Distribution of Saguaro Cactus and Their Nurse Plants
Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ, May 2006
My desert research centered on the distribution and composition of the Saguaro-nurse plant relationship. In the harsh desert climates, there is need for protection against sun, wind, and drought. Nurse plants provide shade, nutrients, and water to emerging juvenile cacti. Over time, Saguaro will outcompete their nurses and eventually excluding their nurse. Students from my St. Lawrence University Desert Ecology class and I observed a trend of creosote bush and triangle-leaf bursage nursing Saguaros. In the early morning, these bushes create a warming microclimate about the cactus, buffering them from the radiational cooling of the evening-early morning. As the daytime temperature increases, nurse plants shade the growing Saguaro protecting them from scorching UV rays. We also considered other metrics, such as height and dbh as a function of nurse as well as angle of Saguaro to nurse.
My desert research centered on the distribution and composition of the Saguaro-nurse plant relationship. In the harsh desert climates, there is need for protection against sun, wind, and drought. Nurse plants provide shade, nutrients, and water to emerging juvenile cacti. Over time, Saguaro will outcompete their nurses and eventually excluding their nurse. Students from my St. Lawrence University Desert Ecology class and I observed a trend of creosote bush and triangle-leaf bursage nursing Saguaros. In the early morning, these bushes create a warming microclimate about the cactus, buffering them from the radiational cooling of the evening-early morning. As the daytime temperature increases, nurse plants shade the growing Saguaro protecting them from scorching UV rays. We also considered other metrics, such as height and dbh as a function of nurse as well as angle of Saguaro to nurse.