Sentenac Cienega wildlife and vegetation data

Sentenac Cienega is a degraded wetland ecosystem in Southern California’s Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Recently, researchers have taken an interest in the conservation and restoration of this Cienega, and it is in accordance with this goal that we performed our work. This project had four major components: a wildlife monitoring protocol to determine species richness and relative abundance, a greenhouse drought/salinity resilience trial, in-field plant transplantation trials, and a survey of vegetation composition throughout the entire area. The wildlife monitoring project results indicate that wildlife activity is highest in areas with easily accessible food, water, and routes for transportation. The greenhouse trial indicated that soil moisture levels had the greatest effect on the growth of Juncus mexicanus, while salinity levels had the greatest effect on the relative growth of Anemopsis californica. Mortality was very high in our field transplantation trial, with all plant specie...