Littering
Cause: Litter is left by illegal immigrants, drug traffickers, and hikers
Effect:
Animals: Litter has been poisoning the local wildlife and lowering the quality of water and soil in the area. Deer and other herbivores have been mistaking it for plant life and have been becoming poisoned after consuming the litter. This has lowers the amount of larger herbivores through poisoning which allows scavengers like coyotes to gain more food but leaves larger predators like mountain lions with smaller amounts of food.
Plants: Plants like the Saguaro Cactus have also been affected, since chemicals in the litter have been entering the soil and water in the area. For example, cigarette fitters have been entering the soil and have been spreading nicotine, benzene and cadmium. The fitters remain in the soil for ten to fifteen years and slowly weakens all the plants in proximity to it. This has prevented plants from sustaining themselves and growing, has led to a lack of plant life in some areas and smaller,stunted plants in others.
Effect:
Animals: Litter has been poisoning the local wildlife and lowering the quality of water and soil in the area. Deer and other herbivores have been mistaking it for plant life and have been becoming poisoned after consuming the litter. This has lowers the amount of larger herbivores through poisoning which allows scavengers like coyotes to gain more food but leaves larger predators like mountain lions with smaller amounts of food.
Plants: Plants like the Saguaro Cactus have also been affected, since chemicals in the litter have been entering the soil and water in the area. For example, cigarette fitters have been entering the soil and have been spreading nicotine, benzene and cadmium. The fitters remain in the soil for ten to fifteen years and slowly weakens all the plants in proximity to it. This has prevented plants from sustaining themselves and growing, has led to a lack of plant life in some areas and smaller,stunted plants in others.
Invasive Species
The Sonoran desert's ecosystem is also burdened with a variety of invasive species. Some invasive species inhabiting the desert are buffelgrass and bullfrogs. These biotic and abiotic factors were put into the ecosystem by man with the intent of providing food and fertilization, but have been found to be more trouble than originally planned for; they are displacing plants and animals native to the desert.