoran Institute organized a symposium on 2 May 2012 entitled “Santa Cruz River Conservation.” The symposium had simultaneous Spanish/English translation and featured (1) presentations of work being done within the watershed in Mexico, (2) a binational mapping session to inventory current knowledge of conservation efforts in the watershed, and (3) a discussion and invitation to...

Climate change is affecting natural systems on a global scale and is particularly rapid in the Southwest. It is important to identify impacts of a changing climate before ecosystems become unstable. Recognizing plant responses to climate change requires knowledge of both species present and plant responses to variable climatic conditions. A conceptual model derived from observations made during a 28-year phenological study is presented and implications for monitoring ecosystem change are discussed.