Reproductive Output and Clutch Phenology of Female Agassiz's Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert Region of Joshua Tree National Park

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Lovich ◽  
Shellie R. Puffer ◽  
Mickey Agha ◽  
Joshua R. Ennen ◽  
Kathie Meyer-Wilkins ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Erick Nyangari

Rains in the Mojave Desert region are intense and result in the destruction of property. This destruction is significant and affects development plans in the area. Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP) is one of the areas affected as a result of flash floods in the Mojave Desert region. As part of the efforts to minimize the effects caused by flash floods in the park, there was a need to carry out a hydrological analysis of surface runoff in order to map out high risk areas that are susceptible to floods after Monsoonal rains, identify areas in the park that require diversion berms, and establish the effectiveness of the existing diversion berms. The analysis result was a 3D topographic model and a map that contains high flood risk areas and potential areas where diversion berms may be constructed to divert surface runoff and protect the park’s infrastructure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 87 ◽  
pp. 95-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel D. Burley ◽  
Andrzej Bytnerowicz ◽  
John D. Ray ◽  
Susan Schilling ◽  
Edith B. Allen

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey E. Lovich ◽  
Mickey Agha ◽  
Joshua R. Ennen ◽  
Terence R. Arundel ◽  
Meaghan Austin

Wind turbine-induced fires at a wind energy facility in California, USA, provided an opportunity to study the before and after effects of fire on a population of protected Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert, a species and ecosystem poorly adapted to fire. We compared annual activity areas (AAs) of tortoises in 2011 and 2013, before and after two 2012 fires, with those of tortoises in adjacent areas unaffected by the same fires. Tortoises in both AAs affected by fire or unaffected by fire occupied the same general AAs in 2013, after the fires, as they did in 2011, before the fires. Some tortoises had both their 2011 and 2013 AAs completely or almost completely within the areas burned by the 2012 fires, despite the proximity of unburned habitat. None of the tortoises with 2011 AAs subsequently unaffected by the 2012 fires shifted their AAs into burned habitat in 2013. For the fire-affected group of tortoises, the mean percentages of 2011 and 2013 AAs burned by the 2012 fires were not significantly different, showing fidelity to the burned areas. Tortoises in both groups generally occupied consistent AAs, even post fire, placing them at potential risk of exposure to unfavourable burned habitat.


2020 ◽  
pp. 177-188
Author(s):  
Kristy Cummings

Little has been published regarding the burrowing habits of Agassiz’s desert tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) in the Sonoran Desert of California. We monitored the interactions of tortoises with their burrows, and other tortoises, via radio-telemetry at two nearby sites between the Cottonwood and Orocopia Mountains, from 2015-2018. We examined how annual cycles of drought and non-drought years, behaviourally affected how tortoises use their burrows (i.e., burrow fidelity, cohabitation, and location), including the timing of the tortoise brumation period. Burrow locations were strongly dependent on local geology and topography, with a tendency to orientate in conformance with the general aspect of the landscape. The timing of brumation was similar to records for G. agassizii throughout their range (with a few exceptions). There was no difference in the estimated number of burrows used per 30 days between the active seasons (2017 and 2018) at the Orocopia site, despite the occurrence of drought in 2018.


space&FORM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (30) ◽  
pp. 279-294
Author(s):  
Alicja Świtalska ◽  

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