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Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNCA), located in southeastern Arizona, is a place of ecological and historical value. It is host to rare native, threatened and endangered fauna and flora. as well as the site of the oldest operating ranch in the state. The first chapter of this thesis provides a preliminary flora of vascular plants at LCNCA assembled from field collections, photographs and herbarium specimens, and published through the online database SEINet. This preliminary flora of LCNCA identified 403 species in 76 families. Less than 6% of the flora is non-native, perennial forbs and grasses are the most abundant groups, and over a third of species in the checklist are associated with wetlands. LCNCA has been the target of adaptive management and conservation strategies to preserve its biotic diversity, and results from this study will help inform actions to preserve its rare habitats including cottonwood willow forests, mesquite bosques, sacaton grasslands, and cienegas. The second chapter investigates poorly understood aspects of the life history of the endangered Huachuca Water Umbel (Lilaeopsis schaffneriana subsp. recurva. Apiaceae) (hereafter HWU). This wetland species occurs in scattered cienegas and streams in southeastern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. Three studies were conducted in a greenhouse to investigate seed bank establishment, seed longevity, and drought tolerance. A fourth study compared the reproductive phenology of populations transplanted at LCNCA to populations transplanted at urban sites like the Phoenix Zoo Conservation Center and the Desert Botanical Garden (DBG). Results from the greenhouse studies showed that HWU seeds were capable of germinating 15 years in a dormant state and that HWU seeds are present in the seed banks at sites where populations have been transplanted. Also, greenhouse experiments indicated that colonies of HWU can tolerate up to 3 weeks without flowing water, and up to 2 weeks in dry substrate. Transplanted populations at LCNCA monitored in the fourth study produced a higher abundance of flowers and fruit relative to urban sites (i.e. DBG) suggesting that in-situ conservation efforts may be more favorable for the recovery of HWU populations. Findings from these studies aim to inform gaps in knowledge highlighted in USFWS recovery plan for this species.
ContributorsSolves, Jean-Philippe Yvan (Author) / Pigg, Kathleen B (Thesis advisor) / Salywon, Andrew (Committee member) / Makings, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020
Description
The Phoenix Zoo, also known as the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation (PZ), is an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoological institution and among largest-nonprofit, privately-owned zoos in the United States (Smith, 2020). Located within Papago Park in Phoenix (Maricopa County), Arizona, adjacent to the Desert Botanical Garden (DES), the two combine to bring environmental awareness to the Phoenix Metropolitan Region. While the DES specializes in botanical presentation, the ACNC focuses on zoological education. Whereas the flora of DES is well known, that of ACNC has yet to be completely documented. Given its role as a center for public engagement and education, documenting and mapping the floristic diversity of the Phoenix Zoo provides updated botanical information and occurrence records, an important component of understanding biodiversity for the Phoenix area. Between the fall of 2017 and the Spring of 2021, the grounds of the ACNC were walked within the 2-mile perimeter and surrounding exterior within Papago Park. Plant specimens and photographs were collected and archived for later identification using various botanical keys. Species names were verified through updated botanical databases such as Tropicos.org and worldfloraonline.org and compiled into a checklist. A total of 706 species have been identified, and of those 548 specimens have been collected as specimen vouchers. Of these, 120 are of taxa known to be native to the Phoenix Salt River Valley. While approximately 79 of those previously listed taxa native to Papago Park were either not found during this study or were extirpated from the grounds of the ACNC during urbanization of the region. There are 586 exotic taxa, some are common cultivars, while others are new to the region. Data for this survey is publicly available on SEINet, a regional network of North America herbaria (https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/), as georeferenced voucher specimens, human observations, and photographs. Data is also partially duplicated through the iNaturalist platform (iNaturalist.com).
ContributorsBerry, Zachery R (Author) / Makings, Elizabeth (Thesis advisor) / Pigg, Kathleen B (Thesis advisor) / Wojciechowski, Martin F (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2021
Description
Baseline community composition data provides a snapshot in time that allows changes in composition to be monitored more effectively and can inform best practices. This study examines Arizona Upland plant community composition of the Sonoran Desert through three different lenses: floristic inventory, and fire and reseeding effects.
A floristic inventory was conducted at Cave Creek Regional Park (CCRP), Maricopa County, AZ. One hundred fifty-four taxa were documented within Park boundaries, including 148 species and six infraspecific taxa in 43 families. Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, and Fabaceae accounted for 40% of documented species and annuals accounted for 56% of documented diversity.
Fire effects were studied at three locations within McDowell Sonoran Preserve (MSP), Scottsdale, AZ. These fires occurred throughout the 1990s and recovered naturally. Fire and reseeding effects were studied at the site of a 2005 fire within CCRP that was reseeded immediately following the fire.
Two questions underlie the study regarding fire and reseeding effects: 1) How did fire and reseeding affect the cover and diversity of the plant communities? 2) Is there a difference in distribution of cover between treatments for individual species or growth habits? To address these questions, I compared burned and adjacent unburned treatments at each site, with an additional reseeded treatment added at CCRP.
MSP sites revealed overall diversity and cover was similar between treatments, but succulent cover was significantly reduced, and subshrub cover was significantly greater in the burn treatment. Seventeen species showed significant difference in distribution of cover between treatments.
The CCRP reseeded site revealed 11 of 28 species used in the seed mix persist 12 years post-fire. The reseeded treatment showed greater overall diversity than burned and unburned treatments. Succulent and shrub cover were significantly reduced by fire while subshrub cover was significantly greater in the reseeded treatment. Sixteen species showed significant difference in distribution of cover between treatments.
Fire appears to impact plant community composition across Arizona Upland sites. Choosing species to include in seed mixes for post-fire reseeding, based on knowledge of pre-fire species composition and individual species’ fire responses, may be a useful tool to promote post-fire plant community recovery.
A floristic inventory was conducted at Cave Creek Regional Park (CCRP), Maricopa County, AZ. One hundred fifty-four taxa were documented within Park boundaries, including 148 species and six infraspecific taxa in 43 families. Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, and Fabaceae accounted for 40% of documented species and annuals accounted for 56% of documented diversity.
Fire effects were studied at three locations within McDowell Sonoran Preserve (MSP), Scottsdale, AZ. These fires occurred throughout the 1990s and recovered naturally. Fire and reseeding effects were studied at the site of a 2005 fire within CCRP that was reseeded immediately following the fire.
Two questions underlie the study regarding fire and reseeding effects: 1) How did fire and reseeding affect the cover and diversity of the plant communities? 2) Is there a difference in distribution of cover between treatments for individual species or growth habits? To address these questions, I compared burned and adjacent unburned treatments at each site, with an additional reseeded treatment added at CCRP.
MSP sites revealed overall diversity and cover was similar between treatments, but succulent cover was significantly reduced, and subshrub cover was significantly greater in the burn treatment. Seventeen species showed significant difference in distribution of cover between treatments.
The CCRP reseeded site revealed 11 of 28 species used in the seed mix persist 12 years post-fire. The reseeded treatment showed greater overall diversity than burned and unburned treatments. Succulent and shrub cover were significantly reduced by fire while subshrub cover was significantly greater in the reseeded treatment. Sixteen species showed significant difference in distribution of cover between treatments.
Fire appears to impact plant community composition across Arizona Upland sites. Choosing species to include in seed mixes for post-fire reseeding, based on knowledge of pre-fire species composition and individual species’ fire responses, may be a useful tool to promote post-fire plant community recovery.
ContributorsBarron, Kara Lynn (Author) / Pigg, Kathleen B (Thesis advisor) / Stromberg, Juliet (Thesis advisor) / Makings, Elizabeth (Committee member) / McCue, Kimberlie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018