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Introduction

Sonoradesert 1

Sonoran Desert map

This tour will take you on a visual journey through two regions of the fascinating Sonoran Desert, the Arizona Uplands and the Plains of Sonora. Throughout this tour we go through the biodiversity and life found in these regions, the geological and climate aspects of the two regions, the use of land and water, and some opportunities and threats found within the regions. The locations have been chosen for their popularity, and how well known they are as well as what they provide for the Arizona Uplands and Plains of Sonora. Each location we have chosen will capture a fraction of these aspects. Please enjoy this tour of the beautiful and magnificent Arizona Uplands and Plains of Sonora.

Biodiversity

Variable Sandsnake (Chilomeniscus stramineus)

http://www.reptilesofaz.org/Graphics/Snakes/herp-c-cinctus-ath-mrcp.jpg

Physical characteristics

• small in length, approximately 11"
• a small stout-bodied with dark brown/black stripes (the stripes do not cross the abdomen of the body but they completely encircle the tail)
• an orange body which fades into a pale cream belly with no markings
• a broad white or light gray snout
• a black mask crossing the top of the head and covers the eyes
• scales are smooth and shiny
• a thick neck (the head is not distinct from the neck)

(Brennan, T. C.)

Adaptations

for burrowing in fine gravel and sand include

• small eyes (round pupils)
• valves in the nasal passages
• a flat and wedge-like snout
• a concaved belly
• a deeply inset jaw

(Brennan, T. C.)

The black stripes are in contact with orange-red body coloration distinguishing this snake from the similar-looking Western Shovel-nosed Snake. The Variable Sandsnake has mildly toxic saliva (Brennan, T. C.).

Variable Sandsnake distribution

Habitat

This snake is found across most of south-central Arizona. The Variable Sandsnake is found primarily in the Arizona Upland subdivision of the Sonoran Desert scrub community. It is usually encountered above the flats in or near drainages and canyons with loose gravel or sand substrates (Brennan, T. C.).

Behavior

• primarily nocturnal and crepuscular (active primarily during twilight)
• spends most time under loose gravel or surface cover on the banks of washes and drainages
• hibernates during the cold months of late fall and winter

(Brennan, T. C.)

Diet

The Variable Sandsnake feeds on a variety of insects including

• roaches
• grasshoppers
• centipedes

(Brennan, T. C.)

Reproduction

Mating takes place in spring. A group of up to 4 eggs is laid in the summer (Brennan, T. C.).

Threats

There are no major threats that have been identified, though some local populations have declined, for example as a result of urbanization in the Phoenix area (The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, 2007).

Foothill paloverde (Parkinsonia microphylla)

Foothill Palo-Verde (16959425185)

The Foothill paloverde (also known as the yellow paloverde or the little-leaved palo verde) is a bristling, upright-branching tree that is slow growing and ranges from 15 to 30 feet tall. Palo Verde is Spanish for 'green stick' referring to the tree's green bark. It is considered a large shrub or a small tree standing. It has very little leaves and when in blossoms in late spring the flowers are bright yellow (Foothills Palo Verde Fact Sheet). The leaves are yellowish green, and during extensively dry and hot periods the tree will shed them. The Foothill paloverde can survive leafless in hotter periods because it performs photosynthesis in its bark (hence the green color). The tree may not flower every year, depending on the amount rainfall (Parkinsonia microphylla, 2020).

Parkinsonia microphylla flower

Foothill paloverde range map

Habitat

It is native to the Southwestern United States in southeastern California and southern Arizona; and to northwest Mexico in the states of Sinaloa, Sonora, and Baja California. The plant is mostly found on slopes and is one of the most common trees of the Sonoran Desert. The Foothill paloverde can withstand more heat and because of this, it is found in the upland areas of the desert where the soil is coarser (Parkinsonia microphylla, 2020)

Ecology

The Foothill paloverde is a honey plant. In times of scarcity, the twigs may be gnawed by livestock. Rodents will often carry and store the seeds underground, where some of them will germinate after a rainy season (Parkinsonia microphylla, 2020).

Facts

• These trees can live to be more than 100 years old, possibly as old as 400 years.
• The palo verde is the primary nurse plant for young saguaro cactus
• Humans have used the seeds of the palo verde for hundreds of years
• Seri Indians eat the seeds fresh, toasted, or ground as flour
• The Tohono O'odham prefer to eat the seeds fresh from the pods
• There are two species of palo verde that are native to the Sonoran Desert, foothills Palo Verde (Cercidium microphyllum) and blue Palo Verde (Cercidium floridum)

(Foothills Palo Verde Fact Sheet), (Palo Verde, 2017)

Importance

The Foothill Paloverde tree is an iconic tree of the desert. One of its roles is to act as a “nurse plant” to young saguaro cacti by protecting them from the cold in the winter and from the intense sun in the summer. The Foothill Paloverde serves as an attractive focal point in the landscape and they are drought tolerant, once established and provide filtered shade year-round (Foothills Palo Verde Fact Sheet).

Threats

Some threats to the Foothill Paloverde include

• Buffelgrass, which is an invasive species of grass native to Africa, it was first introduced into the Sonoran Desert for livestock grazing, which spreads very quickly and can often kill seedlings by using available water (Learn about Buffelgrass Biology, History, Identification, and Control)
• The palo verde root borer is one insect pest that poses a threat to the palo verde tree, it can cause severe diseases to infect palo verde trees (Tennenbaum, C., 2018)
• The palo verde gall mite are quite tiny and not easy to spot, but their damage is quickly very visible. These mites cause witches’ broom, which is when small, dense clusters of branches tend to be a darker green color than normal branches develop on the outer parts of the tree, rising from an outer branch or the tip of a branch (Tennenbaum, C., 2018)

Geology/Climate

Hadley Cells

Hadley Cells

The Hadley Cell is a global scale tropical atmospheric circulation that features air rising near the Equator, flowing poleward at a height of 10 to 15 kilometers above the earth's surface, descending in the subtropics, and then returning equatorward near the surface. This whole process starts out because the equator region receives a higher amount of sun radiation so there is warmer air and lots of evaporation there. The whole region is usually very humid because warm air is capable of holding more moisture than cool air. Warmer air tends to rise and it will do so until it gets to about 10 to 15 kilometers high. As air rises temperature decreases and there is a lot of precipitation event as the air massed rise and and start to hear towards the North and South. Air masses will continue flowing southward and northward but as they do they will get drier and drier because of the rain events and also colder and colder since they are leaving the equator and going towards the poles at around 30° South and 30° North. Air masses tend to descend towards the planet's surface resulting in these regions being dominated by dry air without much precipitation. This creates the perfect environment for deserts to form.

Rain shadow effect

• around 30° North and South of the Equator
• interior of continents (this is because they may be farther from the main sources of moist air like oceans)
• rain shadows of large mountain belts (perfect settings for deserts to form)
• The Mojave, Black Rock, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts all are in regions which are rain shadowed.

(Where are deserts formed and why?, 2018)

Conclusion

Now you have been through a mere fraction of the Arizona Uplands and Plains of Sonora. We have taken you through the animal and plant life within the region, what the land and air feels and looks like, how the water and land are used, and some future goals and devastations that lie ahead for the Arizona Uplands and Plains of Sonora. We want to thank you for taking the time to go through this tour and learn about this region that we have had the pleasure to research about.