Identifying Restoration Opportunities under Mesquite Canopies

Abstract

Climate change, drought, human development, overgrazing, and encroachment of invasive species all threaten grasslands in southeastern Arizona and northern Mexico. These threats are leading to loss of biodiversity and degradation of these ecosystems. Native bunch grasses are especially valued for their role in reducing erosion and providing forage for wild and domestic rangeland herbivores. Mesquite (Prosopis spp.) and Lehmann lovegrass (Eragrostis lehmanniana) compete with native grasses for space and water resources, which further expedites loss of native grasses in these historical grasslands (Gornish et al. 2021).