Recovery of Soil and Vegetation in Ghost-towns in the Mojave Desert, Southwestern United States

Webb, Robert H.; Newman, Evelyn B.

doi:10.1017/s0376892900020464

Cited by 12 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 1 publication

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“…This is in spite of the fact that nutrients and other substances can be retained by soil matrices for long periods, potentially delaying recovery from landscape‐scale anthropogenic disturbance significantly (). The legacy of historic anthropogenic disturbance can potentially last for centuries, even after rapid human depopulation has taken place (Webb and Newman 1982, , Knapp 1992, Brown 2000). Our results demonstrate, however, that the swift reduction of human‐associated pressures from diffuse sources at landscape scales can, in some circumstances, result in the rapid and monotonic recovery of lake ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid ecosystem recovery from diffuse pollution after the Great Irish Famine

Donohue

Leira

Hobbs

et al. 2010

Ecological Applications

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Remarkably little is known about the effectiveness or rates of recovery of aquatic ecosystems from reductions in human-associated pressures at landscape scales. The retention of anthropogenic contaminants within ecosystems can retard rates of recovery considerably, while the trajectories of recovery processes vary with the extent of disturbance and the resilience of biotic assemblages. The Great Irish Famine of 1845-1850 comprised one of the most significant human disasters of the 19th century, causing the death of approximately one million people and the emigration of a further two million from the country between 1845 and 1855. We found, through analysis of detailed historical census data combined with paleolimnological investigation of sedimentary nutrient concentrations, stable isotope ratios, and diatom assemblages, that the trophic level of Lough Carra, a largely shallow calcareous lake in the west of Ireland with no urban areas or point sources of any significance in its catchment, reduced considerably during and immediately after the Great Famine, shifting to new equilibria within just 2-10 years. Our results demonstrate that the reduction of human pressures from diffuse sources at landscape scales can result in the rapid and monotonic recovery of aquatic ecosystems. Moreover, the recovery of ecosystems from diffuse pollution need not necessarily take longer than recovery from pollution from point sources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid ecosystem recovery from diffuse pollution after the Great Irish Famine

Donohue

Leira

Hobbs

et al. 2010

Ecological Applications

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“…Litter can be rapidly and easily estimated, which makes it a prospective indicator of site condition in degraded arid lands (de Soyza et al, 1998). Although we examined only compacted and trenched sites associated with military training activities, results from this study may be applicable to other compacted sites in the Mojave Desert such as abandoned town sites (Webb and Newman, 1982) or to excavated sites similar to trenches such as aqueduct, power line and pipeline developments (Vasek et al, 1975a,b;Lathrop and Archbold, 1980a,b). Rehabilitation of these degraded sites may benefit from litter additions to facilitate the development of seed banks and accelerate the recovery of degraded lands, and this approach warrants further investigation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed banks in a degraded desert shrubland: Influence of soil surface condition and harvester ant activity on seed abundance

DeFalco

Esque

Kane

et al. 2009

Journal of Arid Environments

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“…Shreve and colleagues (Shreve & Hinckley, 1937;Shreve, 1942) suggested that perennial species cover in deserts changes little over decades. More recent work in abandoned town areas (Wells, 1961;Webb & Wilshire, 1980;Webb & Newman, 1982;Knapp, 1991) and military maneuver areas (Prose et al, 1987) suggested that desert succession probably occurs, but at very slow rates and is strongly influenced by the nature and intensity of the initial disturbance. Knapp (1991) found significant differences in plant community structure between disturbed and undisturbed sites 77 years following disturbance on abandoned roadways in mining towns in Montana.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%