References & Sources - January 16, 1999
One era's cactus boom is another's bust
Combining data obtained by three generations of botanists reveals that what one short-lived human sees as boom or bust in the saguaro cactus may be just a small part of a long-term cycle.
Pierson, E.A., and R.M. Turner. 1998. An 85-year study of saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) demography. Ecology 79(December):2676.
Further Readings:
Pictures and a concise guide to saguaro cactus biology can be found at http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_saguaro.html.
For additional information about where the saguaro cactus lives, see the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Web site at http://desert.net/museum/.
Sources:
Elizabeth Pierson
University of Arizona
Department of Plant Pathology
Tucson, AZ 85721
From Science News, Vol. 155, No. 3, January 16, 1999, p. 43. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.
Copyright 1999 Science Service