1. The Role of Fire in the Arizona Upland Subdivision of the Sonoran Desert 2. Short-term Effects of Fire on Desert Tortoises at Saguaro National Park 3. Exotic Grasses, Long-Lived Species and Managing Desert Landscapes: A Case History at Saguaro National Park 4. Effects of Fire on Upland Desertscrub at Saguaro National Park
Esque T, Haines D, Nijhuis M, Swantek P, Schwalbe C, Halvorsen W, Watts B. 1997. 1. The Role of Fire in the Arizona Upland Subdivision of the Sonoran Desert 2. Short-term Effects of Fire on Desert Tortoises at Saguaro National Park 3. Exotic Grasses, Long-Lived Species and Managing Desert Landscapes: A Case History at Saguaro National Park 4. Effects of Fire on Upland Desertscrub at Saguaro National Park. National Park Service - Southern Arizona Office, USGS Sonoran Field Station, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ
Reports of annual surveys (1996, 1997, 2000) of saguaro mortality and desert tortoise populations at Saguaro National Park following the Mother's Day Fire in 1994 which burned a significant area of desert tortoise habitat and resulted in a significant loss of saguaros. Purpose was to achieve a better understanding of the role of fire in the vegetative community of the Upland Subdivision of the Sonoran Desert. Specific objectives were 1.) conduct yearly plant surveys, particularly of saguaros, 2.) determine desert tortoise population size in burned and unburned areas, 3.) use radiotelemetry to compare movement patterns and home range sizes of tortoises in burned and unburned areas, 4.) construct remote solar powered weather stations for tortoise studies.
- Type
- Generic Document
- Authors
- Esque, Todd; Haines, Dustin; Nijhuis, Michelle; Swantek, Pam; Schwalbe, Cecil; Halvorsen, William; Watts, Bridget
- Date of Issue
- 1997-02-03
- Publisher
- National Park Service - Southern Arizona Office, USGS Sonoran Field Station, University of Arizona
- Units
- SAGU
- Keywords
- citizen science, desert tortoise, fire, saguaro mortality, Upland Desert Scrub land
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Desert Communities , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Fire and Fuel Dynamics | Fire and Fuel Dynamics , Ecological Framework: Landscapes | Extreme Disturbance Events | Extreme Disturbance Events , NPS.gov Subject Site: Citizen Science , NPS.gov Subject Site: Deserts , NPS.gov Subject Site: Forests, Woods & Shrublands , NPS.gov Subject Site: Park Science