Riparian Vegetation Data for Streams Monitoring in the Sonoran Desert Network: 2009-2025 - Processing Script
Serrantes A . 2026. Riparian Vegetation Data for Streams Monitoring in the Sonoran Desert Network: 2009-2025 - Processing Script. National Park Service. https://doi.org/10.57830/2314071
Stream ecosystems are one of the most ecologically important, rare, and threatened natural resources in the American Southwest. Riparian vegetation (including xeroriparian vegetation and habitat) represents a small percentage of the land cover in this region and the southern plains, but provides important services, functions, and benefits. These data were collected using the riparian vegetation monitoring module of the Sonoran Desert Network (SODN) and Southern Plains Network (SOPN) streams monitoring protocol at 5 park units within the Sonoran Desert Network. At Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument data were collected in 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2022. At Montezuma Castle National Monument – Castle unit, data were collected in 2009, 2014 and 2021. At Montezuma Castle National Monument – Well unit, data were collected in 2010, 2014 and 2021. At Tumacacori National Historical Park data were collected in 2013, 2018 and 2025. At Tuzigoot National Monument data were collected in 2010 and 2014. The monitoring data inform managers on status and trends of vegetation community dynamics, invasive species distribution and abundance, plant lifeform abundance, soil cover, tree demographics (size class), density and biomass (diameter at breast height) and tree seedling and shrub counts. These data were collected across the stream segments within the park boundaries and were co-located with river cross-sections where channel morphology data are also collected. Other data collected within the stream segments include water quality, water quantity, and macroinvertebrates but those data are not included here. The overall goal of streams monitoring is to ascertain stream condition via a holistic approach integrating key geo¬morphological, hydrological, and biological processes and indicators.
- Type
- Script
- Authors
- Serrantes, Alexa
- Date of Issue
- 2026-02-09
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- DOI
- 10.57830/2314071
- Units
- GICL , MOCA , SODN , TUMA , TUZI
- Keywords
- bosque, botany, canopy cover, cottonwood-willow, data cleaning, data processing, ecology, faculative, forests, gallery forest, GICL, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, greenline, litter, long term monitoring, MOCA, Montezuma Castle National Monument, obligate, open science, plant communities, plant cover, R, riparian vegetation, Santa Cruz River, saplings, shrubs, soil cover, stream monitoring, streams, transects, tree density, TUMA, Tumacacori National Historical Park, TUZI, Tuzigoot National Monument, vegetation, Verde River, West Fork of the Gila River, Wet Beaver Creek, woodland
- License
- Creative Commons Zero v1.0 Universal