This week I got to spend a few days in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and at the Steele-Burnand Desert Research Center (a fantastic field station!).
In Anza-Borrego, one of the park’s botanists, Larry Hendrickson, has been leading a weeding effort at a popular wildflower viewing site. For more than 10 years, he has led a team of volunteers in carefully removing all of the Brassica tournefortii individuals from within delineated removal plots. Brassica tournefortii, commonly known as Sahara mustard, is a noxious invasive plant throughout the southwest U.S. that negatively impacts native annual plants. The effect is striking – where Brassica tournefortii is removed, native annual plants thrive and the landscape is a lush mixture of native wildflowers. Where Brassica tournefortii is left intact, it is nearly the only plant species present!
In Anza-Borrego, one of the park’s botanists, Larry Hendrickson, has been leading a weeding effort at a popular wildflower viewing site. For more than 10 years, he has led a team of volunteers in carefully removing all of the Brassica tournefortii individuals from within delineated removal plots. Brassica tournefortii, commonly known as Sahara mustard, is a noxious invasive plant throughout the southwest U.S. that negatively impacts native annual plants. The effect is striking – where Brassica tournefortii is removed, native annual plants thrive and the landscape is a lush mixture of native wildflowers. Where Brassica tournefortii is left intact, it is nearly the only plant species present!
We know that Brassica tournefortii has negative effects on many native plants, but we know less about how it affects our native arthropods. It’s important to know which organisms are impacted by invasive species, because this information helps biologists to protect the most vulnerable species. As arthropods are amazingly diverse in form, function and ecology, different groups of animals are likely to be affected differently.
I’ve begun an experiment to compare which arthropods occur in the weeded plots and in the “non-weeded” areas. To do this, I use two kinds of traps: pitfall and pan traps.
All of the traps are left in place for 24 hours, and the next day I collect all of the specimens that have been trapped into baggies. I transport these back to the lab where each of the critters are identified and counted.
Next, the baggies will be emptied into vials and the specimens are preserved in ethanol. Many hours will be spent (by fantastic laboratory assistants in addition to myself) in front of a microscope sorting through the specimens, identifying and counting each one, and recording all of this information so that it can later be analyzed and reported.
Anza-Borrego is famous for its spring wildflower displays, and the rain we’ve already received this season (despite being below average) has encouraged some germination of native annual plants! If you’ve never had the opportunity to visit the park, I highly recommend you take a day or two this March-April to do so. You can check the park’s website for updates on the status of wildflower blooms, and even join their wildflower email listserv. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=638
The park is also a well-known artist community. Most famously, Ricardo Breceda constructed 130 steel sculptures of dinosaurs, extinct mammals that used to roam the landscape, and other figures. The sculptures are on public display at the Galleta Meadows Estate within the community of Borrego Springs. Arguably the most impressive sculpture is this 350 foot long sea serpent.
For more info: http://www.galletameadows.com/
For more info: http://www.galletameadows.com/
*This research was supported by the Anza-Borrego Foundation Howie Wier Memorial Conservation Grant (2014).
All pictures and text presented here are my own. Please feel free to contact me directly with questions or comments at sdave001(at)ucr(dot)edu.
~ Sarah O'Neill
All pictures and text presented here are my own. Please feel free to contact me directly with questions or comments at sdave001(at)ucr(dot)edu.
~ Sarah O'Neill