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, 69, 70-71
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, 7, 8, 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