Ecology Index

The Contemporary Ecology of Arroyo Hondo New Mexico

abandonment, of Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, xi, 78

Abert’s squirrel (Sciurus aberti), 133-34

adobe, 11

agriculture:  and climate change, 14; climate and potential for in study area, 46-48, 78; and water supply in Arroyo Hondo area, 9.  See also domestic vegetational zone; growing season

Alluvial Land soil type, 52

alluvial materials, 18, 19

alpine tundra and meadows, 13-14, 95-103

amphibians, species observed in study area, 122-23

Ancha formation, 18, 19, 20, 24-25

Ancho Clay Loam, 52

andesite rock, 11, 18-19

animals:  and food sources in environment of Arroyo Hondo, 10, 78; and forest fires, 111; observations of species in study area, 177-36.  See also amphibians; birds; mammals; reptiles

Apache Canyon, 119-20

Apache plume (fallugia paradoxa), 66

aquifers, 23

architectural materials, sources of in environment of Arroyo Hondo, 10-11

Arizona fescue grass (Festuca arizonica), 102

Arroyo de los Chamisos, 119

Arroyo Hondo Canyon, 20

Arroyo Hondo fault, 19, 20

Arroyo Hondo Pueblo (LA 12), viii:  abandonment of, xi, 78; and agriculture, 9, 14, 46-48, 78; climate of, 27-48, 77-78; delineation of study area, 2-3; and food resources, 78, 95; geology of, 16-20; history and background of archaeological research at, ix, xi, 1, 78-79; hydrology of, 21-25; location of, ix, x; and overview of environment, 6-14; physiography of, 15-16; soils of, 49-55; vegetational zones beyond study area as seasonal resources of food and raw materials for, 95; vertebrate species observed at, 117-36.  See also ecology

aspen (Populus tremuloides), 106

Austin, James M., 27, 33, 35

 

badger (Taxidea taxus), 136

Bailey, F. M., 117

Baldwin, Brewster, 20

basaltic rock, 12

bats (Chiroptera spp.), 131

beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and agriculture, 47, 78

big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata), 66

biotite, 11

birds, species observed in study area, 124.  See also animals

Bishop’s Lodge member, of Tesuque formation, 19

black bear (Ursus americanus), 136

black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus), 129

black-headed grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus), 130

black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), 132

blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis), 10, 65, 66, 108.  See also grama grasses

bluegrass (Poa spp.), 102, 106

blue grouse (Dendragapus obscurus), 125

blue spruce (Picea pungens), 102

Bluewing soil type, 53

bobcat (Lynx rufus), 136

Bohemian waxwing (Bombycilla garrula), 130

breccia zones, 19

broomweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), 65

brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), 130

brown towhee (Pipilo fuscus), 131

Bsk climates, 27

burrowing owl (Speotyto cunicularia), 127

 

cacti (Opuntia spp.), 113

Caja del Rio Mesa, 6, 12

Calabasas-Tetilla-Caja soil group, 112

caliche layer, and Piedmont Soil III, 55

Cañada Corral, 119

Cañada de los Alamos Grant, 121

Cerrillos Fine Sandy Loam, 53

Chamisos fault, 19-20

chert, 11

Chimayo-Carcajo soil type, 104

Chimayo Stony Loam, 53

chipmunk (Eutamias spp.), 133

Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), 129

clay soils, as architectural material, 11

cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), 128

climate:  and agriculture, 14, 46-48; of alpine tundra and spruce-fir associations, 99-102; and climate change, 14, 78; definition of, 27; dynamics of, 44-46; extremes and variations in, 39-44; and humidity, 38; influence of mountains on, 6, 27, 77; of mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 105, 108; and patterns of precipitation in Santa Fe area, 27-33; of shortgrass plains association, 112; and temperature, 33-35, 36-37; and winds, 38-39  See also drought; growing season; precipitation

clover (Trifolium spp.), 106

cobbles, 11

collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), 123

common crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), 128

common nighthawk (Chordeiles minor), 127

common raven (Corvus vorax), 128

Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), 125

corkbark fir (Abies lasiocarpa), 102

corn (Zea mays), and agriculture, 47, 78

cotton, and agriculture, 47

coyote (Canis latrans), 135

currant (Ribes cereum), 66

 

deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), 135

desert cottontail (Sylvilagus auduboni), 132

Dickson, D. Bruce, Jr., 2

domestic vegetational zone, 57, 73, 76

Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia), 106

downy woodpecker (Dendrocopos pubescens), 127

dropseed (Sporobolus spp.), 113

drought, 33, 47, 78.  See also climate change; precipitation

dwarf juniper (Juniperus communis), 102

 

eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus), 123

ecology, of Arroyo Hondo study area:  and danger of climate change, 14; overview of environment, 6-14; and physiography of study area, 15-16; research design and methodology for study of, 1-5; summary of and conclusions on, 77-79.  See also animals; climate; geology; hydrology; plants; soils

edible plants:  in domestic vegetation zone, 73; and food from environment in Arroyo Hondo region, 9-10; list of species identified from vegetation communities in study area, 81-94; as percentage of total plant collection, 5, 57; in piñon-juniper vegetation zone, 60

Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), 102, 106

evapotranspiration, 38

evening grosbeak (Hesperidphona vespertina), 130

experimental gardens, 47

 

faults, and geology, 19-20

fauna.  See animals

Findley, James S., 117

fires.  See forest fires

Five Mile Loam, 52

flora.  See plants

food, sources of in environment of Arroyo Hondo region, 9-10, 78, 95.  See also agriculture; animals; edible plants

foothills, 14, 15, 16

Foothills Soil I, 51, 52-53

Foothills Soil II, 51, 53

forest fires, 60, 64, 108, 111

four-wing saltbrush (Atriplex canescens), 66

Freirer-Marreco, Barbara, 5

fringed bromegrass (Bromus ciliatus), 102

frost, and growing season, 39, 112

 

Galisteo Creek, 121

Galisteo formation, 18

galleta grasses (Hilaria jamesii), 113

Gallina Arroyo, 118, 121, 122

Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii), 66, 106, 108

Gambel’s quail (Lophortyx gambelii), 126

Garcia, Francis, 5

garter snake (Thamnophis sp.), 124

Gehlbach, F. R., 117

geology:  and stratigraphy, 16, 18; and structural features, 19-20; and timetable, 17.  See also mountain(s); soil(s)

geranium (Geranium richardsonii), 102, 106

Glorieta Baldy, 120

Glorieta Mesa, 13

gneiss, 11, 16

golden-mantled ground squirrel (Spermophilus lateralis), 133

gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer), 124

grama grasses (Bouteloua spp.), 113

granite, 11, 16

gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), 135

gray-headed junco (Junco caniceps), 131

great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), 126

groundwater, 23-25.  See also springs

growing season:  and climate of study area, 39; in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 104-105; in shortgrass plains association, 112; in spruce-fir vegetation zone, 99, 102.  See also agriculture

Gulf of Mexico, and climate of study area, 28, 43-44

Gunnison’s prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), 133

 

hairy woodpecker (Dendrocopos villosus), 127

Hall, E. R., 117

Harrington, J. P., 5

Haurwitz, Bernard, 27, 33, 35

herbaceous plants:  in piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 63; in rabbit brush community, 70-71; in riparian community, 74-75

house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus), 131

hummingbird (Trochilidae), 127

Hutchins, Charles R., 5

hydrology:  and groundwater, 23-25; and surface water, 21-23

 

Idaho, fire effects on wildlife in, 111

Indian ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides), 113

irrigation wells, 24

 

Jemez Mountains, 6, 12

juniper (Juniperus monosperma), 11.  See also piñon-juniper vegetational zone

 

Kearney, Thomas H., 5

Kelley, N. Edmund, xii, 64, 117, 118

Kelson, K. R., 117

killdeer (Charadrius vociferus), 126

Kirk, Donald R., 5

Krenetsky, John C., 59

 

La Bajada Mesa, 6

Lamb, H. H., 33, 39, 45

Lang, Richard W., 3, 64, 117

Laporte-Rock outcrop complex, 54

Laramide orogeny, 19

Leege, Thomas A., 111

leopard frog (Rana pipiens), 123

lesser earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata), 123

Lewis’s woodpecker (Asyndesmus lewis), 127

limber pine (Pinus flexilis), 106

Lindsey, A. A., 5, 59

long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata), 136

 

Majada-Apache-Montoso soil type, 112

mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), 124

mammals, species observed in study area, 131-36.  See also animals

Martin, William C., 5

medicinal plants:  list of species identified in vegetation communities of study area, 81-94; as percentage of total plant collection, 5

methodology, and research design for study of ecology of Arroyo Hondo site, 1-5

Mexican duck (Anas diazi), 124

microenvironmental analysis, 3

Mirabal Stony Loam, 52

Mirabel-Supervisory soil type, 104

mixed conifer forest, 57, 97, 104-11

mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), 129

mountain(s), and mountain ranges:  influence of on climate of Arroyo Hondo region, 6, 27, 77; and precipitation in study area, 27-28.  See also Jemez Mountains; Sandia Mountains; Sangre de Cristo Mountains; Thompson Peak

mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), 130

mountain brome (Bromus marginatus), 108

mountain chickadee (Parus gambeli), 129

mountain mahogany (Cercocarpus montanus), 106, 108

mourning dove (Zenaidura macroura), 126

muhly (Muhlenbergia spp.), 113

mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), 10, 136

muscovite, 11

 

Nambe-Katherine soils, 97-98, 99

National Science Foundation, ix, xi

Nuttall’s cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttalli), 131-32

 

obsidian, 12

one-seed juniper (Juniperus monosperma), 66

Ord’s kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ordi), 134-35

Oregon junco (Junco oreganus), 131

ornate box turtle (Terrepene ornata ornata), 123

 

Pacific ocean, influence on climate of study area, 28, 43, 44, 46

Panky Fine Sandy Loam, 54

peavine (Lathyrus spp.), 106

Peebles, Robert H., 5

peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), 125

physiography, of Arroyo Hondo study area, 15-16

phytosociological study, 5

Piedras Negras fault, 19-20

Piedmont section, 15-16, 18, 25

Piedmont Soil I, 51, 53-54

Piedmont Soil II, 51, 54

Piedmont Soil III, 51, 54-55

pine dropseed grass (Blepharoneuron tricholepis), 108

pingue (Hymenoxys richardsonii), 65

piñon jay (Gymorhinus cyanocephala), 128-29

piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 6, 14, 57, 58-65, 77

piñon pine (Pinus edulis), 11

plain titmouse (Parus inornatus), 129

plants:  adaptation of cold-tolerant or short-life-cycle types to mixed conifer forests, 105; dominant species in alpine tundra and spruce-fir vegetational zones, 102, 103; dominant species in mixed conifer forests, 106, 107; dominant species in ponderosa pine forests, 108, 109-10; dominant species in shortgrass plains association, 112-13, 114-15; list of species identified from vegetation communities of study area, 81-94; major vegetational zones of study area, 57; and methodology for ecological study, 5; most abundant species in regrowth vegetation, 64-65; as supplemental food supply, 78.  See also agriculture; edible plants; herbaceous plants; medicinal plants; shrubs; trees; vegetational zones

plateau whiptail (Cnemidophorous velox), 123

Pojoaque-Panky association, 53

Pojoaque-Rough Broken Land complex, 54

polar outbreaks, 40

polar sea ice, 45-46, 47

ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), 11, 66, 106, 108

ponderosa pine forest, 104-11, 120

ponderosa pine-piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 57, 65-66

population, peak of at Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, 78

porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum), 135

Potter, Loren D., 5

Precambrian prehistory, 19

precipitation:  in alpine tundra and spruce-fir vegetational zones, 99, 100; and groundwater, 24; influence of mountains on, 77; in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 105, 108; patterns of in Santa Fe area, 27-33.  See also climate; drought; snowfall; thunderstorms

pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana), 10

pueblos:  cultural history of northern Rio Grande Valley and emergence of large during fourteenth century, ix; definition of territories of, 2

pumice, 19

pussy toes (Antennaria parvifolia), 102

 

quartz, 11

 

rabbit brush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus), 66, 113

rabbit brush vegetational zone, 57, 66-67, 6970-71

raccoon (Procyon lotor), 136

red fox (Vulpes vulpes), 135

red-shafted flicker (Colaptes cafer), 127

red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), 134

red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), 125

red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), 130

reptiles, species observed in study area, 123-24.  See also animals

research design, and methodology of study of ecology of Arroyo Hondo site, 1-5

“Rio Grande’s Pueblo Past, The” (film), xi

Rio Grande Valley:  emergence of large pueblos and cultural history of northern, ix; environment of beyond Arroyo Hondo study area, 12, 13; and vegetational zones, 7

riparian vegetational zone, 57, 67, 72, 73, 74-75

rivers.  See riparian vegetational zone; Santa Fe River

roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus), 127

Robbins, W. W., 5

robin (Turdus migratorius), 129-30

Rockland and Chimayo soils, 52

rock squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus), 133

rock wren (Salpinctes obsoletus), 129

Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), 66, 108

Rocky Mountain red elder (Sambucus racemosa), 106

ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis), 124

rufous-sided towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), 131

runoff, and surface water, 21-23

Russian thistle (Salsola kali), 113

 

sage (Salvia spp.), 113

sampling stations, for faunal species, 118-21

Sandia Mountains, 6

Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 6, 78, 13, 15, 77.  See also alpine tundra and meadows; spruce-fir association

Santa Fe group, 20

Santa Fe-La Fonda association, 53

Santa Fe River, 12-13, 119

Santa Fe-Rock complex, 53

scaled quail (Callipepla squamata), 125-26

schist, 16

Schulman, Edmund, 33

scrub jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), 128

seasonality, and vegetational zones beyond study area as resources for Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, 95.  See also summer; winter

sedges (Carex spp.), 102

Seton Village fault, 19-20

shortgrass plains association, 96, 112-15

short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma douglassi), 123

shrub(s):  and forest fires in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 111; species in piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 62; species in ponderosa pine-piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 66; species in rabbit brush community, 69; species in riparian community, 72

shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa), 102

side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), 108

Silver-Pojoaque association, 53-54

skunk (Spilogale putorius or Mephitis mephitis), 136

snakeweed (Gutierrezia lucida), 65

snowberries (Symphoricarpos spp.), 106

snowfall:  average for in study area, 41; and spruce-fir vegetation zone, 99; and water supply, 24.  See also precipitation; winter

snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus), 132

soil(s):  and agriculture, 78; of alpine tundra and meadows, 95-98; classifications of, 49-50; and clay as architectural material, 11; major types of, 50-55; of mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 104, 108; of shortgrass plains association, 112; of spruce-fir association, 98-99

Soil Conservation Service (SCS), 3, 49

solar radiation, and temperature, 33, 35

southern pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae), 134

sparrow hawk (Falco sparverius), 125

Spiegel, Zane, 20

spotted ground squirrel (Spermophilus spilosoma), 133

springs, and water supply, 23, 25, 77, 78

spruce-fir association, 13-14, 95, 98-103

squash (Cucurbita spp.), and agriculture, 47

squirreltail grass (Sitanion hystrix), 108

Stacy, Harold G., 3, 117, 121, 126, 131, 132, 135, 136

Stellar’s jay (Cyanocitta stelleri), 128

stratigraphy, 16, 18

streamflow:  and groundwater, 23-24; and surface runoff, 23

study area, delineation of for ecology project, 2-3, 4

summer, and climate of study area, 29, 35, 42-44.  See also seasonality

surface water, and hydrology, 21-23

“sustaining area,” delineation of for Arroyo Hondo, 2.  See also seasonality

Swainson’s hawk (Buteo swainsoni), 125

Sweet, Muriel, 5

 

temperature:  in alpine tundra and spruce-fir vegetational zones, 99, 101, 102; and climate of study area, 33-35, 36-37, 40; in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 105, 108; in shortgrass plains vegetation zone, 112

Terrace Deposits, 49, 51, 52

territory, and delineation of area for study of Arroyo Hondo ecology, 2

Tesuque formation, 18, 19, 20, 24-25

thermal low, 43-44

Thompson Peak, 120

thunderstorms, 28, 44

tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), 122

tools, materials for in environment of Arroyo Hondo region, 11-12

Townsend’s solitaire (Myadestes townsendi), 130

Trauger, Fred D., 23, 33

trees:  species in piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 61; species in ponderosa pine-piñon-juniper vegetational zone, 68.  See also forest fires; mixed conifer forest; ponderosa pine forest

Trewartha, Glenn T., 27, 28, 38, 40

turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), 126

turkey vulture (Cathartes aura), 125

turquoise, 12

type B (Bsk) climates, 27

 

University of New Mexico (Albuquerque), 5

 

Van Denburgh, J., 117

vegetation.  See plants

vegetational zones:  list of plant species identified in study area, 81-94; major types in study area, 57; seasonal importance beyond study area as resources for Arroyo Hondo Pueblo, 95; transect of from Rio Grande Valley to Sangre Cristo Mountains, 7.  See also alpine tundra and meadows; domestic vegetational zone; mixed conifer forest; piñon-juniper vegetational zone; ponderosa pine forest; ponderosa pine-piñon-juniper vegetational zone; rabbit brush vegetational zone; riparian vegetational zone; shortgrass plains association; spruce-fir association

velocity, of wind, 38-39

vertebrates.  See amphibians; animals; birds; mammals; reptiles

vetches (Vicia spp.), 106

volcanic materials, 19

Von Eschen, G. F., 35, 38

 

water supply:  and agriculture in Arroyo Hondo area, 9; and choice of village site in Arroyo Hondo Canyon, 8; and springs, 23, 25, 77, 78; and surface water, 21-23.  See also hydrology

water table, and groundwater, 24

western bluebird (Sialia mexicana), 130

western coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum leneatulus), 124

western hognose snake (Heterodon nasicus), 124

western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis), 124

western spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus hammondi), 122

western tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), 130

White, William, 24

white fir (Abies concolor), 106

winds, and climate of study area, 38-39

winter:  and climate of study area, 28, 35, 39-42, 45-46; in mixed conifer and ponderosa pine forests, 105.  See also seasonality; snowfall

winter fat (Eurotia lanata), 113

wolfberry (Lycium pallidum), 66

Woodhouse’s toad (Bufo woodhousei), 123

Woodin, Howard E., 5, 59

Woodmansee, Robert G., 5

woodrat (Neotoma spp.), 135

Wright, Charles, 64

 

yellow sweet clover (Melilotus officinalis), 106