Tan moth with orange/black spots on edge of wings.

Arthropod activities

Arthropods are insects and arachnids, like beetles, flies, ants, spiders, scorpions, and ticks. When learning about ecology, they can be a great thing to study because they play an important role in food webs, they highlight the different roles that organisms can have in an ecosystem and they are easy to collect.

Cactus wren sitting on top of cholla cactus.

Bird activities

The Sonoran Desert is home to a variety of desert-adapted plant and animal species, including over 50 different types of birds! CAP LTER scientists have been studying the impact that urbanization and growth across the Phoenix Metropolitan area have had on local bird species.

Veetles

Bruchid beetles activities

Bruchid beetles rely on palo verde trees to live and thrive. By studying the interaction between these insects and their tree habitat, we can learn a lot about the health of the local ecosystem. Some scientists are exploring how urbanization could possibly impact the relationship between these species.

Vegetation activities

The Sonoran Desert has changed a lot over the last hundred years, and this has impacted the plants that have lived here for generations. Understanding the vegetation in the desert, and how it looks now compared to the past, can give scientists some insight into how we can best conserve our natural environment.