Baja California Desert
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Baja California's Sonoran Desert
Baja California’s Sonoran Desert By Debra Valov What is a Desert? It would be difficult to find any one description that scarce and sporadic, with an would fit all of the twenty or so deserts found on our annual average of 12-30 cm (4.7- planet because each one is a unique landscape. 12 inches). There are two rainy seasons, December- While an expanse of scorching hot sand dunes with March and July-September, with the northern the occasional palm oasis is the image that often peninsula dominated by winter rains and the south comes to mind for the word desert, in fact, only by summer rains. Some areas experience both about 10% of the world’s deserts are covered by seasons, while in other areas, such as parts of the sand dunes. The other 90% comprise a wide variety Gulf coast region, rain may fail for years on end. of landscapes, among these cactus covered plains, Permanent above-ground water reserves are scarce foggy coastal slopes, barren salt flats, and high- throughout most of the peninsula but ephemeral, altitude, snow-covered plateaus. However, one seasonal pools and rivers do appear after winter characteristic that all deserts share is aridity—any storms in the north or summer storms (hurricanes place that receives less than 10 inches (25 and thunderstorms—chubascos) in the south. There centimeters) of rain per year is generally considered are also a number of permanent oases, most often to be a desert and the world’s driest deserts average formed where aquifers (subterranean water) rise to less than 10 mm (3/8 in.) annually. -
The Sonoran Desert Borderlands
Geographic Area Information The Sonoran Desert Borderlands Photograph by CampPhoto / iStock / Getty Images Plus ABOUT The United States-Mexico border is roughly 3,219 kilometers (2,000 miles) long, stretching from the coast of the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. The Sonoran Desert is located on both sides of the border and covers more than 258,999 square kilometers (100,000 square miles) in the U.S. states of California and Arizona and the Mexican state of Sonora. The Sororan Desert is a rich, diverse, and delicate ecosystem, home to a highly diverse array of plant and animal species, some of which are critically endangered. Conservation efforts in the Sonoran Desert have involved organizations in both Mexico and the United States working together to connect habitat and migrations paths for animals. HUMAN IMPACTS In this fragile and diverse borderlands ecosystem, one of the most sever human impacts is the existing barrier (a combination of wall and fencing) that marks the U.S.-Mexico border. There is currently no continuous wall or fence marking the border, but there are segments of the border where there is a near-continuous barrier; one such area is the Sonoran Desert. Construction of a border barrier is ongoing, posing additional ecological concerns for the region. But it is not only the wall that impacts the region; the wall brings with it other human impacts, such as light pollution from stadium security flood-lights that illuminate the border at night and destruction of ecosystems as a result of construction, traffic, and patrolling of the border. -
Sonoran Desert GEORGE GENTRY/FWSGEORGE the Sonoran Desert Has 2,000 Endemic Plant Species—More Than Anywhere Else in North America
in the shadow of the wall: borderlands conservation hotspots on the line Borderlands Conservation Hotspot 2. Sonoran Desert GEORGE GENTRY/FWSGEORGE The Sonoran Desert has 2,000 endemic plant species—more than anywhere else in North America. hink deserts are wastelands? A visit to one of the national monuments or national wildlife refuges in the Sonoran Desert could change your mind. These borderlands are teeming with plants and animals impressively adapted to extreme conditions. T During your visit you might encounter a biologist, a volunteer or a local activist in awe of the place and dedicated to protecting it. The Sonoran Desert is so important to the natural heritage of the United States and Mexico that both countries are vested in conservation lands and programs and on a joint mission to preserve it. “A border wall,” says one conservation coalition leader, “harms our mission” (Campbell 2017). The Sonoran Desert is one of the largest intact wild areas mountains, where they find nesting cavities and swoop in the country, 100,387 square miles stretching across the between cactuses and trees to hunt lizards and other prey. southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. This Rare desert bighorn sheep stick to the steep, rocky slopes of desert is renowned for columnar cactuses like saguaro, organ isolated desert mountain ranges where they keep a watchful pipe and cardón. Lesser known is the fact that the Sonoran eye for predators. One of the most endangered mammals in Desert has more endemic plant species—2,000—than North America, Sonoran pronghorn still occasionally cross anywhere else in North America (Nabhan 2017). -
The Huntington Botanical Gardens) Who Was Employed at the UC Garden at the Time
June 30, 2005 Gary Lyons, Editor-in-Chief Joanne Gram, Editor Welcome to The Jumping Cholla. Click on the titles below to go directly to each article, or simply read the articles in order by scrolling down. Most photos may be viewed in a larger size if you click on them. When you want to return to the newsletter, just click on your Back button. If you have questions or comments, please feel free to email the editors by clicking on their names above. That will open a blank email pre-addressed to them. Contents Yuccas in the Huntington Desert Garden Milieu The Weird and Wonderful Boojum Tree, Fouquieria columnaris, and its Relatives Curator’s Comments New Additions to the Huntington's Website and a Little Desert Collections History Yuccas in the Huntington Desert Garden Milieu by Gary Lyons, Curator of the Desert Garden The spiky-leaved yuccas are among the oldest plants in the Huntington landscape. Plantings dating back to 1908 and still thriving give the garden much of its character. Their bright festive panicles of white blossoms add a cheery background and accent to the symphony of spring color in the lower Desert Garden. According to the latest authorities there are 45 yucca species and 14 varieties and they are placed in the agave family. Most of the species are found in the Southwest, northern and central Mexico and Baja California. But the genus is more widespread with species found along the Atlantic seaboard, the Great Plains, into Canada, and south as far as Guatemala. Yucca blossoms, with the exception of at least one species (the rose-tinged Yucca endlichiana) are mostly creamy white. -
3 Invasive Species in the Sonoran Desert Region
3 Invasive Species in the Sonoran Desert Region 11 INVASIVE SPECIES IN THE SONORAN DESERT REGION Invasive species are altering the ecosystems of the Sonoran Desert Region. Native plants have been displaced resulting in radically different habitats and food for wildlife. Species like red brome and buffelgrass have become dense enough in many areas to carry fire in the late spring and early summer. Sonoran Desert plants such as saguaros, palo verdes and many others are not fire- adapted and do not survive these fires. The number of non-native species tends to be lowest in natural areas of the Sonoran Desert and highest in the most disturbed and degraded habitats. However, species that are unusually aggressive and well adapted do invade natural areas. In the mid 1900’s, there were approximately 146 non-native plant species (5.7% of the total flora) in the Sonoran Desert. Now non-natives comprise nearly 10% of the Sonoran Desert flora overall. In highly disturbed areas, the majority of species are frequently non-native invasives. These numbers continue to increase. It is crucial that we monitor, control, and eradicate invasive species that are already here. We must also consider the various vectors of dispersal for invasive species that have not yet arrived in Arizona, but are likely to be here in the near future. Early detection and reporting is vital to prevent the spread of existing invasives and keep other invasives from arriving and establishing. This is the premise of the INVADERS of the Sonoran Desert Region program at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. -
Abundancia Y Diversidad De Hongos Formadores De Micorrizas Arbusculares (Hfma) Asociadas a La Vegetación Circundante En Un
ABUNDANCIA Y DIVERSIDAD DE HONGOS FORMADORES DE MICORRIZAS ARBUSCULARES (HFMA) ASOCIADAS A LA VEGETACIÓN CIRCUNDANTE EN UN ÁREA DE MINERÍA DEL MUNICIPIO DE SANTA-ISABEL, TOLIMA HERIK JOHAN GUZMÁN LASSO YESSICA LORENA PERDOMO USECHE Trabajo de grado como requisito parcial para optar el título de Biólogo DIRECTOR MARYEIMY VARÓN LÓPEZ Doctor en Ciencias CODIRECTOR HILDA ROCÍO MOSQUERA Doctor en Ciencias- Biológicas UNIVERSIDAD DEL TOLIMA FACULTAD DE CIENCIAS PROGRAMA DE BIOLOGÍA 2017 DEDICATORIA 2 A nuestras familias que fueron nuestro más grande apoyo y al amor que nos permitió superar cada adversidad. 3 AGRADECIMIENTOS A nuestra directora, la Doctora Maryeimy Varón, por su valioso compromiso, dedicación y paciencia en cada etapa del proyecto. A la Doctora Hilda Rocío Mosquera, codirectora del proyecto, por su guía y amable acompañamiento. Al grupo de investigación GEBIUT, por su colaboración y gran orientación en el desarrollo del trabajo. A los funcionarios de la mina de Santa Isabel por el acompañamiento y por permitirnos realizar la toma de muestras. Al Magister Urley Adrián Pérez, por su amable orientación en la taxonomía y manejo de los HFMA. A nuestras compañeras y amigas Lily Julieth Vargas y Lizeth Ospina, por su respaldo y apoyo en el proceso de investigación. A nuestros amigos por su comprensión, valiosas ideas, y apoyo en diferentes procesos del trabajo. A la Universidad del Tolima y la oficina de investigaciones, por la financiación del proyecto. 4 CONTENIDO INTRODUCCIÓN ......................................................................................................... -
North American Deserts Chihuahuan - Great Basin Desert - Sonoran – Mojave
North American Deserts Chihuahuan - Great Basin Desert - Sonoran – Mojave http://www.desertusa.com/desert.html In most modern classifications, the deserts of the United States and northern Mexico are grouped into four distinct categories. These distinctions are made on the basis of floristic composition and distribution -- the species of plants growing in a particular desert region. Plant communities, in turn, are determined by the geologic history of a region, the soil and mineral conditions, the elevation and the patterns of precipitation. Three of these deserts -- the Chihuahuan, the Sonoran and the Mojave -- are called "hot deserts," because of their high temperatures during the long summer and because the evolutionary affinities of their plant life are largely with the subtropical plant communities to the south. The Great Basin Desert is called a "cold desert" because it is generally cooler and its dominant plant life is not subtropical in origin. Chihuahuan Desert: A small area of southeastern New Mexico and extreme western Texas, extending south into a vast area of Mexico. Great Basin Desert: The northern three-quarters of Nevada, western and southern Utah, to the southern third of Idaho and the southeastern corner of Oregon. According to some, it also includes small portions of western Colorado and southwestern Wyoming. Bordered on the south by the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Mojave Desert: A portion of southern Nevada, extreme southwestern Utah and of eastern California, north of the Sonoran Desert. Sonoran Desert: A relatively small region of extreme south-central California and most of the southern half of Arizona, east to almost the New Mexico line. -
Baja California´S Sonoran Desert
Baja California’s Sonoran Desert Debra Valov ISSI, August 2015 Objectives • Define “desert” • Explore Baja’s desert • Learn how plants and animals survive http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladigue_99/ Namibia Central Gulf Coast, BCS Erg Awbari Oasis, Libya http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/9141/2350366 490102347975S600x600Q85.jpg What is a Desert? • Dry – Low rainfall (P<10”) – High evaporation (E>P) – Dessicating winds – Poor soils • Hot or cold (below 0° to over 140°) • Below sea level to more than 8,000 ft What is a Desert? A place where water is severely limiting to life most of the time, where the plants and animals are adapted to chronic aridity and the arid conditions are necessary to maintain the community’s structure. Deserts of the World Source: http://encarta.msn.com/media_461530118/World_Desert_Regions.html North American Deserts Source: www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/ofworld.htm The Sonoran Desert • Binational (5 states) • ±120, 000 sq. mi. • 0 to 4500 feet • <32° to >130° • 3-15” avg. rainfall Source: Baja California Sur Central Baja California Central Baja California Baja California Sur Central Gulf Coast Baja California Sur “Air plants” (Bromeliads) Pacific Coast Fog Zones Lichens (fungi & algae symbiosis) Central Vizcaino Desert, BCS Vizcaino Desert – Pacific Coast, BCS Mammals • Bobcat and mountain lion © Dennis Kamberg • Coyotes and foxes • Bats and rodents • Pronghorn antelope • Bighorn sheep © Don Getty © 2010 Jaime Morales V, © Christopher L. Christie Copyright © 2010 D. Trotter Reptiles and Amphibians • Horny toads & lizards • Snakes • Frogs & toads Copyright © 2007 Joyce Gross Gerald & Buff Corsi © California Academy of Sciences Crawly Things • Scorpions & spiders • Beetles & bugs • Ants, bees & wasps • Caterpillars Copyright © 2008 Lamphrophil http://bugguide.net/node/view/206296/bgimage Copyright © 2007 Gary MacDonald Cih© 200 G M D ld Birds © Steve Byland 2008 • Hummingbirds • Raptors: hawks & owls • Scavengers • Perching birds ©J. -
Prehistoric & Early Historic Food Crop Diversity
PREHISTORIC & EARLY HISTORIC FOOD CROP DIVERSITY NOURISHING TUCSON, A UNESCO CITY OF GASTRONOMY Edited by Gary Paul Nabhan and Julia Glennon With contributions from Karen Adams, Maribel Alvarez, Martha Ames Burgess, Gay Chanler, Dena Cowan, Michael Diehl, Suzanne Fish, Jesus Garcia, Wendy Hodgson, Jonathan Mabry, Charles Miksicek, Carolyn Niethammer, Roger Pfeuffer, Amadeo Rea, and Rafael Routson de Granade April 2016 Green Paper #2 of the Center for Regional Food Studies University of Arizona College of Social & Behavioral Sciences Tucson, Arizona www.foodstudies.arizona.edu www.azfoodstudies.com Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Endowment to the Southwest Center INTRODUCTION In December 2015, Tucson, Arizona joined the UNESCO Creave Cies Network as the first City of Gastronomy designated in the U.S. In the months that followed, local, naonal and internaonal aenon was directed to the 4100 year anquity of food culvaon documented in the Tucson Basin —an agricultural tradion as long or longer than that in any metro area north of Mexico. In addion, the UNESCO designaon generated renewed interest in the remarkable survival of diverse food crops and the tradional culinary and horcultural knowledge associated with them. Both the crops themselves and me-tried knowledge for managing them may have enhanced relevance to our food security in the face of climate change. On the same day as the UNESCO designaon, the University of Arizona established the Center of Regional Food Studies to serve as the college’s official partner to the City of Tucson in documenng, researching and educang the public regarding Tucson’s historic foodways and recent innovaons in its food systems. -
Maintaining a Landscape Linkage for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
Maintaining a Landscape Linkage for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Prepared by and Prepared for The Nature Conservancy April 2010 Maintaining a Landscape Linkage for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Table of Contents Page Executive Summary iii 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Study Area 2 1.3 Parque-to-Palomar—a Project of Las Californias Binational Conservation Initiative 4 2. Findings 5 2.1 Reported Occurrences 5 2.2 Habitat Model 6 2.3 Questionnaires and Interviews 7 2.4 Field Reconnaissance 10 3. Threats and Conservation Challenges 12 3.1 Domestic Livestock 12 3.2 Unregulated Hunting 12 3.4 Emerging Threats 13 4. Conclusions and Recommendations 15 4.1 Conclusions from This Study 15 4.2 Recommendations for Future Studies 16 4.3 Goals and Strategies for Linkage Conservation 17 5. Literature Cited 18 Appendices A. Questionnaire about Bighorn Sheep in the Sierra Juárez B. Preliminary Field Reconnaissance, July 2009 List of Figures 1. Parque-to-Palomar Binational Linkage. 3 2. A preliminary habitat model for bighorn sheep in northern Baja California. 8 3. Locations of reported bighorn sheep observations in the border region and the Sierra Juárez. 9 4. Potential access points for future field surveys. 11 CBI & Terra Peninsular ii April 2010 Maintaining a Landscape Linkage for Peninsular Bighorn Sheep Executive Summary The Peninsular Ranges extend 1,500 km (900 mi) from Southern California to the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, forming a granitic spine near the western edge of the North American continent. They comprise an intact and rugged wilderness area connecting two countries and some of the richest montane and desert ecosystems in the world that support wide- ranging, iconic species, including mountain lion, California condor, and bighorn sheep. -
Biophysical Sustainability of Food Systems in a Global and Interconnected World
Biophysical Sustainability of Food Systems in a Global and Interconnected World Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of “DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY” by Dor Fridman Submitted to the Senate of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 53/32/2/ Beer-Sheva Biophysical Sustainability of Food Systems in a Global and Interconnected World Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of “DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY” by Dor Fridman Submitted to the Senate of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Approved by the advisor Approved by the Dean of the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies 32/2/ 53/32/2/ Beer-Sheva This work was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Meidad Kissinger In the Department for Geography and Environmental Development Faculty of Social Sciences Research-Student’s Affidavit when Submitting the Doctoral Thesis for Judgment I Dor Fridman, whose signature appears below, hereby declare that (Please mark the appropriate statements): V I have written this Thesis by myself, except for the help and guidance offered by my Thesis Advisors. V The scientific materials included in this Thesis are products of my own research, culled from the period during which I was a research student. ___ This Thesis incorporates research materials produced in cooperation with others, excluding the technical help commonly received during experimental work. Therefore, I am attaching another affidavit stating the contributions made by myself and the other participants in this research, which has been approved by them and submitted with their approval. Date: 18/2/20 Student’s name: Dor Fridman Signature: Table of contents Table of contents v Acknowledgements vii List of figures viii List of tables ix List of equations x Abstract xi 1. -
Redalyc.Detección De Las Preferencias De Hábitat Del Borrego Cimarrón (Ovis Canadensis Cremnobates) En Baja California, Media
Therya E-ISSN: 2007-3364 [email protected] Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología México Escobar-Flores, Jonathan G.; Álvarez-Cárdenas, Sergio; Valdez, Raúl; Torres Rodríguez, Jorge; Díaz-Castro, Sara; Castellanos-Vera, Aradit; Martínez Gallardo, Roberto Detección de las preferencias de hábitat del borrego cimarrón (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) en Baja California, mediante técnicas de teledetección satelital Therya, vol. 6, núm. 3, 2015, pp. 519-534 Asociación Mexicana de Mastozoología Baja California Sur, México Disponible en: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=402341557003 Cómo citar el artículo Número completo Sistema de Información Científica Más información del artículo Red de Revistas Científicas de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal Página de la revista en redalyc.org Proyecto académico sin fines de lucro, desarrollado bajo la iniciativa de acceso abierto THERYA, 2015, Vol. 6 (3): 519-534 DOI: 10.12933/therya-15-284, ISSN 2007-3364 Detecting habitat preferences of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) in Baja California using remote sensing techniques Detección de las preferencias de hábitat del borrego cimarrón (Ovis canadensis cremnobates) en Baja California, mediante técnicas de teledetección satelital Jonathan G. Escobar-Flores¹, Sergio Álvarez-Cárdenas¹*, Raúl Valdez², Jorge Torres Rodríguez³, Sara Díaz-Castro¹, Aradit Castellanos-Vera¹ y Roberto Martínez Gallardo4† ¹ Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas del Noroeste, S. C. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 195, La Paz 23090, Baja California Sur, México. E-mail: [email protected] (JGEF), [email protected] (SA-C), [email protected] (SD-C), [email protected] (AC-V). ² Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Ecology, New Mexico State University. Las Cruces, New México 88001, EE.UU. E-mail: [email protected] (RV).