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CHARACTERIZATION OF RANGE SITES IN THE EMPIRE VALLEY, ARIZONA Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Araújo Filho, João Ambrósio de Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/09/2021 09:54:07 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/289319 76-8672 DE ARAUJO FILHO, Joao Ambrosio, 1941- CHARACTERIZATION OF RANGE SITES IN THE EMPIRE VALLEY, ARIZONA. The University of Arizona, Ph.D., 1975 Agriculture, range management Xerox University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48io6 THIS DISSERTATION HAS BEEN MICROFILMED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED. CHARACTERIZATION OF RANGE SITES IN THE EMPIRE VALLEY, ARIZONA by Joao Ambrosio de Araujo Filho A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the SCHOOL OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY WITH A MAJOR IN RANGE MANAGEMENT In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 19 7 5 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Joao Ambrosio de Araujo Filho entitled Characterization of Range Sites in the Empire Valley, Arizona be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Director Date After inspection of the final copy of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:"" f/jjiN-tt* % $e/A /?7.f 9- JW /9T4- X^/ ^75- This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to bor­ rowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or re­ production of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the in­ terests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author is deeply grateful to the Brazilian Government and to the U. S. Agency for International Development for the opportunity and the financial support for his graduate program. Appreciation is also extended to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for providing the funds to support the research under NASA Grant NAS 5 - 21828. Special gratitude is expressed to my advisor, Dr. Phil R. Ogden, and Dr. Edwin L. Smith for the inspiration, orientation, and indispensable help in conducting the research and reviewing the manu­ script of this dissertation. The help of Dr. William 0. Rasmussen, and of the personnel of the Agricultural Statistics Laboratory in the analyses of the data is especially appreciated. The author expresses thanks to Dr. Gilbert L. Jordan, Dr. C. Brent Theurer, and Dr. William H. Hale for serving on his guidance committee and their diligent effort in reading the manuscript and the constructive criticism provided. Finally, sincere and warm gratitude is expressed to my wife, Zelma, and to my daughter, Daniela, for their love, patience, and unself­ ish sacrifice throughout my graduate program. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS v LIST OF TABLES vii ABSTRACT x INTRODUCTION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 3 Vegetation Unit Terminology .... 3 Identification of Range Sites 6 Selected Methods of Vegetation Analysis 9 Previous Vegetation Studies Conducted in the Study Area .... 10 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA 12 Geology and Soils 12 Climate 18 Vegetation ..... 21 MATERIALS AND METHODS 23 Approach to Tentative Site Classification 24 Bottomlands 29 Uplands 32 Development of Phytosociological Units 35 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 36 Bottomlands 36 Nonlimy Uplands 54 Limy Uplands 85 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 97 APPENDIX A: SYMBOL, SCIENTIFIC, AND COMMON NAMES OF PLANT SPECIES IN THE STUDY AREA 101 APPENDIX B: FIELD DATA FORM 104 LITERATURE CITED 105 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. NASA ERTS imagery with boundary of the Empire Valley study area designated 13 2. Dendogram of the stands on bottomlands . 43 3. Stand 90 representing a good condition Site 4 44 4. Stand 88 representing a deteriorated Site 4 45 5. Stand 25 representing vegetation Group C, a high condition Site 2 .......... 48 6. Stand 180 representing a low range condition on Site 2 resulting in classification as vegetation Group B 49 7. Stand 195 representing vegetation Group C and a high condition of Site 3 50 8. Stand 197 representing vegetation Group B and an average condition of Site 3 53 9. Dendrogram of the stands on nonlimy, level uplands 64 10. Stand 237 representing vegetation Group D, a low condition Site 8 70 11. Stand 173 representing vegetation Group Fs a high condition Site 8 71 12. Stand 281 representing vegetation Group D, a low condition Site 11 72 13. Stand 193 representing vegetation Group Fs a high condition Site 11 73 14. Dendrogram of the stands on nonlimy slopes of uplands ... 74 15. Stand 164 representing vegetation Group G, a steep slope Site 24 76 16. Stand 165 representing vegetation Group G, a moderate slope Site 19 77 v vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS—Continued Figure Page 17. Stand 97 representing vegetation Group H, a low condition Site 13 79 18. Stand 49 representing vegetation Group J, a high condition Site 13 80 19. Stand 252 representing vegetation Group H, a low condition Site 17 81 20. Stand 200 representing vegetation Group I, a high condition Site 17 82 21. Stand 236 representing vegetation Group H, a low condition Site 6 83 22. Stand 55 representing vegetation Group I, a high condition Site 6 84 23. Dendrogram of the stands on limy uplands 92 24. Stand 322 representing vegetation Group N, Site 9 .... 95 25. Stand 169 representing vegetation Group N, Site 21 ... 96 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Characteristics of principal soil series found within the study area . 14 2. Long term daily maximum and minimum temperatures (F°) recorded by the Canelo station (elevation 4,985 feet) located on the study area 19 3. Long term monthly precipitation (inches) recorded by the three stations located within the limits of the study area 20 4. Dominance rating used to classify plant species on ground truth plots 25 5. Composition ratings used to classify plant species on ground truth plots 26 6. Range of slope steepness percentages and slope aspect of sites within solar radiation classes 34 7. Outline of tentative bottomland sites based on abiotic characteristics 37 8. Mean values of the abiotic site, current grazing, vegetative characteristics of the tentative sites identified on the bottomlands of the study area 38 9. Coefficients of determination (R 2) and portion of vege­ tation variability accounted for by each independent variable from multiple regressions between abiotic site factors (independent variables) and plant species importance values (dependent variables) for bottomlands 40 10. Mean values of site characteristics, and importance values of plant species of the three vegetation groups on bottomlands 42 11. Percentage distribution of the stands of the tenta­ tive bottomland range sites in the vegetation groups derived drom the cluster analysis 46 vii viii LIST OF TABLES—Continued Table Page 12. Simple correlation coefficients between the most common plant species occurring on bottomlands 51 13. Outline of tentative nonlimy upland sites based on abiotic characteristics 55 14. Summary of the abiotic and vegetative characteristics of the tentative sites identified on the nonlimy uplands of the study area 56 o 15. Coefficients of determination (R ) and portion of vegetation variability accounted for by each independent variable from multiple regressions between abiotic site factors (independent vari­ ables) and plant species importance values (dependent variables) for nonlimy uplands . 60 16. Simple correlation coefficients between the most common plant species occurring on the nonlimy uplands 62 17. Percentage distribution of the stands of the tenta­ tive nonlimy uplands range sites in the vegetation groups derived from the cluster analysis 66 18. Mean values of site characteristics, and importance values of plant species of the seven vegetation groups on nonlimy uplands 67 19. Outline of tentative limy upland sites based on abiotic characteristics 86 20. Summary of the environmental and vegetation char­ acteristics of the nine sites identified on the limy uplands of the study area 87 21. Coefficients of determination (R 2) and portions of vegetation variability accounted for by each independent variable from multiple regressions between abiotic site factors (independent vari­ ables) and plant species importance values (depen­ dent variables) for limy uplands 90 22. Mean values of site characteristics, and importance values of plant species of the four vegetation groups on limy uplands 93 lx LIST OF TABLES—Continued Table Page 23. Percentage distribution of the stands of the tentative limy uplands range sites in the vegetation groups derived from the cluster analysis 94 ABSTRACT This research deals with the characterisation of range sites in the Empire Valley study area, 40 miles southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Black and white aerial photographs were used in the reconnaissance, stratification and selection of 304 stands evaluated during 1973 and 1974.
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