Sonoran Desert Flashcards
Where is the Sonoran Desert?
Southern California
What type of weather encourages succulents?
Bi-seasonal rainfall
Name a common drought-enduring small tree going on the upper slopes…
Palo Verde- loses its leaves in the dry season- green bark enables it to carry out photosynthesis
What kind of plant grows on the lower, more gentle slopes?
Creosote Bushes
What type of plants grow among creosote bushes?
Ephermals (eg. Brown-eyed primrose)
What type of plants grow beside streams and on the edges of salt pans?
Phreatophytes (eg. Mesquite bush)
What type of plants occupy saline soils on salt flats?
Halophytes (eg. Inkweed, saltgrass and pickleweed)
State three points about the souls in the Sonoran Desert:
- thin
- alkaline
- relatively infertile
What is the effect of seasonal rains on the soil?
Seasonal rains leach soluble salts down through the soil which are then drawn up again under high evaporation in the dry season.
What effect does flash flooding have on the soil?
Flash-flooding can compact soil, creating impermeable surfaces. Salt flats in the Salton Trough are covered with thick crusts of sodium chloride, gypsum and calcium carbonate.
Describe an issue associated with the saguaro cactus…
It is sometime illegally removed and used as garden ornamental. The collectors sometime target some snakes and he desert tortoise.
Name two issues with restoring natural vegetation after human impact…
It is expensive and very difficult.
Describe how the saguaro cactus and desert cactus are being protected…
They are now protected by law and areas such as Saguaro National Park have been established to protect desert ecosystems.
Kelso dunes… Solutions…
Off-road, recreational driving is now banned on the Kelso Dunes because the area supports a number of rare, endemic species.
Some tamarisk has been removed fro the river banks and replaced by native cottonwood, willow and mesquite.
