Southeastern Arizona Research Articles

Interactive effects of fire and nonnative plants on small mammals in Grasslands

AbstractInvasions by nonnative plants have changed the structure of many terrestrial ecosystems and altered important ecological processes such as fire, the dominant driver in grassland ecosystems. Reestablishing fire has been proposed as a mechanism to restore dominance of native plants in grasslands invaded by nonnative plants, yet fire may function differently in these altered systems, potentially affecting animals in novel ways. To assess whether invasions by nonnative plants alter the effects of fire on animals, we performed a manipulative experiment in semi‐desert grasslands of southeastern Arizona that have been invaded by a perennial, nonnative grass from Africa, Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana). We applied fire to 36 of 54 1‐ha plots established along an invasion gradient where dominance of E. lehmanniana ranged from 0% to 91% of total live plant biomass. Over the 5‐year period from 2000 to 2004, we used mark‐recapture methods to assess how population and community attributes of small mammals varied along the gradient of nonnative grass and in response to fire. We quantified changes in presence of 17 species, abundance of 9 species, total abundance of all species combined, species richness, and species composition. Based on 11,226 individual mammals from 24 species, we found that effects of nonnative‐grass dominance varied with habitat preferences of each species, resulting in composition of the small‐mammal community changing predictably along the invasion gradient. As dominance of nonnative grass increased, presence and abundance of granivorous heteromyids and insectivores (e.g., Chaetodipus, Perognathus, Onychomys; pocket mice and grasshopper mice) decreased, whereas presence and abundance of omnivorous and herbivorous murids (e.g., Reithrodontomys, Sigmodon; harvest mice and cotton rats) increased. Species richness of the small‐mammal community averaged 8.4 species per plot and was highest at intermediate levels of nonnative‐grass dominance where vegetation heterogeneity was greatest. Abundance of all small mammals combined averaged 26.9 individuals per plot and did not vary appreciably with nonnative‐grass dominance. During the 4‐ to 8‐week period immediately after fire, abundance of 6 of the 9 most common species changed, with 5 species decreasing and 1 species increasing on burned plots relative to unburned plots. During this same time period, species richness of small mammals decreased by an average of 3 species (38%) and total abundance of all species combined decreased by an average of 16 individuals (61%) on burned plots relative to unburned plots. Effects of fire on vegetation biomass, on presence of 9 of 17 mammalian species, and on abundance of 4 of 9 mammalian species remained evident ≥2 years after fire. Effects of fire on most small‐mammal species varied with the degree of nonnative‐grass dominance, suggesting that fire functioned differently in areas invaded by nonnative plants relative to areas dominated by native plants. Specifically, effects of fire on presence of 12 of 14 species and abundance of 7 of 9 species varied along the gradient of E. lehmanniana. During this post‐fire period, however, composition of the small‐mammal community in areas dominated by nonnative grass transitioned towards composition of areas dominated by native grasses, suggesting that fires had some restorative effect on habitat for small mammals. The relative strength of this effect will likely depend in general on the structural and compositional contrasts between invaded and native plant communities. Despite the reported ineffectiveness of fire at reducing dominance of nonnative plants, restoring fire to grasslands invaded by nonnative plants can help maintain the mosaic of vegetation conditions necessary to support the diverse assemblage of animals that inhabit these fire‐governed ecosystems. © 2011 The Wildlife Society.

BETWEEN MIMBRES AND HOHOKAM: THE SAN SIMON BASIN DURING THE PIT STRUCTURE PERIOD

The complexities of peoples’ interactions with one another can be masked by terms such as hinterlands and heartlands. Although archaeologists might easily think of the San Simon Basin in southeastern Arizona as a hinterland, the concept does not do justice to the area during prehistory, especially in the Late Archaic (1500 B.C. to A.D. 100) and Pit Structure (A.D. 100–1050) periods. People there may have played a critical role, especially during the latter period, in social relationships between people in the Hohokam region on the west and the Mimbres Mogollon area to the east, especially in absorbing people from both areas. Equally fascinating is the very early (about A.D. 1050) and very complete abandonment of the basin after relatively high population numbers during the Late Archaic and Pit Structure periods. If the San Simon Basin then became a hinterland, how and why did this happen? I also present data and interpretations supporting a scenario of constant, small group migration into and out of the San Simon Basin to account for some of the patterns that we observe.

Notice of release of Bonita Germplasm plains lovegrass: selected class of certified seed

A selected germplasm of plains lovegrass ( Eragrostis intermedia A.S. Hitchc. [Poaceae]) has been released for use in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Bonita Germplasm plains lovegrass is a native, warm-season perennial bunchgrass. It is an important early spring forage grass and responds quickly after fire. Therefore, it has high potential for use for restoration of disturbed areas, wildlife habitat improvement, and increasing plant diversity.

FAUNAL RESOURCES AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN THE SAN SIMON VALLEY, SOUTHEASTERN ARIZONA

Material remains (e.g., ceramics, ground stone, and flaked stone) and demographic data show that the San Simon Basin in southeastern Arizona supported numerous small-scale farming communities in the Late Archaic and Pit Structure periods. Residents of the basin during these periods used the resources of their immediate environments more intensively than earlier occupants of the area, and their actions may have contributed to a population crash at the end of the Pit Structure period. The earliest faunal assemblages, with their virtual lack of large-bodied taxa, suggest that residents of the San Simon Basin quickly impacted their fragile desert environment. All San Simon faunal assemblages differ from coeval communities in the nearby Mimbres and Hohokam regions in that they contain fewer taxa and specifically fewer large-bodied taxa (e.g., artiodactyls).

Status of Red Squirrels in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

The Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona contain the southernmost populatio no f red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in North America. Red squirrels historically inhabited the Guadalupe Mountains in Trans-Pecos Texas during the Pleistocene and the possibility that red squirrels currently persist has been suggested by several biologists visiting the upper-elevation forests. Herein, we report results of an assessment of small mammals in coniferous forest where we used observational line transects, playback calls, and live trapping to determine status of red squirrels. We surveyed 132 ha of coniferous forest along 8.9 km of transects and observed and found evidence of 10 species of mammals. We detected no evidence of red squirrels inhabiting high-elevation coniferous forest.

Optimization of PCR conditions to amplify microsatellite loci in the bunchgrass lizard (Sceloporus slevini) genomic DNA

BackgroundMicrosatellites, also called Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs), repetitions of nucleotide motifs of 1-5 bases, are currently the markers of choice due to their abundant distribution in the genomes, and suitability for high-throughput analysis. A total of five different primer pairs were optimized for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify microsatellite loci in total genomic DNA of bunchgrass lizards (Sceloporus slevini) collected from three sites in southeastern Arizona; the Sonoita Plain, Chiricahua Mountains and Huachuca Mountains.FindingsThe primers used for current investigation were originally designed for the Eastern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus). Five primer pairs were selected based on annealing temperatures for optimizing the PCR conditions to amplify with bunchgrass lizards. Different concentrations of DNA and annealing temperature were optimized. While keeping other reagents constant, a DNA concentration, 37.5 ng in the final reaction volume and PCR conditions of an initial denaturation of 94°C for five minutes, an annealing temperature of 55°C and final extension of 72°C for four minutes gave the best amplification for all the primer pairs.ConclusionsModifying the standard protocol for annealing temperatures and final extension time increases the success of cross amplification of specific microsatellite loci in the bunchgrass lizard. A loading volume of 5 ul DNA at a concentration of 10 ng/ul and a 2% agarose for gel electrophoresis were observed the best for cross amplification of selected five primer pairs on bunch grass lizard.Trial RegistrationThe research was conducted with Arizona Game and Fish Department scientific collecting permits SP565256, SP657407 & SP749119 to Dr. Christian A d'Orgeix.

Temporal frequency distributions of alluvium in the American Southwest: taphonomic, paleohydraulic, and demographic implications

The use of radiocarbon frequency distributions to reconstruct prehistoric human and animal populations must account for taphonomic loss and other factors that affect the archaeological and paleontological records. Surovell et al. ( JAS, 36, 1715–1724) have recently proposed a correction for “taphonomic bias” that is based on the radiocarbon frequency of a global sample of volcanic deposits. Analysis of 717 radiocarbon dates sampled from the alluvium of the San Pedro and Santa Cruz rivers and their tributaries in southeastern Arizona shows that discovery and scientific biases also play an important role in the creation of radiocarbon frequency distributions, and that the rate of “taphonomic bias” in prehistory is not predicted by the radiocarbon frequency of volcanic deposits. The latter principle is further argued using a sample of 123 Pliocene to Clovis-age proboscideans from the San Pedro Valley. We propose an alternative model that is based on the nature of the stratigraphic record, with discovery bias, scientific bias, taphonomic loss, and the shape of the calibration curve all operating to influence the temporal frequency distribution of radiocarbon-dated prehistoric phenomena.

Leaf Spot of Pinto Bean Caused by a Long-beaked Alternaria in Southeastern Arizona

This report identifies an Alternaria disease affecting pinto beans in incidence in Arizona. The similarity of disease symptoms and morphology of the pathogen to a recently characterized Alternaria and its disease of bean in Brazil causes concern about its potentially damaging effects on pinto bean production in Arizona. Accepted for publication 20 September 2011. Published 18 October 2011.

<p><strong><em>Fissidens chiricahuensis</em> and<em> F. brindae, spp. nov.</em>, from the Chiricahua Mountains, Arizona, with notes on the <em>Fissidens elegans</em> complex, subgenus <em>Aloma</em></strong></p>

Fissidens chiricahuensis and F. brindae , two new species from the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona, belong to subgenus Aloma ( Fissidens elegans complex). Fissidens chiricahuensis has broadly acute to obtuse leaves; costae that end several cells below the leaf apices; and, 2–3-stratose, intramarginal to partially marginal limbidia confined to the vaginant laminae. Fissidens brindae has weak and erratic limbidia on the vaginant laminae of the perichaetial leaves and infrequently on the vaginant laminae of infertile stem leaves; a highly reduced peristome; and, a high percentage of aborted spores.

A new Antaeotricha species from Southeastern Arizona (Gelechioidea, Elachistidae, Stenomatinae)

The new species Antaeotricha arizonensis is described from southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. Adults and genitalia are illustrated.

Nest Predators of Ground-nesting Birds in Montane Forest of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Arizona

Abstract We used time-lapse video cameras and track plates to identify nest predators of Red-faced Warblers (Cardellina rubrifrons) and Yellow-eyed Juncos (Junco phaeonotus) in high-elevation (> 2,300 m) forests of the Santa Catalina Mountains in southeastern Arizona. Mammals, especially gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and cliff chipmunk (Tamias dorsalis), were the principal nest predators of Red-faced Warblers and Yellow-eyed Juncos within our study system, accounting for 89% of all nest depredations. Our study is one of the first to use video cameras at real nests to document the prevalence of nest predators in montane forest ecosystems. Additional research is needed to learn if mammals are the dominant nest predators in other montane environments.

Carbon dioxide exchange in a semidesert grassland through drought‐induced vegetation change

Global warming may intensify the hydrological cycle and lead to increased drought severity and duration, which could alter plant community structure and subsequent ecosystem water and carbon dioxide cycling. We report on the net ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE) of a semidesert grassland through a severe drought which drove succession from native bunchgrasses to forbs and to eventual dominance by an exotic bunchgrass. We monitored NEE and energy fluxes using eddy covariance coupled with meteorological and soil moisture variables for 6 years at a grassland site in southeastern Arizona, USA. Seasonal NEE typically showed a springtime carbon uptake after winter‐spring periods of average rainfall followed by much stronger sink activity during the summer rainy season. The two severe drought years (2004 and 2005) resulted in a net release of carbon dioxide (25 g C m−2) and widespread mortality of native perennial bunchgrasses. Above average summer rains in 2006 alleviated drought conditions, resulting in a large flush of broad‐leaved forbs and negative total NEE (−55 g C m−2 year−1). Starting in 2007 and continuing through 2009, the ecosystem became increasingly dominated by the exotic grass, Eragrostis lehmanniana, and was a net carbon sink (−47 to −98 g C m−2 year−1) but with distinct annual patterns in NEE. Rainfall mediated by soils was the key driver to water and carbon fluxes. Seasonal respiration and photosynthesis were strongly dependent on precipitation, but photosynthesis was more sensitive to rainfall variation. Respiration normalized by evapotranspiration showed no interannual variation, while normalized gross ecosystem production (i.e., water use efficiency) was low during drought years and then increased as the rains returned and the E. lehmanniana invasion progressed. Thus, when dry summer conditions returned in 2009, the potential for ecosystem carbon accumulation was increased and the ecosystem remained a net sink unlike similar dry years when native grasses dominated ecosystem structure.

Arthropod Foraging by a Southeastern Arizona Hummingbird Guild

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that foraging for arthropods may be a viable source of energy when hummingbirds are competitively excluded from sources of nectar. We hypothesized that the Magnificent Hummingbird (Eugenes fulgens) relies more upon arthropods than the Blue-throated Hummingbird (Lampornis clemenciae) or Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) in southeastern Arizona. We were unable to quantify arthropod foraging by A. alexandri, but measured frequent arthropod foraging by both E. fulgens and L. clemenciae. E. fulgens engaged in more aerial flycatching than L. clemenciae, and their rate of flycatching attempts was higher than by L. clemenciae. Analysis of gut contents showed that E. fulgens consumes the greatest diversity of arthropods. Respiratory quotient measurements indicated E. fulgens catabolized a greater amount of fat/protein than the other species. Gut morphology of E. fulgens does not appear to differ from other hummingbirds suggesting hummingbirds in general may have th...

Electrifying the rural American West: stories of power, people, and place

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Glossary of Electrical Terms Introduction: A Blessed Way of Life 1. Empowering Agrarian Dreams: The Cooperative Model in Southeastern Arizona 2. Power through Diversity: The Integration and Industrialization of the White Mountain Region 3. A Light in Every Hogan: Power to Indian Country Conclusion: The Limits of Local Power Notes Bibliography Index

A Numerical Study of the Evolving Convective Boundary Layer and Orographic Circulation around the Santa Catalina Mountains in Arizona. Part II: Interaction with Deep Convection

Abstract This is the second part of a study that examines the daytime evolution of the thermally forced boundary layer (BL) circulation over a relatively isolated mountain, about 30 km in diameter and 2 km high, and its interaction with locally initiated deep convection by means of numerical simulations validated with data collected in the 2006 Cumulus Photogrammetric, In Situ, and Doppler Observations (CuPIDO) field campaign in southeastern Arizona. Part I examined the BL circulation in cases with, at most, rather shallow orographic cumulus (Cu) convection; the present part addresses deep convection. The results are based on output from version 3 of the Weather Research and Forecasting model run at a horizontal resolution of 1 km. The model output verifies well against CuPIDO observations. In the absence of Cu convection, the thermally forced (solenoidal) circulation is largely contained within the BL over the mountain. Thunderstorm development deepens this BL circulation with inflow over the depth of the BL and outflow in the free troposphere aloft. Primary deep convection results from destabilization over elevated terrain and tends to be triggered along a convergence line, which arises from the solenoidal circulation but may drift downwind of the terrain crest. While the solenoidal anabatic flow converges moisture over the mountain, it also cools the air. Thus, a period of suppressed anabatic flow following a convective episode, at a time when surface heating is still intense, can trigger new and possibly deeper convection. The growth of deep convection may require enhanced convergent flow in the BL, but this is less apparent in the mountain-scale surface flow signal than the decay of orographic convection. A budget study over the mountain suggests that the precipitation efficiency of the afternoon convection is quite low, ~10% in this case.

A New Geometrid Genus and Species from Southeastern Arizona (Ennominae: Nacophorini)

ABSTRACT. The new genus Chiricahua is described from moths collected in the Chiricahua Mtns., Cochise Co., Arizona. Two species are recognized: the new species C. lichenaria, the type species for the genus, and C. multidentata. previously placed in Biston. Adults and genitalia are illustrated.

Community Analysis Reveals Close Affinities Between Endophytic and Endolichenic Fungi in Mosses and Lichens

Endolichenic fungi live in close association with algal photobionts inside asymptomatic lichen thalli and resemble fungal endophytes of plants in terms of taxonomy, diversity, transmission mode, and evolutionary history. This similarity has led to uncertainty regarding the distinctiveness of endolichenic fungi compared with endophytes. Here, we evaluate whether these fungi represent distinct ecological guilds or a single guild of flexible symbiotrophs capable of colonizing plants or lichens indiscriminately. Culturable fungi were sampled exhaustively from replicate sets of phylogenetically diverse plants and lichens in three microsites in a montane forest in southeastern Arizona (USA). Intensive sampling combined with a small spatial scale permitted us to decouple spatial heterogeneity from host association and to sample communities from living leaves, dead leaves, and lichen thalli to statistical completion. Characterization using data from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer and partial large subunit (ITS-LSU rDNA) provided a first estimation of host and substrate use for 960 isolates representing five classes and approximately 16 orders, 32 families, and 65 genera of Pezizomycotina. We found that fungal communities differ at a broad taxonomic level as a function of the phylogenetic placement of their plant or lichen hosts. Endolichenic fungal assemblages differed as a function of lichen taxonomy, rather than substrate, growth form, or photobiont. In plants, fungal communities were structured more by plant lineage than by the living vs. senescent status of the leaf. We found no evidence that endolichenic fungi are saprotrophic fungi that have been "entrapped" by lichen thalli. Instead, our study reveals the distinctiveness of endolichenic communities relative to those in living and dead plant tissues, with one notable exception: we identify, for the first time, an ecologically flexible group of symbionts that occurs both as endolichenic fungi and as endophytes of mosses.

Inference of lithologic distributions in an alluvial aquifer using airborne transient electromagnetic surveys

An airborne transient electromagnetic (TEM) survey was completed in the Upper San Pedro Basin in southeastern Arizona to map resistivity distributions within the alluvial aquifer. This investigation evaluated the utility of 1D vertical resistivity models of the TEM data to infer lithologic distributions in an alluvial aquifer. Comparisons of the resistivity values and layers in the 1D resistivity models of airborne TEM data to 1D resistivity models of ground TEM data, borehole resistivity logs, and lithologic descriptions in drill logs indicated that the airborne TEM identified thick conductive fine-grained sediments that result in semiconfined groundwater conditions. One-dimensional models of ground-based TEM surveys and subsurface lithology at three sites were used to determine starting models and constraints to invert airborne TEM data using a constrained Marquardt-styleunderparameterized method. A maximum structural resolution of six layers underlain by a half-space was determined from the resistivity structure of the 1D models of the ground TEM data. The 1D resistivity models of the airborne TEM data compared well with the control data to depths of approximately [Formula: see text] in areas of thick conductive silt and clay and to depths of [Formula: see text] in areas of resistive sand and gravel. Comparison of a 3D interpolation of the 1D resistivity models to drill logs indicated resistive (mean of [Formula: see text]) coarse-grained sediments along basin margins and conductive (mean of [Formula: see text]) fine-grained sediments at the basin center. Extents of hydrologically significant thick silt and clay were well mapped by the 1D resistivity models of airborne TEM data. Areas of uncertain lithology remain below conductive fine-grained sediments where the 1D resistivity structure is not resolved: in areas where multiple lithologies have similar resistivity values and in areas of high salinity.

Herpetofauna of the Rincon Mountains, Arizona

We estimated species richness, distribution, and relative abundance of herpetofauna across a 1,800-m elevation gradient in the Rincon Mountains and compared patterns of occurrence of species with other mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona. We detected 2,378 individuals of 40 species during 596 h of visual-encounter surveys, and 1,793 individuals including six additional species incidentally during 2001 and 2002. Based on probabilistic methods, we estimate that as many as 57 species likely are present in the Rincon Mountains; past observations and expert opinion also suggest as many as 57 species likely are present. Species richness declined with increasing elevation. Relative abundance declined with increasing elevation for seven species, increased with elevation for three species, and was greatest at middle elevations for three species. The Rincon Mountains lack some species that occur in nearby mountain ranges of similar size and elevation, possibly due to climatic or historical factors. Our study was the first detailed inventory of herpetofauna in the Rincon Mountains at a time when these communities may be undergoing significant change.

Norton Allen's Excavations in the San Pedro and Dripping Spring Valleys of Southeastern Arizona

Although the majority of the Norton Allen Collection consists of materials from the Gila Bend area, a small group of objects was recov ered from sites in southeastern Arizona. In this article, I present an overview of these artifacts and discuss their significance. I begin by describing the process by which Norton's site names were matched with those used by other researchers and the designations currently employed by the Arizona State Museum (ASM). Next, I report on the artifacts recovered. This collection, dominated by pottery, has the potential to expand our knowledge of migration by Kayenta groups into southern Arizona as well as the rise and demise of the Salado phe nomenon. Furthermore, the collection includes a sample from a mostly destroyed site (affording researchers a better understanding of ancient settlement in the Dripping Spring Valley), it improves knowledge of locally produced pottery types, and it fleshes out distributional patterns associated with late, intrusive pottery types from the Hopi Mesas, the Zuni area, and Chihuahua. Most items in the Allen Collection recovered from sites in the vicin ity of Gila Bend are associated with detailed contextual information, allowing researchers to use them in a wide variety of ways (e.g., Doyel 2008; Wasley and Johnson 1965). Unfortunately, the portion of the collection from southeastern Arizona?the majority of which was assembled relatively early in Allen's avocational archaeological career?is spottier in terms of documentation. In some cases, different sources, including notes written on containers and the backs of photographs, provide contradictory information regarding the provenience of a given