Although not Federally listed as threatened or endangered, the roundtail chub, also a sportfish in Arizona, is nearly extirpated from sections of the Verde and Salt river drainages. The purpose of this investigation, from March 1998 through March 2000, was to describe ecological requirements and population dynamics of roundtail chub. The objectives were to describe species composition, distribution and abundance, quantify habitat selection by different life stages, estimate population size, quantify movement and age and growth, and describe the reproductive capacity of roundtail chub.
In Arizona, various nonnative trout have been stocked since the early 1900s, and trout angling remains an important component of the sportfishing industry. These nonnative rainbow trout may have contributed to the decline of Little Colorado spinedace. The overall purpose of the research was to define interactions so that impacts to both trout management and spinedace populations can be minimized. Our objectives covered 5 broad areas of potential interaction: habitat use, diet, predation, health, and distribution.
Since European settlement, pinyon-juniper woodlands have expanded into large portions of the southwestern United States historically occupied by grassland vegetation. Because grassland bird species are closely tied to vegetation structure, woodland expansion can substantially change the composition of breeding bird communities.
The Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy focuses partnership efforts on conservation at the landscape level, to address stressors that constrain wildlife conservation and wildlife-related recreation opportunities. In addition to limiting the quality of human life in wildlife-rich Arizona, these stressors often limit wildlife-related contributions to our economy.
The southwestern United States and Sonora, Mexico are the extreme northern limits of the jaguar’s (Panthera onca) range, which primarily extends from central Mexico south through Central and South America to northern Argentina. Recently, the jaguar ranged as far north as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Over the last century, the jaguar’s range has been reduced to approximately 46% of its historic range due to hunting pressure and habitat loss. The greatest loss of occupied range has occurred in the southern United States, northern Mexico, northern Brazil, and southern Argentina. Since 1900, jaguars have been documented occasionally in the southwestern United States, but the number of sightings per decade has declined over the last 100 years with only 4 verified sightings between 1970 and 2000. The objectives of our analysis were twofold: (1) characterize potential jaguar habitat in Arizona from historic sighting records, and (2) create a statewide habitat suitability map.