The Chihuahuan Desert is a unique and biologically diverse region. Like other arid ecosystems, the Chihuahuan Desert is at risk from a variety of anthropogenic activities including development, overgrazing by livestock, pollution, and aquifer depletion. While it has been suggested that the Chihuahuan Desert possesses a large number of unique species, relatively few studies have been focused on its aquatic habitats. There are two components to this project. (A) Diversity of aquatic invertebrates focusing on rotifers and small crustaceans will be inventoried. Other than insects, these small invertebrates are likely to represent a large proportion of the animal life in springs and other water sources. This survey will serve as an essential foundation for describing overall large-scale, biodiversity of these waters in the U.S. and Mexican Chihuahuan desert. The physical structure, seasonality, water chemistry, and aquatic vegetation of springs and temporary waters will be characterized. (B) The specific aims of this project test three hypotheses. (1) Are species found in the Chihuahuan Desert unique or cosmopolitan in their distribution? (2) Is seasonality and inter-annual variability important in defining overall community composition? (3) Are species distributions and genetic patterns related to historical geologic events or more recent dispersals and adaptations to extreme environments? This is an international collaboration that will provide an important contribution to understanding the diversity of freshwater species in the Chihuahuan Desert.
This project establishes joint work between U.S. and Mexican scientists. Training in taxonomy, ecology, and molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing will be given to graduate and undergraduate students in both countries. In addition, all institutions involved in this project attract a large percentage of women students into the sciences; moreover, the University of Texas at El Paso attracts a large number of minority students to both its undergraduate and graduate programs. Moreover, with use of the Internet, it creates a shared database for research and education worldwide. Finally, academic scientists will partner with federal and private agencies (e.g., BBNP, TX and NM state agencies, and WWF). The study will provide baseline data useful to state and federal agencies in formulating public policies on land and water use in Chihuahuan Desert environments.
