Science & Research

The saguaro census, done every ten years, provides valuable long-term information on the state of the park's namesake plant.

NPS

Scientific research is key to protecting the natural and cultural wonders of our national parks. To make sound decisions, park managers need accurate information about the resources in their care. They also need to know how park ecosystems change over time, and what amount of change is normal.

Saguaro National Park is unique among national parks in that science was part of its original establishment proclamation. In 1928, University of Arizona president Homer L. Shantz, a plant scientist, looked at the desert east of Tucson and envisioned a vast outdoor laboratory, ranging from the cactus-studded desert to the pine-wreathed mountains, kept relatively free from human disturbance and studied by generations of student scientists. Buoyed by the support of local business boosters, Saguaro National Monument was created in 1933.

Today, science is an essential part of our mission and mandate. For more than 80 years, park scientists have collaborated with University of Arizona researchers to study saguaros, wildlife, and other Sonoran Desert resources. These studies have provided a wealth of knowledge that has helped guide conservation strategies to protect the park’s resources for future generations. NPS and university scientists continue to monitor saguaros on research plots that were established as early as 1941, in some of the longest-running monitoring programs in any national park.

Their work is supported by the Sonoran Desert Network, whose scientists collect long-term data on Saguaro National Park’s “vital signs.” Like a physician monitoring a patient's heartbeat and blood pressure, they monitor key resources, like climate, water, and vegetation. Then they analyze the results and report them to park managers. Knowing how key resources are changing can provide managers with early warning of potential problems. It can also help them to make better decisions and plan more effectively.

Research at Saguaro is also conducted by other state and federal scientists and independent researchers, and includes work on the park's rich history and cultural resources, as well. You can learn about recent research or generate a park species list below.

 

Featured Research

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  Long-Term Saguaro Monitoring

  A saguaro census is conducted every 10 years to track the growth of the park's saguaro cactus population. Here's what we've learned so far!

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  Citizen Science

  Learn about the projects going on in the park and how you can contribute to Saguaro's studies!

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  Learn about research in the parks

  Inventory and Monitoring

  The Sonoran Desert Network collects long-term data on the state of key natural resources at Saguaro and 10 other national parks.

 

 

Published Research on Saguaro National Park

Source: Data Store Saved Search 4912 (results presented are a subset). To search for additional information, visit the Data Store.

 

Park Species Lists

 

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Species Attribute Definitions

Definitions

Occurrence

Occurrence values are defined below. One or more Occurrence Tags may be associated with each Occurrence value.

Present: Species occurs in park; current, reliable evidence available.

Probably Present: High confidence species occurs in park but current, verified evidence needed.

Unconfirmed: Species is attributed to park but evidence is weak or absent.

Not In Park: Species is not known to occur in park.

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Occurrence Tags

Adjacent: Species is known to occur in areas near to or contiguous with park boundaries.

False Report: Species was reported to occur within the park, but current evidence indicates the report was based on misidentification, a taxonomic concept no longer accepted, or other similar problem of error or interpretation.

Historical: Species' historical occurrence in park is documented. Assigned based on judgment as opposed to determination based on age of the most recent evidence.

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Abundance

Abundant:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, and counted in relatively large numbers.
• Plants: Large number of individuals; wide ecological amplitude or occurring in habitats covering a large portion of the park.

Common:

• Animals: May be seen daily, in suitable habitat and season, but not in large numbers.
• Plants: Large numbers of individuals predictably occurring in commonly encountered habitats but not those covering a large portion of the park.

Uncommon:

• Animals: Likely to be seen monthly in appropriate habitat and season. May be locally common.
• Plants: Few to moderate numbers of individuals; occurring either sporadically in commonly encountered habitats or in uncommon habitats.

Rare:

• Animals: Present, but usually seen only a few times each year.
• Plants: Few individuals, usually restricted to small areas of rare habitat.

Occasional:

• Animals: Occurs in the park at least once every few years, varying in numbers, but not necessarily every year.
• Plants: Abundance variable from year to year (e.g., desert plants).

Unknown: Abundance unknown

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Nativeness

Native: Species naturally occurs in park or region.

Non-native: Species occurs on park lands as a result of deliberate or accidental human activities.

Unknown: Nativeness status is unknown or ambiguous.

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List Differences

The Checklist contains only those species that are designated as "present" or "probably present" in the park.

The Full List includes all the checklist species in addition to species that are unconfirmed, historically detected, or incorrectly reported as being found in the park. The full list also contains species that are "in review" because their status in the park hasn't been fully determined. Additional details about the status of each species is included in the full list.

The checklist will almost always contain fewer species than the full list.

Select a Park:

Saguaro National Park

Select a Species Category (optional):

All Amphibians Birds Fish Mammals Reptiles Vascular Plants

Get Checklist Get Full List List Differences

Species attribute definitions

Search results will be displayed here.

Visit NPSpecies for more comprehensive information and advanced search capability. Have a suggestion or comment on this list? Let us know.