Plants of the Desert

Plants of the Desert Instructor: Jim Malusa ECOL 414/514 – Summer II, 2016

[email protected] 520-621-6424 Office: Room N413, Environment and Natural Resources 2 (ENR2) Office hours by appointment or walk-in.

The course Plants of the Desert will have a lecture or campus field trip each class meeting. In addition, there are two optional wonderful Saturday field trips: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, July 23, 5:00 pm-10pm; Mt. Lemmon Highway July 30, 8am to 5pm. Items considered in the evaluation of your work will be:

(1) Examinations (closed book) I. Emphasis on Basic Concepts (July 20) (100 pts.) II. Emphasis on Plant Identification (FINAL) (August 10) (100 pts.)

(2) Plant Collection (due August 4) (50 pts.)

(3) Plant Talk (August 3, 4, and 8) (50 Pts.)

Each student will be awarded a grade at the end of the session based on the number of points accumulated: 90% = A; 80% = B; 70% = C; 60% = D; 59% and below = E. If you have issues or emergencies or both, please talk to the instructor. Don’t assume a make-up exam will be available.

GOALS OF THE COURSE

(1) To be able to identify 30 local plants, via a working knowledge of the special language of botany, and the structure of plants. (2) To assemble a plant collection of five species, pressed and identified. (3) To appreciate adaptations to aridity. (4) To become familiar with the deserts of the world – where they are, and why they are there. Schedule for Plants of the Desert ECOL 414/514 – Summer II, 2016

DATE TOPIC/ACTIVITY * field trips are optional

July 11 M Introduction. Plant evolution and basic structure. 13 W Introduce website of UA herbarium, trip to the UA Herbarium, acquire a plant press. Afterwards, discuss plant collections. 14 Th Flower structure. Guest Speaker: Repeat Photography in a Saguaro Forest, with George Ferguson.

18 M Plant structure: leaves and stems 20 W EXAM 1, followed by Guest Speaker: Max Li. 21Th Plant adaptations, physiology. Ecological convergence. Choose date of plant talk to be presented in August.

*23 Sat Field trip to Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 5-10PM

25 M Keying out plants. ECOL 414 students submit a short description of the presentation, as well as its title and at least two references. ECOL 514 students submit grad- level project proposal. ALL Students chose date for their Plant Talk at end of class. 27 W Guest Speaker: Lightning and Saguaros, with Carl Noggle Deserts of the World: Where and Why. 28 Th Biogeography, landforms *30 Sat All-day field trip to Mt. Lemmon

August

1 M Identify plants from Mt. Lemmon trip. Ecol 514 turns in first draft of research paper. 3 W Uses of desert plants. Guest Speaker: Native plants and native people, with Sonya Norman. Student talks, Part 1 4Th Plant collection due. Plant Press must be returned along with collection. Campus stroll. Student talks, Part 2.

8 M Student talks, Part 3. Review of plant ID and structure. Plant collection returned. ECOL 514 final draft due. 10 W FINAL EXAM, including native plant identification; course evaluation

CLASS MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES Attendance is required. Students are responsible for all material and announcements in each class meeting. If you miss or are late, you must obtain notes from your classmates. State or religious holidays or Dean of Students absences are exceptions.

No electronic devices will be allowed during examinations. The University of Arizona expects its students to adhere to high standards of academic integrity detailed at: http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/cai1.html#responsibility

BOOK FOR THE COURSE None required, yet I highly recommend this one: Janice Bowers and Brian Wignall 1993. Shrubs and Trees of the Southwest Deserts. Try the UA bookstore, or online sales. Prices run from $5.00 to $13.00 – Cheap!

The following two books will be in the classroom, but it would be handy to own a copy if you're an enthusiast.

Elpels, Thomas J. 2000 (4th edition). Botany in a Day. HOPS Press. 12 Quartz Street, Pony, MT. $18 on Amazon.

Harris, James G. and Melinda Woolf Harris. 2000 (revised). Plant Identification and Terminology: an illustrated glossary. Spring Lake Publishing, Spring Lake, UT. $18 on Amazon.

Articles and worksheets by various authors are on the class website: http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/ecol414_514/

ABOUT EXAM QUESTIONS

Expect questions on whatever we cover, and pay particular attention to anything written on the blackboard, or referred to on worksheets available on the class website.

ABOUT THE PLANT TALK

Near the end of the session, time is scheduled for students to give their course presentation. This is an opportunity for each person to make a 7 to 10-minute oral presentation with visual aids on a topic concerning desert plants chosen by you with the instructor’s aid. The date of your talk will be chosen on July 21. The only way to change the time is to exchange times with another willing person and with the instructor’s permission. If you do not give a talk, the only grade you can receive in the course is Incomplete.

Topics will involve one or more native plants from the Sonoran, Mojave, or Chihuahuan Deserts. Ecol 514 students must restrict their scope to the biogeography of a Sonoran Desert species (see below). Bringing in examples of the plants or their parts makes a more satisfying presentation than just talking about them in the abstract (and it will improve your grade, too). Duplicate topics will not be allowed, nor will group presentations. A short description of the presentation, as well as its title and at least two good references will be due on July 25.

Because of the time limit, rehearse your talk at least once. Talks will be graded on content, accuracy of information presented, organization, presence and quality of visuals and demonstration materials used. If you just regurgitate stuff you saw on the internet, you won't fare so well. The best talks teach us all something new – student and instructor.

SUGGESTIONS FOR TALKS: -- Invasive plants in the Sonoran Desert: real threats or merely xenophobia? -- If you come to the class with strong interest in a particular plant that is found or grown in the desert, consider using it in your talk --If you intend to teach recognition of desert plants to a school class, developing a plant list with illustrative material can be helpful --Desert plants as food, for fiber, for dyes, for medicines, for construction material, in decoration, gardening, crafts, or landscaping --Role of desert plants in wildlife habitat or food --Prehistoric or historic uses of desert plants by humans --Comparison between U.S.A. desert plants and those in other deserts of the world --Symbiotic relationships between desert animals and plants, such as ants and cacti

ABOUT THE PLANT COLLECTION

Everyone should borrow a plant press from the UA Herbarium (Herring Hall) during our visit to the herbarium.

The plant collection will help you acquire specific information about desert plants of your choice. It will consist of 5 different pressed, dried desert plants organized into one notebook with labels. Use a 3-hole binder with clear, not matte-finish, plastic sleeves for the pressed plants. The sleeves should be 8.5 x 11 inches – the size of regular paper – so make sure you press your plant in a way so it will fit. This usually involves some complicated folding, while trying to keep the leaves flat.

The species you select should include at least 3 Sonoran desert natives. All species should be arid-adapted. The UA Herbarium is a good place to go for help with keying out plants and checking their identification.

Required information with each plant: --pressed, dried plant sample --where, when and by whom collected. Use Google Earth to get latitude and longitude of your collection. --correct scientific and common names for family, genus and species (use SEINet to check your names and ID, http://swbiodiversity.org/)

Suggested information with each plant (the kind of details that earn an "A") -- drawings and sketches -- photographs of the plant and its habitat -- personal observations of the plant’s life history -- notes from readings or interviews about the origins, affiliations, uses or cultivation requirements of the plant

The Plant Collection will be graded on: craftsmanship (how well material is organized, prepared and presented) 40%; accuracy of information 60%.

All collections and your plant press will be due on August 4. The collection will be returned August 8 and may be used to study for Exam II.

You will not get a grade for the class if you have not returned your plant press.

FOR THE ECOL 514 STUDENT

In addition to the Ecol 414 activities, Ecol 514 students will write a 3-5 pp. paper expanding the Plant Talk topic, which you are obligated to restrict to the topic of desert plant biogeography. In particular, you should pick a Sonoran Desert species, explain its present distribution, and provide evidence to this effect. This paper, with references and in appropriate, typed format, demonstrates your graduate level competence. You must make an appointment no later than July 18 to agree on your topic with the instructor. The first draft is due by August 1, and will be returned with critique if revision is needed. The final draft will be due August 8.

FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT Students with Disabilities: If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please meet with me. I would like us to discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, please register with Disability Resources (621-3268; drc.arizona.edu) and notify me of your eligibility for reasonable accommodations. We can then plan how best to coordinate your accommodations. Selected References

There are many interesting and inspiring books about the Sonoran Desert and its denizens. Most of the following are old references, and some you will only find in UA Library’s Special Collections, but occasionally a regional press will reprint one of the classics. Try an Internet search for good deals.

Baldwin, Bruce G. et al. 2002. The Jepson Desert Manual; Vascular Plants of Southeastern California. University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.

Benson, Lyman and Robert Darrow. 1981. Trees and Shrubs of Southwestern Deserts. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Bowden, Charles. 1987. Frog Mountain Blues. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Bowers, Janice. 1991. The Mountains Next Door. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Broyles, Bill. 2003. Our Sonoran Desert. Rio Nuevo Publishers, Tucson, AZ.

Broyles, Bill, et al. 2013. Last Water on the Devil’s Highway: A Cultural and Natural History of the Tinajas Altas. University of Arizona Press.

Buchman, Stephen L. & Gary P. Nabhan. 1996. The Forgotten Pollinators. Island Press, Washington, D.C.

Childs, Craig. 2000. The Secret Knowledge of Water. Sasquatch Books, Seattle, WA.

Felger, Richard and Mary Beck Moser. 1985. People of the Desert and the Sea. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Hartmann, William K. 1989. Desert Heart: Chronicles of the Sonoran Desert. Fisher Books.

Haury, Emil. 1978. The Hohokam, Desert Farmers and Craftsmen: Excavations at Snaketown, 1964-65. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Hodgson, Wendy. 2001. Foodplants of the Sonoran Desert. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Hornaday, W.T. 1908. Campfires on Desert and Lava. Scribner’s and Sons, NY. Humphrey, Robert R. 1974. The Boojum and Its Home. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Krutch, Joseph Wood. 1985. The Desert Year. Viking Press.

Lazaroff, David W. 1993. Sabino Canyon: the Life of a Southwestern Oasis. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Lowe, Charles H. 1964. Arizona’s Natural Environment. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ, (from The Vertebrates of Arizona.)

Lumholtz, Carl. First published in 1912. New Trails in Mexico: Travels among the Papago, Pima and Cocopa Indians. Printed by the Rio Grande Press, Inc. 1971. Glorieta, New Mexico 87535.

Malusa, Jim. 2008. Into Thick Air. Sierra Club Books. San Francisco.

McClaran, Mitchell P. and Thomas R. Van Devender. 1995. The Desert Grassland. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

McGinnies, William G. 1981. Discovering the Desert: Legacy of the Carnegie Desert Botanical Laboratory. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Nabhan, Gary P. 1986. Gathering the Desert. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Nabhan, Gary P. 1982. The Desert Smells Like Rain: a Naturalist in Papago Indian Country. North Point Press, San Francisco, CA.

Phillips, Steven J. and Patricia, Wentworth Comus. 2000. A Natural History of the Sonoran Desert. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, AZ.

Pumpelly, Raphael. 1918. My Reminiscences v. I and II. Henry Holt and Co., NY.

Shreve, Forrest and Ira L. Wiggins. 1964. Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert. Stanford University, Stanford, CA.

Spellenberg, Richard. 2003. Sonoran Desert Wildflowers. A Falcon Guide. The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT.

Turner, Raymond, Janice Bowers, Tony Burgess. 1995. Sonoran Desert Plants: an Ecological atlas. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.

Turner, Raymond, Robert H. Webb, Janice E. Bowers, James Rodney Hastings. 2003. The Changing Mile Revisited. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. Van Dyke, John C. 1976. The Desert. Arizona Historical Society, Tucson, AZ. Original publication 1904.

Wilder, Joseph C. ed. 1997. Dry Borders: Binational Sonoran Desert Reserves. Journal of the Southwest, V. 39, no. 3 & 4. Southwest Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.

Yetman, David. 2007. The Great Cacti: Ethnobotany and Biogeography. Southwest Center Series. The University of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ.