TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – Deserts make up nearly half of the Earth’s land area.
If this biome is not healthy, it is bad news for everyone.
The Saguaro cactus in Arizona, in particular, is a harbinger of our future. And we are not the only ones feeling the heat.
“It’s really a symbol of the desert Southwest. People come from all over to visit Saguaro National Park. It would be tragic if it wasn’t here,” said conservation scientist Katie Predick.
Saguaros are rugged sentinels of the desert, but their tough green skin and spines may no longer be enough to defend against the warnings of the Sonoran sands. These majestic giants are a living example of how we weather an ecological storm.
“A large number of desert species depend on the saguaro,” Predick said.
The saguaro is strong. It can endure a lot. So when these trees are under stress, we should pay attention. In southern Arizona, like at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum where Predick works, the decline is nothing like that in Phoenix. The so-called “urban heat island effect” combined with too much water at once is causing the saguaros to rot from the inside out – they lose their arms or simply crumble.
“We are not currently experiencing such a dramatic collapse or loss of weapons, so hopefully it will continue to be that way,” Predick said.
Here we have a different problem.
“We don’t see nearly as many small saguaros,” Predick said. “They don’t tolerate heat as well as the older saguaros. They can’t store water as well.”
Saguaros are at least 50 years old when they grow their first arm, and live to about 150 years. But they take a long time to grow. Most of the growth takes place at night – and nights get hotter much faster than days.
“They can endure a lot, but not unlimited heat,” Predick said.
Increasing wildfires also pose a major threat. They can displace some invasive species, such as buffalo grass, and fuel fires. Concerted efforts to remove invasive plants will help native plants in our region.
Planting trees also helps protect the environment in Southern Arizona. You can pot saguaro seeds, but then you’ll have to wait until they’re older before putting them outside.
Saguaros fall under the Law on the protection of native plantsIf your cactus loses an arm, leave it alone. The saguaro will grow a protective callus using these centuries-old survival skills.
The Sonoran Desert is unique and is home to species found nowhere else.
It is also a harbinger of hope. Studies show Desert soil acts as a “carbon sink,” capturing carbon dioxide and keeping it out of the atmosphere. Scientists are looking for ways to harness this effect and believe a healthy next generation of saguaros bodes well for generations of people to come.
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