A project involving shrub removal was undertaken by the United States Forest Service in the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area (SMNRA) to reduce accumulated woody fuels, which can pose risks to human communities. This research focuses on the interactions between shrubs and the perennial forb Palmer's penstemon (Penstemon palmeri), one of many nectar sources for the endemic Spring Mountains Acastus Checkerspot Butterfly (Chlosyne acastus ssp robusta). Initial observations revealed that P. palmeri (`penstemon') seemed to grow almost exclusively under shrubs. Such spatial associations are often indicative of a history of positive interactions between plants, and led to the research presented here. These studies investigate and discuss the interactions between this penstemon and shrubs in the arid shrublands of the SMNRA. Spatial patterns between populations of penstemon and shrubs were measured during November 2008-May 2011, and the consequences of shrub-association for individual penstemon emergence, survival, growth, and reproduction were documented (Chapter 2). The results suggest that although shrubs reduced penstemon emergence, they increased seedling survival (a seed-seedling conflict) resulting in a strong shift toward association between shrubs and penstemon over time. Further, while no differences in growth were detected between microhabitats, the results suggest that shrubs inhibited P. palmeri flowering but improved the successful maturation of fruits when flowering occurred. The mechanisms driving these patterns were elusive, but seed-sowing and seedling transplant experiments suggested that shrub soils, rather than their canopies, alter the nature of seed-seedling conflicts in a way that may promote seed-bank persistence in penstemon populations (Chapter 3). To provide a detailed description of the reproductive response of penstemon to shrubs, structural equation modeling was used to describe the importance of shrubs for penstemon seed production (Chapter 4). The results suggest that competition with shrubs reduced penstemon seed production, but that shrubs simultaneously facilitated penstemon water balance and altered the foraging behavior of its pollinators, indirectly increasing seed production. I conclude by discussing the importance of these studies, and studies of plant interactions in general, for helping land managers balance the objectives of fuel load reduction with protecting desirable species (Chapter 5).

Biomass is an important ecological variable for understanding the responses of vegetation to the currently observed global change. The impact of changes in vegetation biomass on the global ecosystem is also of high relevance. The vegetation in the arid and semi-arid environments of Kazakhstan is expected to be affected particularly strongly by future climate change. Therefore, it is of great interest to observe large-scale vegetation dynamics and biomass distribution in Kazakhstan. At the beginning of this dissertation, previous research activities and remote-sensing-based methods for biomass estimation in semi-arid regions have been comprehensively reviewed for the first time. The review revealed that the biggest challenge is the transferability of methods in time and space. Empirical approaches, which are predominantly applied, proved to be hardly transferable. Remote-sensing-based Net Primary Productivity (NPP) models, on the other hand, allow for regional to continental modelling of NPP time-series and are potentially transferable to new regions. This thesis thus deals with modelling and analysis of NPP time-series for Kazakhstan and presents a methodological concept for derivation of above-ground biomass estimates based on NPP data. For validation of the results, biomass field data were collected in three study areas in Kazakhstan. For the selection of an appropriate model, two remote-sensing-based NPP models were applied to a study area in Central Kazakhstan. The first is the Regional Biomass Model (RBM). The second is the Biosphere Energy Transfer Hydrology Model (BETHY/DLR). Both models were applied to Kazakhstan for the first time in this dissertation. Differences in the modelling approaches, intermediate products, and calculated NPP, as well as their temporal characteristics were analysed and discussed. The model BETHY/DLR was then used to calculate NPP for Kazakhstan for 2003–2011. The results were analysed regarding spatial, intra-annual, and inter-annual variations. In addition, the correlation between NPP and meteorological parameters was analysed. In the last part of this dissertation, a methodological concept for derivation of above-ground biomass estimates of natural vegetation from NPP time-series has been developed. The concept is based on the NPP time-series, information about fractional cover of herbaceous and woody vegetation, and plants’ relative growth rates (RGRs). It has been the first time that these parameters are combined for biomass estimation in semi-arid regions. The developed approach was finally applied to estimate biomass for the three study areas in Kazakhstan and validated with field data. The results of this dissertation provide information about the vegetation dynamics in Kazakhstan for 2003–2011. This is valuable information for a sustainable land management and the identification of regions that are potentially affected by a changing climate. Furthermore, a methodological concept for the estimation of biomass based on NPP time-series is presented. The developed method is potentially transferable. Providing that the required information regarding vegetation distribution and fractional cover is available, the method will allow for repeated and large-area biomass estimation for natural vegetation in Kazakhstan and other semi-arid environments.

No description available.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / This paper examines Subsurface Drip Irrigation(SDI) as a solution to water conservation in landscape irrigation. This is a problem because of the drought that the southwestern United States is experiencing, and the amount of water that landscapes utilize and which is ultimately wasted due to inefficient practices. Subsurface drip irrigation represents a potential solution due to its high efficiency and water saving ability; however, there are some problems within it as a system. Utilizing a multiple case studies approach, this paper looked at three of the top irrigation companies, Rain Bird, Toro, and Netafim, and examined how they innovated to overcome the problems with SDI. Synthesizing the best and most effective practices from each company, a model for improving SDI was generated.

A simple model of surface and sub -surface soil temperature was developed at the watershed scale ( -100 km2) in a semi -arid rangeland environment. The model consisted of a linear combination of air temperature and net radiation and assumed: 1) topography controls the spatial distribution of net radiation, 2) near- surface air temperature and incoming solar radiation are relatively homogeneous at the watershed scale and are available from ground stations and 3) soil moisture dominates transient soil thermal property variability. Multiplicative constants were defined to account for clear sky diffuse radiation, soil thermal inertia, an initially fixed ratio between soil heat flux and net radiation and exponential attenuation of solar radiation through a partial canopy. The surface temperature can optionally be adjusted for temperature and emissivity differences between mixed hare soil and vegetation canopies. Model development stressed physical simplicity and commonly available spatial and temporal data sets. Slowly varying surface characteristics, such as albedo, vegetation density and topography were derived from a series of Landsat TM images and a 7.5" USGS digital elevation model at a spatial resolution of 30 m. Diurnally variable atmospheric parameters were derived from a pair of ground meteorological stations using 30 -60 min averages. One site was used to drive the model, the other served as a control to estimate model error. Data collected as part of the Monsoon '90 and WG '92 field experiments over the ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental. Watershed in SE Arizona were used to validate and test the model. Point, transect and spatially distributed values of modeled surface temperature were compared with synchronous ground, aircraft and satellite thermal measurements. There was little difference between ground and aircraft measurements of surface reflectance and temperature which makes aircraft transects the preferred method to "ground truth" satellite observations. Mid- morning modeled surface temperatures were within 2° C of observed values at all but satellite scales, where atmospheric water vapor corrections complicate the determination of accurate temperatures. The utility of satellite thermal measurements and models to study various ground phenomena (eg. soil thermal inertia and surface energy balance) were investigated. Soil moisture anomalies were detectable, but were more likely associated with average near -surface soil moisture levels than individual storm footprints.

<p>Irrigation with saline waters is an agricultural practicethat is becoming increasingly common as competition for freshwater increases. In this thesis the mechanisms behind salinityand drought stress has been studied using data from fieldexperiments in combination with a modelling tool, theCoupModel. Measurements from field experiments on salinity,boron toxicity and drought stressed tomatoes grown during twoclimatically different seasons in the Arava desert, Israel,showed a linear relationship between relative growth andevapotranspiration, for all treatments and seasons. Data fromthe spring was used to concurrently simulate growth andtranspiration, hence accounting for feedback mechanisms betweenthe plant and the environment. Salinity stress was modelled asan osmotic effect (reduction of water uptake at high soilsalinities, W approach) or a toxicity effect (direct reductionof photosynthesis with soil salinity, G approach). Goodagreement between simulated growth and transpiration wasachieved with both salinity stress approaches, with twoexceptions. When growth and transpiration were simulated withthe W approach at different salinity levels, transpiration wasunderestimated at high stress. The G approach resulted in anunderestimation of growth at high water stress under moderatesalinity. A direct decrease of photosynthesis leads to adecreasing water-use efficiency with salinity while water-useefficiency remains constant with salinity when the salinitystress is modelled as a reduction in water uptake. Measurementsshowed decreasing water-use efficiency for the salinitygradient, explaining why the W approach was not applicable. Itwas not possible to detect any considerable differences betweenthree different approaches for water uptake tested in thestudy.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Water-use efficiency; osmotic effect; iontoxicity; semi-arid.</p>

A simple model of surface and sub-surface soil temperature was developed at the watershed scale (-100 km²) in a semi-arid rangeland environment. The model consisted of a linear combination of air temperature and net radiation and assumed: (1) topography controls the spatial distribution of net radiation, (2) near-surface air temperature and incoming solar radiation are relatively homogeneous at the watershed scale and are available from ground stations and (3) soil moisture dominates transient soil thermal property variability. Multiplicative constants were defined to account for clear sky diffuse radiation, soil thermal inertia, an initially fixed ratio between soil heat flux and net radiation and exponential attenuation of solar radiation through a partial canopy. The surface temperature can optionally be adjusted for temperature and emissivity differences between mixed bare soil and vegetation canopies. Model development stressed physical simplicity and commonly available spatial and temporal data sets. Slowly varying surface characteristics, such as albedo, vegetation density and topography were derived from a series of Landsat TM images and a 7.5" USGS digital elevation model at a spatial resolution of 30 m. Diurnally variable atmospheric parameters were derived from a pair of ground meteorological stations using 30-60 min averages. One site was used to drive the model, the other served as a control to estimate model error. Data collected as part of the Monsoon '90 and WG '92 field experiments over the ARS Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed in SE Arizona were used to validate and test the model. Point, transect and spatially distributed values of modeled surface temperature were compared with synchronous ground, aircraft and satellite thermal measurements. There was little difference between ground and aircraft measurements of surface reflectance and temperature which makes aircraft transects the preferred method to "ground truth" satellite observations. Mid-morning modeled surface temperatures were within 2° C of observed values at all but satellite scales, where atmospheric water vapor corrections complicate the determination of accurate temperatures. The utility of satellite thermal measurements and models to study various ground phenomena (e.g. soil thermal inertia and surface energy balance) were investigated. Soil moisture anomalies were detectable, but were more likely associated with average near-surface soil moisture levels than individual storm footprints.

Research was conducted over a 2-year period at the University of Arizona Campus and Oracle Agricultural Centers to evaluate the effectiveness of surface imprintation in revegetating arid lands. Introduction of forage leguminous species into arid rangelands through land imprintat ion was another objective of this study. The soil at the Campus Center is a Brasito, mixed thermic, typic torripsamment with a sandy-loam texture. This was compared with a White House, fine mixed thermic, Ustollic haplargid with a sandyloam texture at the Oracle Center. Natural rains were the only source of irrigation at Oracle. At the Campus Center, however, a sprinkler irrigation system was installed to match rains with that at the Oracle Center. Three cover treatments together with four surface treatments were used at both sites. The cover treatments included a pure stand of grasses, a pure stand of legumes, and a mixture of both grasses and legumes. The surface treatments were imprinted, mulched, imprinted-mulched, and an untreated surface as a check. Surface imprintation was performed by a land imprinter at Oracle and by a hand imprinter at Campus. The imprinted surface significantly increased soil moisture retention, number of plants per unit area, plant height, plant cover, and biomass compared to the untreated surface. At the Oracle Center, the imprinted surface improved legume germination by 800% over the untreated surface, and by 367% over the mulched one. Corresponding percentages at Campus were 48 and 4% over the untreated and the mulched surfaces, respectively. Increases in biomass production achieved through surface imprintation were 102% over the untreated surface and 35% over the mulched surface at the Oracle Center. Corresponding increases at Campus were 63 and 33% over the untreated and the mulched surfaces, respectively. Plants grown on imprinted surfaces exhibited higher transpiration rates, lower diffusive resistance, and cooler leaf temperature compared to those grown on the untreated surfaces. Addition of mulch to the imprinted surface made no significant differences with respect to the parameters measured when compared to the imprinted surface without mulch. When mulch was used as a separate treatment, however, it significantly increased the parameters measured over the untreated surface. The effect of cover treatments on growth parameters and biomass production was masked by seasonality. Grasses tended to be superior over legumes in samples taken during the fall and the opposite was true during the summer. Mixing legumes with grasses, however, resulted in significantly taller grasses compared to grasses grown as a pure stand.

Ground-based, remotely sensed reflectance and temperature data were collected over differentially irrigated, developing cotton and sorghum canopies in order to investigate interrelations of these parameters; to monitor their temporal changes ; to understand their spatial structure ; and to estimate crop coefficient (KO from canopy reflectance. Spectral reflectance and derived vegetation indices showed ability to significantly discriminate among differential irrigation levels of sorghum canopies, starting the fourth week of growth. All vegetation indices increased as a result of crop development, with the perpendicular vegetation index (PVI ) demonstrating the greatest potential for assessing water stress conditions, whereas, soil indices behaved independently of crop development and water stress. Canopy temperature and derived water stress indices, on the other hand, were in high concordance and were able to detect crop water stress with variable degrees of sensitivity. Experimental variograms revealed that cotton reflectance and temperature were not spatially dependent when all water treatments were included. For the moisture stress treatments, only canopy temperature exhibited spatial dependence early in the period of stress. Sorghum canopy reflectance and temperature demonstrated some spatial structure; however, a drift was suspected due to regularity in the data spatial distribution. Normalized difference (ND), normalized perpendicular vegetation index (NPVI) and normalized green vegetation index (NGVI), for fifty days covering the period from planting to heading, were fitted with a complementary error function equation with minor adjustment. Both NPVI and NGVI displayed a 1:1 relation with interpolated tabular values of basal Kc, whereas ND deviated from the 1:1 relation for the period beyond 30 days after planting. The model was also found to be valid for estimating K(c) for moderately deficit irrigation conditions.

There exists a general belief among K-16 educators as well as scientists that people must be scientifically and agriculturally literate in order to make wise and informed economic and political decisions about the use of renewable resources (Cardwell, 1994). Each State approaches Agriculture in the Classroom from the basis of its own needs and resources and is responsible for organization, funding, public outreach, materials development and teacher training (Traxler, 1990). The introduction of score-based funding as well as statewide implementation of standardized testing coupled with the ever-increasing importance of agricultural knowledge of the general population in areas with resource management issues has made the issue of agricultural education in arid regions very important. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of various types of Agriculture in the Classroom curriculums and instruction on the agricultural arid lands literacy of 4th grade students. A pre-test/post-test analysis was administered to 21 classrooms in a Public School District in order to compare the agricultural literacy scores of students who participated in an agricultural fieldtrip experience with students who received the same materials in the form of a four-day arid lands curriculum, those who received both the field trip and curriculum, and those who did not receive any form of agricultural education module. The three treatment groups scored significantly higher on the agricultural arid lands literacy test than the control group. It was also discovered that there was no statistically significant difference between the results of three levels of treatment. However, all three treatments were statistically higher than the control group.