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Biodiversity edit
Jaguar (Panthera onca)
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Panthera onca otherwise known as the jaguar is a type of cat that is found across the Americas: Southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America, south to Paraguay, and northern Argentina. The jaguar belongs to family Felidae, mammal, in the order Carnivora, carnivorous with teeth adapted for flesh-eating. The jaguar is the third-largest cat in the world surpassed by the lion and the tiger. The jaguar is classified as Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, which suggests that the jaguar may be threatened with extinction soon. It doesn't quite qualify for threatened species since the population has not yet decreased dramatically in a short period. Although, the jaguar's population is constantly decreasing due to various factors.
"El Jefe"
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Due to the deterioration of their habitat caused by hunting, buildings, and conservation of livestock. There is only one known jaguar in the United States. This jaguar is known as "El Jefe", he resides in the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson Arizona. "El Jefe" was first recorded in November 2011, by cameras for the Jaguar Survey and Monitoring Project by the University of Arizona. El Jefe has made constant appearances throughout the years up until 2018. It is believed that he has traveled back to Mexico in search of a mate.
Habitat
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The jaguar lives throughout the Americas in a wide variety of habitats. They prefer dense, tropical forests and rainforest which provide a large amount of coverage. Jaguars are also found in scrubland, reed thickets, coastal forest, swamps, thickets, pampas grasslands, and mountain scrub areas. In northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, jaguars are found in oak woodlands, mesquite thickets, and riparian woodlands. Jaguar's habitats require three main characteristics to support their diet and lifestyle: water, dense coverage, and prey.
Diet
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Jaguars are known carnivores they have a wide variety of prey: birds, mammals, reptiles, fish. One of their main prey consists of large animals and livestock, they tend to eat the heart, liver, and spleen first; they don't ingest the intestines. Their daily consumption is around 1.2-1.5 kilograms per day. They usually hunt at night and mostly on the ground. There are times when it climbs up trees to hide from their prey and attack from above. Their large teeth and powerful jaws allow them to instantly kill their prey and drag them to a secluded spot where they can eat. In this area, El Jefe has been known to eat prey common in the Santa Rita Mountains: white-tailed deer, skunks (except for their ends), and other small, slow animals that allow them to prey on.
Facts
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- Size: 5 to 7 feet
- Live 12 to 15 years
- Weight: 100 to 250 pounds
- They are cats, but not afraid of water
- They see six times better than humans in dar conditions
- Hunted to extinction in the United States during the 1940s
Threats
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The jaguar is classified under "Near Threatened" species internationally. In the United States under the Endangered Species Act, it is classified as endangered. The last verified jaguar in this area was killed by a hunter in 1963. Jaguars face many threats either directly or towards their habitat, disrupting their life and ability to maintain alive. The main threat to jaguars is humans. Humans have hunted these mammals for a long time and various reasons: trophies, fur, and protection of livestock. Jaguar habitats have also been harmed by burning their homeland to place buildings. El Jefes habitat is currently endangered due to Trump's border wall and the copper mine.
Arizona Poppy (Kallstroemia grandiflora) edit
The Kallstroiemia grandiflora most commonly referred to as the Arizona Poppy is an annual herb found in the southwestern deserts. This flower is found in many places throughout the Chihuahuan and the Sonoran Desert, most specifically in the Arizona Uplands region of the Sonoran Desert. It is a native plant of this area belonging to the family Zygophyllaceae which includes plants found in dry habitats. This flower is known to survive harsh, dry climates due to the unique structure of its' seed allowing it to survive up to various years.
Habitat edit
The Arizona Poppy blooms mainly in July to October which coincides with summer rainfalls. It grows abundantly in flat, sandy grasslands throughout Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas. This flower prefers open plains and mesas from sea level to 6000 feet. A state park that has an abundance of the Arizona Poppy is Picacho Peak State Park located between Casa Grande and Tucson, Arizona. [1]
Importance edit
The Arizona Poppy is widely known for its vibrant colors and enhancing the scenery of wide-open plains, but it provides benefits to animals. These flowers deplete scent, but they are essential to forty-six species: bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies. They are used for pollen and nectar as well as food for dove and quails.
Facts edit
- Under six inches tall
- Consist of five petals
- Seeds remain dormant for up to three years until there is enough precipitation
Geology and Climate edit
Mineral Resources edit
Rosemont Mine edit
One of the greatest natural resources used in today's society is copper. Copper is used as a conductor, construction, and industrial machinery. The Rosemont Mine is a large open copper mine located in Arizona near Pima County built by Hudbay Minerals. This mine is located within the Coronado National Forest and Santa Rita Mountains which are valuable habitats for native animals and plants. This mine is not open yet due to legal allegations made for the protection of the environment. The arguments against the mine consist of destroying the Cienega Creek watershed, contaminated mine runoff worsening water quality, destroying natural habitats, endangering wildlife, and causing regional air pollution. Proponents suggest the mine will create jobs, generating more revenue, and decrease the dependency on other countries for copper. The geological area contains around 550 million tons of 0.45% copper with molybdenum, and silver credits. This area is dominated by Precambrian granite, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic sediments. The Paleozoic sedimentary carbonate units are host rocks for copper mineralization. The units include conglomerates, sandstones, and siltstones. The existence of porphyry copper deposits in this area suggests there were granitic intrusions and felsic volcanic eruptions during the Laramide orogeny (period of mountain building). During this period both low-angle thrust and high-angle slips extended tectonic activity causing volcanic eruptions which led to copper deposits as well as the creation of basin and range in the southwestern region.
Tucson Mountains edit
The Tucson Mountains range form part of the Arizona Uplands, they are now widely protected since they are within the limits of national parks. These mountains were once mined for various metallic elements. Totaling up to over 120 mines throughout these mountains. The ores and minerals in this location derived from volcanic eruptions. Minerals found in this region:
*Copper *Gold *Lead *Mineral specimens *Molybdenum *Silver *Vanadium *Zinc
Ironwood Forest National Monument edit
The Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in Pima county near Tucson, Arizona. This forest is 188,819 acres which contain many important cultural features: 200+ Hohokam sites, cattle grazing, and mining. Threatened species like Ferruginous pygmy owl, desert bighorn sheep, lesser long-nosed bat, Turk's head cactus also reside in this area. This location is constructed of Basin & Range Province, Roskruge Mountains, Samaniego Hills, Sawtooth Mountains, Silver Bell Mountains, Sonoran Desert, and Western Silver Bell Mountains.
Silver Bell Mine edit
The Silver Bell Mine is located in Silver Bell Moutain portions of the Ironwood Forest. This mine has been operational for over the past 130 years and it is still one of the mines used for copper. The mine has major porphyry copper deposits which most of the mining revolves around the copper. Other deposits that have been found in this area and are now minor productions are silver, molybdenum, zinc, lead, and gold. Over the past several years the Silver Mine has produced: 2.27 billion pounds of copper, 6.6 million pounds of molybdenum, 3.7 million pounds of lead, 40.8 million pounds of zinc, 2,100 ounces of gold, and 5.95 million ounces of silver.
Sonoran Plains edit
Mexico has an abundance of natural resources. Some of these resources are found in the Sonoran Plains region. This region was a site for various minerals. The most abundant have been copper, silver, and lead. In the area near Hermosillo, Sonora there have been seventeen mines and seventeen occurrence locations. These regions have had copper, gold, iron, lead, molybdenum, quartz, silica, silver, and tungsten.
La Colorada Mine edit
La Colorada Mine is a gold mine located in the state of Sonora near Hermosillo. This mine is an open-pit mine that is still functional. The primary commodities found are gold and silver, as well as secondary commodities: copper, lead, and zinc. This mine has been divided into different districts based on its' deposits. There is the Creston deposit, Gran Central deposit, La Colorada Deposit, and Veta Madre zone.
Threats edit
Human Impact edit
The population in the Arizona Uplands and Sonoran Plains continues to grow tremendously, having a severe impact on the natural land and species of these areas. Arizona Uplands and Lower Colorado portions of the Sonoran Desert had a population change of 106% from 1970 to 1990. The population of the Plains of Sonora went from 253,628 to 508,914 having a 101% change in the span of 20 years. The population of the subregions has continued to increase. Human impact has altered natural resources and poses threats for most land, water, vegetation, and wildlife resources of this area.
Urbanization edit
Urbanization is one of the biggest direct threats humans pose throughout the Sonoran Desert. It has altered and destroyed many natural habitats to provide environments for human use. In the Arizona Uplands and Sonoran Plains, many of the nature reserves have been affected by urbanization and even to an extent of disappearing certain places due to the high demand for agriculture, transportation, neighborhoods, and mining. Papago Park in Phoenix, Arizona has been disrupted by urbanization. This area was known as Papago Cactus National Monument suffered a tremendous decrease in the territory, native animals, and native plants. It is surrounded by golf courses, baseball fields, irrigation canals, highways, and tract housing. The park's native species are under serious threat. The majority of native carnivores that live in Papao Park have been killed by traffic. The native species suffer from predators: jackrabbit, cottontails, gophers, and ground squirrels. Harming the Palo Verde trees and Saguaro Cacti.