The Biogeographic Significance of a Large, Deep Canyon: Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Southwestern USA

Stevens, Lawrence E.

doi:10.5772/32527

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Such adaptations are critical for plant survival, and present significant problems for many herbaceous traditional crop plants, as well as individual farmers, and agrarian societies. Elevation also plays an important role; mapping is traditionally performed in plain view, while landscapes such as mountains and canyons are decidedly three-dimensional (e.g., [46]). Temperature decreases with elevation through adiabatic atmospheric pressure reduction, while humidity and precipitation generally increase with elevation.…”

Section: Mcz Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies

Pascual,

Piana,

Bhat

et al. 2024

Environments

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Cultures in Mediterranean climate zones (MCZs) around the world have long been reliant on groundwater and springs as freshwater sources. While their ecology and cultural sustainability are recognized as critically important, inter-relationships between springs and culture in MCZs have received less attention. Here we augmented a global literature review with case studies in MCZ cultural landscapes to examine the diversity and intensity of cultural and socio-economic relationships on spring ecohydrogeology. MCZs are often oriented on western and southern coasts in tectonically active landscapes which control aquifer structure, the prevalence of westerly winds, and aridity, and generally expose associated habitats and cultures to harsh afternoon sunlight. Cultural appreciation and appropriation of springs ranges widely, from their use as subsistence water supplies to their roles in profound traditions such as Greco-Roman nymphalea as well as Asian and Abrahamic spiritual cleansing and baptism. The abandonment of traditional ways of life, such as rural livestock production, for urban ones has shifted impacts on aquifers from local to regional groundwater exploitation. The commoditization of water resources for regional agricultural, industrial (e.g., mining, water bottling, geothermal resorts), and urban uses is placing ever-increasing unsustainable demands on aquifers and spring ecosystems. When the regional economic value of springs approaches or exceeds local cultural values, these irreplaceable aquatic ecosystems are often degraded, over-looked, and lost. Sustainable stewardship of springs and the aquifers that support them is a poorly recognized but central conservation challenge for modern Mediterranean societies as they face impending impacts of global climate change. Solutions to this crisis require education, societal dialogue, and improved policy and implementation.

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Section: Mcz Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies

Pascual,

Piana,

Bhat

et al. 2024

Environments

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“…Given this and the presence of insects in the tributaries that could act as source populations, it is possible that many aquatic insect taxa were extirpated from the mainstem and that environmental stressors currently exist that prevent recolonization (Kennedy et al, 2016). In addition to the humanmodified mainstem acting as a barrier to in-river juvenile insect dispersal, the Grand Canyon also presents natural barriers to the dispersal of tributary insect populations during the aerial adult stage, as it is a deep canyon (average of 1,600 m) located in a harsh (i.e., extreme temperatures, winds, and moisture levels) desert ecosystem (Stevens, 2012). Thus, the Grand Canyon ecosystem presents the opportunity to study how aquatic insects move through a landscape with both human and natural barriers to dispersal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population connectivity of aquatic insects in a dam‐regulated, desert river

Abernethy

Muehlbauer

Kennedy

et al. 2022

River Research & Apps

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Humans have exaggerated natural habitat fragmentation, negatively impacting species dispersal and reducing population connectivity. Habitat fragmentation can be especially detrimental in freshwater populations, whose dispersal is already constrained by the river network structure. Aquatic insects, for instance, are generally limited to two primary modes of dispersal: downstream drift in the aquatic juvenile life stages and flight during the terrestrial winged adult stage. Yet the impacts of large hydropower dams can make rivers uninhabitable for incoming (drifting) juvenile insects, with remaining refugia found only in tributaries. The ability of adult aquatic insects to traverse such river stretches in search of suitable tributary habitat likely depends on factors such as species-specific dispersal ability and distance between tributaries. To explore the intersection of natural and human-induced habitat fragmentation on aquatic insect dispersal ability, we quantified population genetics of three taxa with varying dispersal abilities, a caddisfly (Hydropsychidae, Hydropsyche oslari), a mayfly (Baetidae: Fallceon quilleri), and a water strider (Veliidae: Rhagovelia distincta), throughout tributaries of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA. Using 2bRAD reduced genome sequencing and landscape genetics analyses, we revealed a strong pattern of isolation by distance among mayfly populations. This contrasts with caddisfly and water strider populations, which were largely panmictic.Analysis of thousands of informative single nucleotide polymorphisms showed that realized dispersal ability may not be accurately predicted by species traits for these widespread species. Principal components analysis revealed a strong division between caddisfly populations upstream and downstream of Havasu Creek (279 km through the 390 km study reach), suggesting that the geography of the Grand Canyon imposes a dispersal barrier for this species. Our use of genetic tools in the Grand Canyon to understand population structure has enabled us to elucidate dispersal barriers for aquatic insects. Ultimately, these data may be useful in informing effective conservation management plans for understudied organisms of conservation interest.

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Advancing North: White-nosed coati’s Nasua narica Range Expansion in Arizona

Ragan

Walker

Stevens

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Over the past century, the white-nosed coati (WNC; Nasua narica) has expanded its northernmost range from the United States-Mexico border into northern Arizona. WNC are medium-sized, opportunistic omnivores that often occur in large groups (“bands”) and forage on insects, fruits, and small vertebrates. We compiled data from iNaturalist, published literature, Arizona Game and Fish records, museum collections, personal communications, and our own camera trap photography to chronicle this range expansion. Historical records documented WNC populations in mountainous areas along the US-Mexican border but rarely north of Tucson, AZ. The popularity of using wildlife cameras in both research and recreation, paired with the advancement of citizen science projects like iNaturalist have generated a vast amount of new data on species distributions. With this new body of information we report the range of WNC now occurs over 400 km farther north, extending north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Recent records include occurrence in ponderosa pine forest that sustain sometimes heavy winter snow – an environment vastly different from the species’ normal range. The northward expansion of this meso-carnivore invites many questions about drivers of range expansion, including climate change, mesopredator release, or simple opportunism. More research into the behavior and ecology of WNC in the northern extent of their range is needed to guide understanding and potential future management of this species, its impacts, and prediction of other such range expansions.

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The Biogeographic Significance of a Large, Deep Canyon: Grand Canyon of the Colorado River, Southwestern USA

Cited by 6 publications

References 67 publications

The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies

The Cultural Ecohydrogeology of Mediterranean-Climate Springs: A Global Review with Case Studies

Population connectivity of aquatic insects in a dam‐regulated, desert river

Advancing North: White-nosed coati’s Nasua narica Range Expansion in Arizona

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