Matching Items (6)
Description
Modified and artificial water sources can be used as a management tool for game and non-game wildlife species. State, federal, and private agencies allocate significant resources to install and maintain artificial water sources (AWS) annually. Capture mark recapture methods were used to sample small mammal communities in the vicinity of five AWS and five paired control sites (treatments) in the surrounding Sonoran desert from October 2011 to May 2012. I measured plant species richness, density, and percent cover in the spring of 2012. A Multi-response Permutation Procedure was used to identify differences in small mammal community abundance, biomass, and species richness by season and treatment. I used Principle Component Analysis to reduce 11 habitat characteristics to five habitat factors. I related rodent occurrence to habitat characteristics using multiple and logistic regression. A total of 370 individual mammals representing three genera and eight species of rodents were captured across 4800 trap nights. Desert pocket mouse (Chaetodipus penicillatus) was the most common species in both seasons and treatments. Whereas rodent community abundance, biomass, and richness were similar between seasons, community variables of AWS were greater than CS. Rodent diversity was similar between treatments. Desert pocket mouse abundance and biomass were twice as high at AWS when compared to controls. Biomass of white-throated woodrat (Neotoma albigula) was five times greater at AWS. Habitat characteristics were similar between treatments. Neither presence of water nor distance to water explained substantial habitat variation. Occurrence of rodent species was associated with habitat characteristics. Desert rodent communities are adapted for arid environments (i.e. Heteromyids) and are not dependent on "free water". Higher abundances of desert pocket mouse at AWS were most likely related to increased disturbance and debris and not the presence of water. The results of this study and previous studies suggest that more investigation is needed and that short term studies may not be able to detect interactions (if any) between AWS and desert small mammal communities.
ContributorsSwitalski, Aaron (Author) / Bateman, Heather L (Thesis advisor) / Miller, William (Committee member) / Alford, Eddie (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2013
Description
Biological diversity is threatened by increasing anthropogenic modification of natural environments and increasing demands on natural resources. Sonoran desert tortoises (Gopherus morafkai) currently have Candidate status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) based on health and habitat threats. To ensure this animal persists in the midst of multiple threats requires an understanding of the life history and ecology of each population. I looked at one physiological and one behavioral aspect of a population of tortoises at the Sugarloaf Mountain (SL) study site in central Arizona, USA. I used 21 years of capture-recapture records to estimate growth parameters of the entire population. I investigated habitat selection of juvenile tortoises by selecting 117 locations of 11 tortoises that had been tracked by radio-telemetry one to three times weekly for two years, selecting locations from both summer active season and during winter hibernation. I compared 22 microhabitat variables of tortoise locations to random SL locations to determine habitat use and availability. Male tortoises at SL reach a greater asymptotic length than females, and males and females appear to grow at the same rate. Juvenile tortoises at the SL site use steep rocky hillsides with high proportions of sand and annual vegetation, few succulents, and enclosed shelters in summer. They use enclosed shelters on steep slopes for winter hibernation. An understanding of these features can allow managers to quantify Sonoran desert tortoise habitat needs and life history characteristics and to understand the impact of land use policies.
ContributorsBridges, Andrew (Author) / Bateman, Heather L (Thesis advisor) / Miller, William (Committee member) / Ulrich, Jon (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Human recreation on rangelands may negatively impact wildlife populations. Among those activities, off-road vehicle (ORV) recreation carries the potential for broad ecological consequences. A study was undertaken to assess the impacts of ORV on rodents in Arizona Uplands Sonoran Desert. Between the months of February and September 2010, rodents were trapped at 6 ORV and 6 non-ORV sites in Tonto National Forest, AZ. I hypothesized that rodent abundance and species richness are negatively affected by ORV use. Rodent abundances were estimated using capture-mark-recapture methodology. Species richness was not correlated with ORV use. Although abundance of Peromyscus eremicus and Neotoma albigula declined as ORV use increased, abundance of Dipodomys merriami increased. Abundance of Chaetodipus baileyi was not correlated with ORV use. Other factors measured were percent ground cover, percent shrub cover, and species-specific shrub cover percentages. Total shrub cover, Opuntia spp., and Parkinsonia microphylla each decreased as ORV use increased. Results suggest that ORV use negatively affects rodent habitats in Arizona Uplands Sonoran Desert, leading to declining abundance in some species. Management strategies should mitigate ORV related habitat destruction to protect vulnerable populations.
ContributorsReid, John Simon (Author) / Brady, Ward (Thesis advisor) / Miller, William (Committee member) / Bateman, Heather (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Riparian systems in the arid southwest are heavily altered and, based on relative land-area, provision a disproportionately high number of native wildlife. Amphibians and reptiles are collectively the most threatened vertebrate taxa and, in the Sonoran Desert, are often reliant on riparian habitat. The link between amphibians and environmental water characteristics, as well as the association between lizards and habitat structure, make herpetofauna good organisms for which to examine the effects of environmental change.
My objective was to relate capture rates of a fossorial anuran and lizard abundance to aspects of native, invaded, and shrub-encroached riparian habitats in order to forecast the potential winners and losers of riparian habitat xerification and invasion.
I measured habitat and monitored herpetofauna at 18 sites near the confluence of the San Pedro River and Gila River in Pinal County, Arizona in 2016 and 2017. Sites were divided into three categories based on dominant tree genus; Populus-Salix, Prosopis, and Tamarix, which represented native riparia, xeric riparia, and invaded riparia, respectively.
Habitat measurements indicated that sites varied significantly in structure, and that dominant tree species was a useful descriptor of habitat physiognomy. Results from herpetofauna trapping demonstrated that Scaphiopus couchii, a fossorial anuran, occupy Prosopis sites at a much higher rate than at Tamarix sites, which were almost completely avoided. S. couchii was also found to be closely tied to xero-riparian habitat components present at Prosopis sites and soil analyses indicate that aspects of soil moisture and texture play an important role in the partitioning of this species across altered riparian habitats. Lizard abundance was found to be significantly lower in Tamarix habitat, with the majority of captures attributed to the generalist whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris. Additionally, more than half of lizard species that were analyzed displayed a negative association to Tamarix habitat. Of the three habitat types considered, Populus-Salix supported the greatest abundance of lizards.
Based on this study, the deleterious effects of xerfication on a riparian herpetofauna community may be lesser than those of Tamarix invasion. These two forms of riparian habitat shift often co-occur, with the ultimate cause being changes in hydrologic regime. This may imply that a bottom-up approach, wherein historic hydrology is restored to restore or maintain native habitats, to riverine management is appropriate for riparian herpetofauna conservation.
My objective was to relate capture rates of a fossorial anuran and lizard abundance to aspects of native, invaded, and shrub-encroached riparian habitats in order to forecast the potential winners and losers of riparian habitat xerification and invasion.
I measured habitat and monitored herpetofauna at 18 sites near the confluence of the San Pedro River and Gila River in Pinal County, Arizona in 2016 and 2017. Sites were divided into three categories based on dominant tree genus; Populus-Salix, Prosopis, and Tamarix, which represented native riparia, xeric riparia, and invaded riparia, respectively.
Habitat measurements indicated that sites varied significantly in structure, and that dominant tree species was a useful descriptor of habitat physiognomy. Results from herpetofauna trapping demonstrated that Scaphiopus couchii, a fossorial anuran, occupy Prosopis sites at a much higher rate than at Tamarix sites, which were almost completely avoided. S. couchii was also found to be closely tied to xero-riparian habitat components present at Prosopis sites and soil analyses indicate that aspects of soil moisture and texture play an important role in the partitioning of this species across altered riparian habitats. Lizard abundance was found to be significantly lower in Tamarix habitat, with the majority of captures attributed to the generalist whiptail Aspidoscelis tigris. Additionally, more than half of lizard species that were analyzed displayed a negative association to Tamarix habitat. Of the three habitat types considered, Populus-Salix supported the greatest abundance of lizards.
Based on this study, the deleterious effects of xerfication on a riparian herpetofauna community may be lesser than those of Tamarix invasion. These two forms of riparian habitat shift often co-occur, with the ultimate cause being changes in hydrologic regime. This may imply that a bottom-up approach, wherein historic hydrology is restored to restore or maintain native habitats, to riverine management is appropriate for riparian herpetofauna conservation.
ContributorsRiddle, Sidney Bishop (Author) / Bateman, Heather L. (Thesis advisor) / Albuquerque, Fabio (Committee member) / Saul, Steven E (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
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 Arizona toad (Anaxyrus microscaphus) is unique among bufonids because they primarily breed in streams of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada. Arizona toad is a species of conservation concern throughout their range. The non-native northern crayfish (Orconectes virilis) are opportunistic omnivores implicated in the declines of other native aquatic species. I wanted to determine occupancy, habitat use, and species interactions of the Arizona toad throughout its range Visual encounter surveys (VES) were completed by ASU and natural resource agency partners in the summers of 2021 and 2022 (n = 232) throughout Arizona toad range in Arizona. I used VES data and crayfish occurrence records, to determine interactions between the two species. I used broadscale environmental variables (1 km resolution) from WorldClim and EarthEnv to evaluate a relationship with Arizona toad occupancy across transects. These broadscale variables included bioclimatic variables, measures of habitat heterogeneity, measures of solar radiation, and topographic variables. In 2022 I collected fine-scale habitat data evaluating available vegetation cover and substrate composition within paired habitat plots. Fine-scale variables included canopy cover, substrate type, vegetation cover, and water depth. I applied multiple occupancy modeling approaches. Single-species model results found low toad occupancy, but high detection, as this is a rare species. Multi-species results showed no positive or negative relationship between Arizona toad and northern crayfish for both seasons. Two principal component analyses (PCA) were run on broadscale environmental variables and fine-scale habitat variables for 2021 and 2022, respectively, creating new synthetic variables for use in analysis. In 2021, the broadscale components were added to the single-species occupancy models and the top model included bioclimatic variables related to annual temperature range and precipitation. Arizona toad occupancy is lower with extreme hot temperatures and less precipitation. A logistic regression was run with the fine-scale habitat variables and the top model included PC1 and PC3. PC1 described elements related to riparian complexity, while PC3 described elements related to algae presence, including attached to cobble substrate. Arizona Toad select for certain habitats including canopy cover, shallow water, algae cover, and pebble cover. It is important to maintain riparian area habitat complexity and conserve habitat for the Arizona toad, a riparian stream specialist.
ContributorsMontgomery, Brett Joseph (Author) / Bateman, Heather L (Thesis advisor) / Albuquerque, Fabio S (Committee member) / Bogan, Michael T (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2023