Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Plant Communities at Joshua Tree National Park, California
Camp RJ and Knight RL. 1998. Effects of Rock Climbing on Cliff Plant Communities at Joshua Tree National Park, California. Conservation Biology. 12(6):1302-1306
We compared the plant communities on cliffs usedfor rock climbing with cliffs not used for climbing. Eighteen cliffs in Joshua Tree National Park, California (six each with no climbing, moderate climbing, and intensive climbing) were sampledfor plant diversity and community structure. Plants were sampled on clifffaces and at the base of cliffs. The dominant taxa were Quercus cornelius-mulleri, Ericameria cuneata var. cuneata, and Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens. Plant species richness on clifffaces and at the base of cliffs was greaterfor cliffs with no evidence of climbing and lowestfor cliffs with intensive use. Numbers of individual plants decreased with increased climbing use. Trees, shrubs, forbs, and cacti had greater relative abundances on cliffs without climbing than on cliffs with climbing. Plant cover on cliff faces decreased with increased climbing use. Adaptive management will be necessary to minimize the deleterious effects of rock climbing on plant communities associated with cliffs.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Camp, Richard; Knight, Richard
- Units
- MOJA
- Keywords
- Absence (Biodiversity), Abundance (Biodiversity), Adaptive management, base of cliff, cliff face, climbing use, deleterious effects, Distribution (Biodiversity), Joshua Tree National Park (JOTR), PLANT SPECIES RICHNESS, Presence (Biodiversity), Vascular Plants (Plantae)