Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

AN 85-YEAR STUDY OF SAGUARO ( CARNEGIEA GIGANTEA ) DEMOGRAPHY

1998; Wiley; Volume: 79; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[2676

1939-9170

Elizabeth A. Pierson, Raymond M. Turner,

Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies

EcologyVolume 79, Issue 8 p. 2676-2693 Article AN 85-YEAR STUDY OF SAGUARO (CARNEGIEA GIGANTEA) DEMOGRAPHY Elizabeth A. Pierson, Elizabeth A. Pierson United States Geological Survey and University of Arizona Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona, USA 85745 Present address:Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA.Search for more papers by this authorRaymond M. Turner, Raymond M. Turner United States Geological Survey and University of Arizona Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona, USA 85745Search for more papers by this author Elizabeth A. Pierson, Elizabeth A. Pierson United States Geological Survey and University of Arizona Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona, USA 85745 Present address:Department of Plant Pathology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA.Search for more papers by this authorRaymond M. Turner, Raymond M. Turner United States Geological Survey and University of Arizona Desert Laboratory at Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona, USA 85745Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 1998 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(1998)079[2676:AYSOSC]2.0.CO;2Citations: 87 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onEmailFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Abstract The saguaro population in a 700-ha area at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona, was censused in 1908, one year after livestock were excluded. In 1964, four 10-ha plots were established within the original area to determine the effect of slope aspect on plant growth and demography. The plots were recensused in 1970 and 1993. We developed a model for determining saguaro age, using the growth rates of over 3000 plants from 1964 to 1970. The model was verified with 1993 data. Changes in population size and the estimated age structures were then used to infer regeneration trends. Saguaro populations on all slope aspects nearly doubled since 1908. Yet, during the same period, relative abundances of saguaros remained higher on the south and east aspects than on the north and west aspects. Higher recruitment and survival of young plants rather than mortality of older ones are largely responsible for the differences between aspects. The estimated age structures show large, multi-decadal fluctuations in saguaro regeneration. Prior to 1908, populations on all slopes experienced an extended period of decline beginning around the late 1860s. The recent surge in recruitment began in the 1920s and peaked in the 1970s. Populations currently are again in decline. Better regeneration generally corresponds with relatively wet conditions, and poorer regeneration with drier conditions. However, extended periods of decline often included episodes of relatively wet conditions (e.g., from the 1860s to the 1920s), indicating that other climatic and biotic factors also determine recruitment success. Establishment may have been suppressed by colder winters, livestock grazing, and rock quarrying. This long-term study demonstrates that, despite low regeneration and population decline during much of the last two centuries, saguaros have persisted on Tumamoc Hill because of episodic surges in seedling establishment. Literature Cited Abouhaidar, F. 1992. Influence of livestock grazing on saguaro seedling establishment. Pages 57–61 in C. P. Stone and E. S. Bellatoni, editors. Proceedings of the Symposium on Research in Saguaro National Monument, 23–24 January 1991. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Globe, Arizona, USA. Alcorn, S. M., and C. May . 1962. Attrition of a saguaro forest. Plant Disease Reporter 46: 156–158. Alcorn, S. M., T. V. Orum, A. G. Steigerwalt, J. L. M. Foster, J. C. Fogleman, and D. J. Brenner . 1991. Taxonomy and pathogenicity of Erwinia cacticida sp. nov. International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 41: 197–212. Alley, W. M. 1984. The Palmer Drought Severity Index: limitations and assumptions. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology 23: 1100–1109. Bowers, J. E. 1981. Catastrophic freezes in the Sonoran Desert. Desert Plants 2: 232–236. Bowers, J. E. 1994. Natural conditions for seedling emergence of three woody plants in the northern Sonoran Desert. Madrono 41: 73–84. Bowers, J. E. 1997. Demographic patterns of Ferocactus cylindraceus in relation to substrate age and grazing history. Plant Ecology 133: 37–48. Bowers, J. E., and R. M. Turner . 1985. A revised vascular flora of Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona. Madrono 32: 225–252. Bowers, J. E., R. H. Webb, and R. J. Rondeau . 1995. Longevity, recruitment and mortality of desert plants in Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Journal of Vegetation Science 6: 551–564. Brum, G. D. 1973. Ecology of the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea): phenology and establishment in marginal populations. Madrono 22: 195–204. Burgess, T. L., J. E. Bowers, and R. M. Turner . 1991. Exotic plants at the Desert Laboratory, Tucson, Arizona. Madrono 38: 96–114. Cayan, D. R., M. D. Dettinger, H. F. Diaz, and N. Graham . 1998. Decadal variability of precipitation over western North America. Journal of Climate, in press.. Cayan, D. R., and A. V. Douglas . 1984. Urban influences on surface temperatures in the southwestern United States during recent decades. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology 23: 1520–1530. Cooke, R. U., and R. W. Reeves . 1976. Arroyos and environmental change in the American Southwest. Clarendon Press, Oxford, UK. Geller, G. N., and P. S. Nobel . 1986. Branching patterns of columnar cacti: Influences on PAR interception and CO2 uptake. American Journal of Botany 73: 1193–1200. Goldberg, D. E., and R. M. Turner . 1986. Vegetation change and plant demography in permanent plots in the Sonoran Desert. Ecology 67: 695–712. Haase, E. F. 1970. Environmental fluctuations on south-facing slopes in the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona. Ecology 51: 959–974. Harrington, J. A., Jr., R. S. Cerveny, and R. C. Balling . 1992. Impact of the Southern Oscillation on the North American Southwest monsoon. Physical Geography 13: 318–330. Hastings, J. R., and S. M. Alcorn . 1961. Physical determinations of growth and age in the giant cactus. Journal of the Arizona Academy of Science 2: 32–39. Hastings, J. R., and R. M. Turner . 1965. The changing mile: an ecological study of vegetation change with time in the lower mile of an arid and semiarid region. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, USA. IMSL. 1991. Math/library user’s manual. IMSL, Houston, Texas, USA. Jordan, P. W., and P. S. Nobel . 1982. Height distributions of two species of cacti in relation to rainfall, seedling establishment, and growth. Botanical Gazette 143: 511–517. Lightle, P. C., E. T. Standring, and J. G. Brown . 1942. A bacterial necrosis of the giant cactus. Phytopathology 32: 303–313. McAuliffe, J. R. 1988. Markovian dynamics of simple and complex desert plant communities. American Naturalist 131: 459–490. McAuliffe, J. R. 1990. Paloverdes, pocket mice and bruchid beetles: interrelationships of seeds, dispersers and seed predators. Southwest Naturalist 35: 329–337. Meko, D. M., C. W. Stockton, and W. R. Bogess . 1980. A tree-ring reconstruction of drought in southern California. Water Resources Bulletin 16: 594–600. Niering, W. A., and R. H. Whittaker . 1965. The saguaro problem and grazing in southwestern national monuments. National Parks Magazine 39 213 4–9. Niering, W. A., R. H. Whittaker, and C. H. Lowe . 1963. The saguaro: a population in relation to environment. Science 142: 15–23. Nobel, P. S. 1980. Morphology, nurse plants, and minimum apical temperatures for young Carnegiea gigantea.. Botanical Gazette 141: 188–191. Nobel, P. S. 1988. Environmental biology of agaves and cacti. Cambridge University Press, New York, New York, USA. Parker, K. C. 1988. Growth rates of Stenocereus thurberi Lophocereus schottii in southern Arizona. Botanical Gazette 149: 335–346. Parker, K. C. 1993. Climatic effects on regeneration trends for two columnar cacti in the northern Sonoran Desert. Annals of the Association of American Geographers 83: 452–474. Phillips, M. P. 1976. Geology of Tumamoc Hill, Sentinel Peak, and vicinity. Thesis. Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. SAS Institute. 1993. SAS version 6. 11 for Unix. SAS Institute, Cary, North Carolina, USA. Shreve, F. 1910. The rate of establishment of the giant cactus. Plant World 13: 235–240. Shreve, F. 1911. The influence of low temperatures on the distribution of the giant cactus. Plant World 14: 136–146. Shreve, F. 1917. The establishment of desert perennials. Journal of Ecology 5: 210–216. Shreve, F. 1929. Changes in desert vegetation. Ecology 10: 364–373. Shreve, F. 1951. Vegetation of the Sonoran Desert. Publication 591. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C., USA. Smith, L. P., and C. W. Stockton . 1981. Reconstructed stream flow for the Salt and Verde Rivers from tree-ring data. Water Resources Bulletin 17: 939–947. Spalding, V. M. 1909. Distribution and movement of desert plants. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C., USA. Steenbergh, W. F., and C. H. Lowe . 1977. Ecology of the saguaro. II. Reproduction, germination, establishment, growth, and survival of the young plant. Scientific Monograph Series 8. National Park Service, Washington, D.C., USA. Steenbergh, W. F., and C. H. Lowe . 1983. Ecology of the saguaro. III. Growth and demography. Scientific Monograph Series 17. National Park Service, Washington, D.C., USA. Thomas, H. E. 1962. The meteorological phenomenon of drought in the Southwest: 1942–1956. U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 372A. Tolman, F. 1909. The geology of the vicinity of the Tumamoc Hills. Pages 67–82 in V. M. Spalding, editor. Distribution and movement of desert plants. Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, D.C., USA. Turner, R. M. 1990. Long-term vegetation change at a fully protected Sonoran Desert site. Ecology 71: 464–477. Turner, R. M. 1992. Long-term saguaro population studies at Saguaro National Monument. Pages 3–5 in C. P. Stone and E. S. Bellatoni, editors. Proceedings of the Symposium on Research in Saguaro National Monument, 23–24 January 1991. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, Globe, Arizona, USA. Turner, R. M., S. M. Alcorn, and G. Olin . 1969. Mortality of transplanted saguaro seedlings. Ecology 50: 835–844. Turner, R. M., and J. E. Bowers . 1988. Long-term changes in populations of Carnegiea gigantea exotic plant species Cercidium floridum at the Desert Laboratory, Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona. Pages 445–455 in E. E. Whitehead, C. F. Hutchinson, B. N. Timmermann, and R. G. Varady, editors. Arid lands: today and tomorrow. Westview, Boulder, Colorado, USA. Turner, R. M., J. E. Bowers, and T. L. Burgess . 1995. Sonoran Desert plants. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, Arizona, USA. Turner, R. M., and D. E. Brown . 1982. Sonoran desertscrub. Desert Plants 4 1–4 181–221. Wahl, E. W., and T. L. Larson . 1970. The climate of the midnineteenth century United States as compared to the current normals. Monthly Weather Review 98: 259–265. Webb, R. H., and J. L. Betancourt . 1992. Climatic variability and flood frequency of the Santa Cruz River, Pima County, Arizona. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2379. White, J. 1985. The census of plants in vegetation. Pages 33–88 in J. White, editor. The population structure of vegetation. Dr. W. Junk, Dordrecht, The Netherlands. Vandermeer, J. 1980. Saguaros and nurse trees: a new hypothesis to account for population fluctuations. Southwest Naturalist 25: 357–360. Citing Literature Volume79, Issue8December 1998Pages 2676-2693 ReferencesRelatedInformation