Spotlight

  • Saving the West’s most iconic cactus from climate change

    Thursday, March 11, 2021
    Saving the West’s most iconiccactus from climate change A warming world means an invasive grass is threatening the famous saguaro Story by Karen Peterson Photos by Cassidy Araiza March 10, 2021 Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/interactive/2021/saguar... TUCSON — The giant saguaro, an icon of the American West, is beloved in this state. Arms raised in a perpetual “hello there,” the saguaro covers the desert wilderness and thrives in cities. Its silhouette appears in fine art and on restaurant walls; businesses and schools carry its name. Arizona state law... Read More

  • Study Says Wild Crops Can Bolster Food Access in Arid Climates

    Intercropping of agave and columnar cacti near Las Canoas in Jalisco, Mexico. Bill Hatcher
    Tuesday, October 6, 2020
    Study Says Wild Crops Can Bolster Food Access in Arid Climates Amy Martin, Food Tank, September 30, 2020 https://foodtank.com/news/2020/09/study-says-wild-crops-can-bolster-food... University of Arizona, August 11, 2020 https://news.arizona.edu/story/researchers-propose-climate-smart-desert-... A recent study from the University of Arizona finds wild desert crops could be the key to sustainable farming in arid conditions. The article, “An Aridamerican model for agriculture in a hotter, water scarce world,” proposes reintroducing indigenous food crops to desert regions to bolster food securi... Read More

  • Tumamoc Biodiversity

    Wednesday, May 13, 2020
    Arizona Public Media's Arizona Illustrated feature on the Desert Laboratory's student led wildlife project. In 2019 Desert Lab on Tumamoc Hill hired student scientists from the university to help with tracking the different types of flora and fauna on the property.  It encompasses hundreds of acres and has become a popular destination for people who want to exercise.  Producer:  Tony Paniagua Videographer/Editor:  Bob Lindberg

  • Researchers Seek to Solve Decades-Long Baja California Peninsula Mystery

    Sunday, February 2, 2020
    Researchers Seek to Solve Decades-Long Baja California Peninsula Mystery The University of Arizona is among a group of institutions who are using a $2.6 million grant to study how geologic activity, rainfall patterns and climate cycles might have shaped the evolution and biodiversity of the Baja California peninsula over time. Mikayla Mace, University Communications, Jan. 29, 2020, https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/researchers-seek-solve-decadeslong-baja-california-peninsula-mystery There’s something weird going on inside the plants and animals that call the Baja California peninsula home. On t... Read More

  • Topography Could Save Sensitive Saguaros as Climate Changes

    Thursday, September 12, 2019
    Topography Could Save Sensitive Saguaros as Climate Changes By studying nearly five decades of data on more than 5,800 saguaros dotting Tumamoc Hill, researchers found that small variations in the hill’s topography might buffer saguaro populations from the impacts of climate change. By, Mikayla Mace | University Communications | Sept. 10, 2019 The iconic saguaros on Tumamoc Hill served as harbingers in new research which sought to predict how the desert species will fare in the hotter, drier climate of the future and how topography might mitigate the effects of climate change.   Lead author Su... Read More

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