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VARIABLES THAT INFLUENCE SURVIVORSHIP FOR THE ENDANGERED PIMA PINEAPPLE CACTUS (CORYPHANTHA SCHEERI�VAR.�ROBUSTISPINA) AFTER TRANSPLANT.
Author
Berthelette, Gerald M.
Fehmi, Jeffrey S.
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2017
Body

There has been little research carried out which assesses the ability or inability of the Pima Pineapple Cactus (Coryphantha scheeri�var.�robustispina) to be transplanted successfully, and what a successful transplant entails. What little research has been done, experiments have demonstrated low-levels of survival, and determinate variables remain largely unknown. As a result, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not consider transplanting as a viable conservation measure. This study monitors a population of Pima Pineapple Cactus (PPC) transplanted in 2014 and distributed along a natural gas pipeline right-of-way southwest of Tucson, Arizona. Variables assessed during this study included the influence of supplemental watering, using soil vs. bare root transplant methods, and the number of times an individual was transplanted.� Other available data sets from past transplant experiments were assessed based on the various transplant methodology and abiotic variables associated with each transplant location to determine which had more influence. We found the abiotic variables were more influential to survivorship than transplant methodology. A predictive model for transplant success using a Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis shows that slope aspect, and the amount of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) received by each plant appears to most affect survivorship for transplanted PPC.� Understanding which variables influence survival within transplanted PPC will allow further conservation measures to take place regarding this endangered species.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM St. George, UT
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts