Conservation of Mojave Desert springs and associated biota: status, threats, and policy opportunities
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Conservation of Mojave Desert springs and associated biota: status, threats, and policy opportunities Sophie S. Parker1 • Andy Zdon2 • William T. Christian3 • Brian S. Cohen4 • Maura Palacios Mejia5 • Naomi S. Fraga6 • Emily E. Curd5 • Kiumars Edalati5 • Mark A. Renshaw7 Received: 2 January 2020 / Revised: 29 July 2020 / Accepted: 19 November 2020 Ó The Author(s) 2020
Abstract In arid landscapes where fresh water is a limiting resource, the expression of groundwater in springs sustains important landscape functions, globally-recognized biodiversity hotspots, and both aquatic endemic and wide-ranging terrestrial species. Desert springs and associated groundwater dependent ecosystems are threatened by unsustainable groundwater pumping, and the Mojave Desert has seen extinctions of species due to the human use and modification of springs. To support changes in policy and management that would address the vulnerabilities of springs to unsustainable groundwater extraction and other threats, a better understanding of current spring condition is needed. Here we present the results of a comprehensive survey of Mojave Desert springs including hydrological and ecological observations, and an eDNA pilot study. Together, these investigations provide information about the present status of Mojave Desert springs, conservation challenges that they face, and needs that must be met to protect them. We also provide an overview of the current state of federal and state policy that could be used to better manage these critical freshwater resources. Keywords Freshwater Biodiversity Groundwater dependent ecosystems Aquifer Basin
Communicated by Karen E. Hodges. & Sophie S. Parker [email protected] 1
The Nature Conservancy, 445 S. Figueroa St., Suite 1950, Los Angeles, CA 90071, USA
2
Partner Engineering and Science, Inc., Santa Ana, CA, USA
3
The Nature Conservancy, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4
The Nature Conservancy, San Diego, CA, USA
5
University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
6
California Botanic Garden, Claremont, CA, USA
7
Oceanic Institute of Hawai’i Pacific University, Waimanalo, HI, USA
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Biodiversity and Conservation
Introduction Fresh water is rare, covering just 0.8% of the Earth’s surface. It is also ecologically important, as freshwater habitats support about 9.5% of all known animal species, and 65% of described species (Dudgeon et al. 2006; Balian et al. 2008). In arid landscapes, where fresh water is a limiting resource, the expression of groundwater in springs is often the only source of perennially-available surface water (Bogan 2014). Springs and the groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs) (Brown 2011) they support can be examples of small natural features—places that provide disproportionate ecological importance in comparison with their size (Hunter 2017). In deserts, these systems play an important role in supporting both aquatic biota and migratory and wide-ranging terrestrial animals (Davis et al. 2017). Springs and their
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