We studied 15 riparian and upland Sonoran desert species to evaluate how the limitation of xylem pressure (Ψ(x)) by cavitation corresponded with plant distribution along a moisture gradient. Riparian species were obligate riparian trees (Fraxinus velutina, Populus fremontii, and Salix gooddingii), native shrubs (Baccharis spp.), and an exotic shrub (Tamarix ramosissima). Upland species were eve...

The habitats of the genus Altererythrobacter are various, including marine sediment, seawater, rhizosphere of wild rice, desert sand, etc. The genome of the type strain of Altererythrobacter troitsensis JCM 17037, isolated from sea urchin, was sequenced. This study would not only facilitate the understanding of the physiology, adaptation, and evolution of the Altererythrobacter species, but als...

Tm• paucity of data on the body temperatures of small gallinaceous birds prompts us to report miscellaneous observations which we have made over the past several years on the body temperatures of the California Quail, Lophortyx californicus, a common resident in grassland and chaparral from southern Oregon to southern Baja Cal/fornia, and the Gambel's Quail, L. œambelii, a resident in the deser...

Oregon is one of the most diverse states in the U.S., containing between six and ten nationally recognized ecoregions, depending on various ecoregion classifications. The state includes habitats which range from the moist and mild coast redwood forests of Curry County to the extremely dry playas of the Alvord Desert. Elevations range from coastal salt marshes at sea level, to alpine peaks over ...

Arid desert ecosystems of the western United States are particularly susceptible to climate change and climate variability. Plants and animals in this region live near their physiological limits for water and temperature stress. Slight changes in temperature or precipitation regimes or a change in the frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events could therefore substantially alter the com...

/ Large areas of the southern California desert ecosystem have been negatively affected by off-highway vehicle use, overgrazing by domestic livestock, agriculture, urbanization, construction of roads and utility corridors, air pollution, military training exercises, and other activities. Secondary contributions to degradation include the proliferation of exotic plant species and a higher freque...

--We examined breeding bird species richness, density, and community composition on a California desert riparian site in 1980 and, following construction of flood control structure and subsequent vegetation restoration, again in 1995. Both species richness and bird abundance declined markedly between 1980 and 1995. Except for turnover in locally scarce breeders, however, avian community composi...

Geckos of the genus Rhoptropus are small diurnal lizards occurring in arid regions of Namibia and Angola, and are not well studied relative to other desert lizards. Rhoptropus afer has a field metabolic rate significantly lower than that of other desert lizards, but comparable studies have not been carried out in any other Rhoptropus species. We examined the field metabolic rate, water turnover...

Desert springs, which harbor diverse and endemic invertebrate assemblages, are often used as refuge habitats for protected fish species. Additionally, many of these springs have been colonized by invasive fish species. However, the potential impacts of recently established fish populations on invertebrate communities in desert springs have been relatively unexplored. We conducted a mesocosm exp...