Maps of Sonoran Desert

http://www.desertmuseum.org/images/csds/sonoran_map-lg.jpg

http://enviro-map.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/sonoran_desert.jpg

Landscapes of desert and some Wildlife

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http://tucson-infonet.com/images_gen/desrt1.jpg

Cactus ferruginous pygmy owl
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/images/POCactus.jpg

Bobcat

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Gila Monster

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Threatened animal 
Flat-tailed horned lizard

 http://www.fws.gov/endangered/news/images/bulletin_spring2009-sonora3.jpg

Historical State of Sonoran Desert Ecosystem

The Sonoran Desert is a large 120,000 square mile region encompassing desert territory expanding from Northern Mexico, Baja California, and Southwestern United States. The Sonoran desert is mainly divided into territorial states in Mexico: Sonora, Baja California, Baja California Sur; in the Unites States Arizona and Southeastern California. The Sonoran Desert receives the most rain compared to any other desert in the world; it gets 10 to 14 inches of rainfall a year (Chadwick ).The reasons the Sonoran Desert gets more rain is because it is near the Western Pacific Ocean. The abundance of rain in this desert region allows for more life to flourish. The Sonoran Desert is a diverse desert with many animals and vegetation such as succulent plants. Such animals include: coyotes, javelina, bobcats, the Sonoran toad, cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, cactus wren, banded gila monster, turtles, and snakes. Some of its plants include saguaro cactus, organ pipe cactus, prickly pear cactus, barrel cactus, soaptree yucca, jumping cholla, palo verde, ocotillo, and desert ironwood ("Blueplanetbiomes"). These are just some examples of the Sonoran organisms that live and grow in the desert but there are many more. The Sonoran Desert has historically been affected by human activities dating back to Native Americans. The Natives Americans living near the desert practiced agriculture in areas such along the Tucson Basin (Sheridan). The Native Americans Hohokam dug canals that took water from rivers into their agricultural fields (Sheridan). When Europeans arrived in the “New World” they brought new animals and technology for agriculture that the Natives used and essentially still continue. Mining also developed due to Europeans which led to towns arising and consequently, “hillsides were denuded, streams diverted, water tables polluted, and vegetation communities irrevocably changed” (Sheridan) from the arrival of Europeans between the 16^th to 19^th century. Then Anglo- American occupation of Sonoran territories in the United States also have had negative impacts with three extractive industries the first one being livestock raising, secondly copper mining, and thirdly agriculture (Sheridan). These human practices have altered the landscape of the desert.

  

Sonoran Desert Plants
 http://www.flickr.com/photos/29845002@N02/5376328161/lightbox/

 

Human Impacts on Sonoran Desert Ecosystem

         The establishment of humans in and around the Sonoran desert has persisted since pre-Colonial times with Native American settlements; however with European arrivals it has only expanded and populations have increased around these regions. Currently there are major American and Mexican cities and towns in the Sonoran Desert. Water depletion like dams and groundwater pumping helped the land be plowed in areas like mesquite forests west of Hermosillo and ironwood plains around Caborca (Sheridan) Heromossilo and Caborca are located in the Mexican State of Sonora. Large urban cities in the Untied States like Tucson and Arizona have been able to grow because of technological advances that have allowed more water to be dispersed. However, water is limited and cities in the Sonoran Desert can only grow so much but this fact has not stopped growing development. The expansion of cities leads to more building infrastructure. Large agriculture must continue as well to sustain the population of people. Therefore, human development alters the Sonoran natural environments by reducing the natural space, pollution, introducing invasive species, fires, and ultimately interrupting the ecosystems when wildlife declines (Sheridan). For example a study conducted in Maricopa County and the city of Phoenix around urbanized areas showed that there were more exotic plant species around urban homes (Table 1 down below). They also found a correlation to declining avian communities due to urbanization and the planting of exotic plants. The birds natural environments are reduced and changed so wildlife such as avian communities are affected.  

  

        The impact of people on the Sonoran Desert has been bad but overall the desert is still thriving in more isolated regions, so in those places it is okay. People benefit from the desert by having extra space to expand like building suburban homes, there also resorts near the Sonoran Desert for people to escape for recreational activities. Tourism such as visiting the Sonoran Desert and enjoying the beauty of the natural landscapes and wildlife attract people to the unique desert ecosystem. That is why preservation for the Sonoran Desert exists in the United States; the Sonoran Desert is a National Monument under the Bureau of Land Management. There is also The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan  created in response to the endangered cactus ferruginous pygmy owl in the late 1990's. The Conservation Plan's goals are to protect biological diversity, maintain open spaces by using science and government planning. The oldest form of conservation is the Sonora Desert is Tucson Mountain Park established in 1929 used for recreational purposes. Wildlife Conservation also exists in the Unites States under the Fish and Wildlife Services with  international programs like Wildlife Without Borders-México Program. Both the Unites States and Mexico work together to try to count, protect, and bring back species on the verge of extinction. There are about 40 endangered species in the Sonora Desert. There is also exists the popular Arizona-Desert Museum and zoo in Tucson, Arizona that promotes education, conservation, and research to protect the ecosystem of the desert. Such conservation measures are conserving certain areas especially in Pima County for future generations to be able to enjoy. The protected areas like in Pima County are good because it is organized; however places unprotected are more vulnerable to human impacts.

http://carmelacanzonieri.com/library/6123/Green-urbanization%20impact%20birds.pdf

 

Future Prospects for Sonoran Desert Ecosystem

          The likely future prospect of the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem is that it will continue to experience pressures from human growth. Gradually animals will be pushed to isolated regions with less desert space. This will cause population declines in wildlife for example in large mammal predators like coytes or wolves who range larger spaces. If these predators decline then the animals they hunt will increase in population causing an imbalance in the food chain of the ecosystem. It also seems that native plants will be replaced in large quantities near urban locations because exotic plants start spreading outside of residential homes. Those invasive plants like shrubs or trees start taking over and the Sonoran Desert is no longer a native plant region. Those plants also cause fires easily and so in a place like the desert where fire was unnatural it starts becoming more frequent. Fires will destroy remaining natural plants ultimately pushing animals even farther away from their natural environments. Another factor that may continue to hurt the Sonoran Desrt is water depletion from underground. The extraction of water has damaged riparian habitats where fish use to thrive. Conservation programs are trying to restore and conserve the environment of the Sonoran Desert but the populations of cities like Phoenix keep growing and surely that will continue to harm the ecosystems surrounding the city. Conservation will help protect some regions and perhaps keep them around for many future years. However, it seems it will be a tough challenge with increasing human populations and territorial expansions of cities. 

Graph showing projected population growth in Arizona
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What can be done?

          I think in order for the Sonoran Desert ecosystem to remain rich and diverse with plant and animal species interacting there needs to be more awareness for the public. The ecosystem of the Sonora Desert is very unique and preserving a lush desert that is one of a kind is important just like protecting all nature is. Steps towards protecting this ecosystem can be done by educating the public about preserving nature because already many animals and plants are endangered or are candidates to become endangered in the Sonoran Desert. If environment degradation continues surely they will go extinct. Urban development should almost be halted or slowed down because not only will expansion destroy natural land but also water is limited and cannot support an overwhelming increase of development and populations. Though, that is easier said than done for human urbanization but something that can be done now is not planting exotic plants in the suburban areas that meet the Sonoran Desert. The invasive plants start taking over and that has negative impacts on the natural landscape. Animals consequently are negatively impacted, because they don’t eat those exotic plants. Also, fires may break out and spread faster due to those plants. Therefore, it seems logical that only native vegetation should be planted and the current invasive plants should be removed. Humans can reduce their impact by living sustainably as well such as using renewable energy and conserving water so desert water won’t be depleted. Homes owners that plant Mesic and Oasis landscapes typically end up wasting more water compared to xeric landscapes that are dryer but more native to the landscape.

http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=cate

Reference List

Chadwick, Douglas H. "Songs of the Sonoran ." National Geographic. 2006: n. page. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.<http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/sonoran-desert/>

Green, Douglas M, and . "Urbanization impacts on habitat and bird communities in a Sonoran desert ecosystem." carmelacanzonieri. Environmental Resources Program, Arizona State University East, 11 2002. Web. 18 Nov 2012. <http://carmelacanzonieri.com/library/6123/Green-urbanization impact birds.pdf>. 

Fernandez , Erin, Juan Carlos Bravo, et al. United States. Fish and Wildlife Services. Cross-Border Conservation in Sonora and Arizona. 2012. Web. <http://www.fws.gov/endangered/news/bulletin-spring2009/conservation-in-sonora-and-arizona.html>. 

Hope , Diane, Carinna Gries, Paige Warren , et al. United States . US Forest Service. How Do Humans Restructure the Biodiversity of the Sonoran Desert?. USDA Forest Service , 2005. Web. <http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_p036/rmrs_p036_189_194.pdf>.

Martin, Chris A. "Cities and the Environment." Cities and the Environment. 1.2 (2008): n. page. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1027&context=cate>. 

Pima County . Overview of The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Tucson: Pima County Administrator’s Office, Web. <http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/intro.html>.

Scottsdale Arizona. Scottsdale City . Invasive Weeds. Scottsdale: , 2012. Print. <http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/preserve/InvasiveWeeds>. 

Sheridan, Thomas E. "Human Ecology of the Sonoran Desert." Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum . N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov 2012. <http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_human_ecology.php>

"Sonoran Desert Plants." Blueplanetbiomes. N.p.. Web. 15 Nov 2012. <http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/sonoran_desert.htm>.