Lab 7 Part 1 Biomes

I live in the Prescott, Arizona area and chose to study the biotic community in the Prescott area.  Prescott is located in central mountainous area of Arizona, about two hours north of Phoenix.  The elevation of Prescott is around one mile and is made up primarily of three biotic communities known as Forest: Great Basin Confier Woodland; Forest: Petran Montane Conifer Forest; Shrubland: Interior Chapparal. 

For the purposes of this lab, I will focus on the biotic area where the more commonly known Prescott landmark, Thumb Butte is located.  The hike to the top of Thumb Butte is a beautiful hike where you will encounter a wide range of species that thrive on this mountain that peaks about a thousand feet over Prescott.  Thumb Butte is located in the Forest: Petran Montane Conifer Forest biotic community.  There are many native species in the Thumb Butte, Prescott region. 

Some of the species range from a generalist to a specialist designation.  In this biotic community exist the Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa), Aligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana), and Mountain Muhly (Muhlenbergia montana). These specialist species of trees and grass are unique to biotic community like the Petran Montane Conifer Forest as they exist in a higher, mountainous region like the greater Prescott area.  Thumb Butte is an ideal place for the Ponderosa Pine, Aligator Juniper, and Mountain Muhly to grow and thrive.  It provides a mountainous, slightly rocky, higher elevation, with minimal moisture, where these types of species have been able to adapt to the environment and grow.  Probably the greatest adaptation for these species is the minimal moisture that this area receives throughout the year.  These species have come to exist within a fairly average year round climate.  There are some hot days in the summer and some colder days in the winter, but there is not a long stretch of an type of extreme weather, for the most part and mild throughout the year. While there is a wide range of species located in this area, these could be considered some of the specialist species that are unique to the Petran Montane Conifer Forest biotic community.

"Arizona Game and Fish Department Species List." . Arizona Game and Fish Department, 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://www.azgfd.com/w_c/edits/hdms_species_lists.shtml>.

"Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants." . Arizona Cooperative Extension Yavapai County, 23 July 2013. Web. 5 July 2014. <http://prescottnatives.com/index.php>.