The Ecological Recovery of Saguaro National Park after Removal of Cattle Grazing and Associated Succession
Summers RJ. 2020. The Ecological Recovery of Saguaro National Park after Removal of Cattle Grazing and Associated Succession. Oregon State University
The area that is now Saguaro National Park East has a history of livestock grazing beginning in the 1880s. Many homesteaders subsequently sold their homesteads to larger cattle operations and ushered in a period of ecological damage in the area, creating a significant impact to all plant species, particularly the saguaro. A court case brought by anti-grazing conservationists was won in 1978, eliminating grazing in what was then Saguaro National Monument. At that time, Warren F. Steenbergh, a renowned ecologist at the park designed a long-term vegetation survey to document aspects of recovery for Saguaro National Monument. Replication of the original survey was conducted. The overall objective was to ascertain whether or not paired study plots showed significance concerning vegetation community composition after 41 years of succession while determining state of succession based upon disturbance & climate controls and the resulting vegetation community. The largest takeaways from this study are that the overall cover and density of semi-grassland and desert thorn-scrub communities have increased steadily, if not quickly since the removal of cattle grazing.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Summers, Ryan
- Date of Issue
- 2020-05-06
- Publisher
- Oregon State University
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- cattle, grasslands, livestock grazing, succession, thesis
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Desert Communities , Ecological Framework: Human Use | Consumptive Use | Consumptive Use , NPS.gov Subject Site: Agriculture & Ranching , NPS.gov Subject Site: Biodiversity , NPS.gov Subject Site: Deserts , NPS.gov Subject Site: Park Science