Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) herbivory changes dominance in desertified Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems

All objects on the Earth's surface absorb and reflect portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Depending on the composition of the material, every material has its characteristic spectral profile. The characteristic spectral profile for vegetation is often used to study how vegetation patterns at large spatial scales affect ecosystem structure and function. Analysis of spectroscopic data from the laboratory, and from various other platforms like aircraft or spacecraft, requires a knowledge base that consists of different characteristic spectral profiles for known different materials. This study reports on establishment of an online and searchable spectral library for a range of plant species and landcover types in the Arctic, Antarctic and Chihuahuan desert ecosystems. Field data were collected from Arctic Alaska, the Antarctic Peninsula and the Chihuahuan desert in the visible to near infrared (IR) range using a handheld portable spectrometer. The data have been archived in a database created using postgre sql with have been made publicly available on a plone web-interface.

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Spatial and temporal variability in relative abundance and foraging behavior of subterranean termites in desertified and relatively intact Chihuahuan Desert ecosystems

Applied Soil Ecology ◽

10.1016/s0929-1393(98)00164-4 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 149-157 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Maliha S Nash ◽

John P Anderson ◽

Walter G Whitford

Keyword(s):

Foraging Behavior ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Temporal Variability ◽

Chihuahuan Desert ◽

Subterranean Termites ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽

Desert Ecosystems

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Patterns of Net Primary Production in Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystems

Structure and Function of a Chihuahuan Desert Ecosystem ◽

10.1093/oso/9780195117769.003.0015 ◽

2006 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laura F. Huenneke ◽

William H. Schlesinger

Keyword(s):

Chihuahuan Desert ◽

Plant Production ◽

Data Sets ◽

Desert Ecosystems ◽

Long Term Ecological Research ◽

Jornada Basin ◽

Biological Programme ◽

Definition Of ◽

Term Data

The Jornada Basin of southern New Mexico has long been an important location for the study of productivity in desert ecosystems. Researchers have studied the magnitude and sustainability of plant production since the founding of the USDA Jornada Experimental Range (JER) in 1912. The consistent administration and research focus of the JER and of the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center (CDRRC) have facilitated a number of long-term studies of vegetation dynamics and productivity. These long-term data sets are especially critical for understanding arid ecosystems, where interannual and decadal scale variation in climate is great and plant performance is strongly constrained by the physical environment. Long-term data, including the net primary productivity (NPP) data that are the focus of this chapter, are also essential for understanding the progression or rather, degradation of ecosystem structure that has been called desertification. Through the years a variety of approaches have been used to evaluate plant production in the Jornada Basin. These approaches span the range from applied or management-oriented techniques, focused primarily on assessing patterns of palatable forage production, to more basic empirical studies based on dimension analysis or similar measurements of plant growth, to estimates based on photosynthetic measurements, to remote sensing and modeling approaches. NPP was a particular focus of the work performed during the International Biological Programme or IBP (1970s) and is still a major emphasis in the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) era. Thus, the Jornada provides a unique opportunity to compare the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches applied to a complex system. Ecosystem science has provided a set of general hypotheses about the factors regulating NPP in arid and semiarid ecosystems (reviewed by Noy-Meir 1973; Hadley and Szarek 1981; Ludwig 1986, 1987). These premises include the following: 1. Plant productivity is low relative to that of other ecosystems (Lieth 1975). 2. NPP is regulated primarily by localized water availability and hence should be correlated closely with precipitation (Le Houerou 1984; Le Houerou et al. 1988). This premise is related to Noy-Meir’s (1973) definition of deserts as “water-controlled ecosystems with infrequent, discrete, and largely unpredictable water inputs.”

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Activity overlap of carnivores, their potential wild prey, and temporal segregation, with livestock in a Biosphere Reserve in the Chihuahuan Desert

Journal of Mammalogy ◽

10.1093/jmammal/gyaa120 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jessica Durán-Antonio ◽

Alberto González-Romero ◽

Vinicio J Sosa

Keyword(s):

Daily Activity ◽

Chihuahuan Desert ◽

Bos Taurus ◽

Puma Concolor ◽

Activity Patterns ◽

Biosphere Reserve ◽

Lynx Rufus ◽

Temporal Segregation ◽

Risk Of Predation ◽

Lepus Californicus

Abstract Daily activity is an important aspect of animal behavior and depends both on nutritional and reproductive demands. It also can be modified by—among other factors—interspecific competition, the need to minimize the risk of predation, and human disturbance, such as the presence of cattle. We studied the activity patterns and degree of overlap among carnivores, their potential wild prey, and livestock, in a Biosphere Reserve in the Chihuahuan Desert. There was no temporal segregation among the carnivores. Carnivores synchronized their activity with that of their main prey, the black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus). In contrast, we did observe temporal segregation between the puma (Puma concolor), coyote (Canis latrans), and bobcat (Lynx rufus), with mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). There was little activity overlap between predators and livestock (Bos taurus, Equus caballus). However, to avoid conflict resulting from livestock predation we suggest increasing and improving surveillance, and that calves and females close to calving be sheltered. More studies on the multi-niche interactions of livestock and their wild predators are needed to understand daily activity overlap in different seasons, and to better understand the mechanisms of coexistence in protected areas in order to make sound management recommendations to cattle growers and park rangers.

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