THE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROGRAM




    New pup on Lophophora williamsii


        
      Peyote post-harvest regrowth –

      Summary of our observations.
      After two years

        PNF – Plant not found.
            TNF – Tag not found.
            NP – Not present.
             nd   – No data available.
               –    – Missing data.


        Concerning data on regrowth involving multiple pups:
            1) There is not necessarily a direct 1:1 correspondence between sequential figures for individual pups within a single plant.
            2) It was not uncommon for some or all pups to be partly or entirely covered with soil so some photos may reflect the pre-uncovery state.

        Images of the tags can be viewed via the links for the tag numbers and images of the actual plants that were harvested in our study can be viewed using the links in the column headed "Regrowth as number of pups".




      Plant No.
       
      Number
      of ribs

       
      Diameter
      (cm)
       
      Height
      (cm)
       
      Weight
      (gm)
       
      Regrowth as
      number of pups
      or TNF, PNF
      Regrowth as
      diameter of pups

      (cm)
         Comments   

       
      2009
      2010
              3 Mar. 2008 11 Nov. 2008
      7 Mar. 2009
      6 Mar. 2010
      11 Nov. 2008
      7 Mar. 2009
      6 Mar. 2010
       
       
      101
      101
      13 6.2 3.0 65 4
      4
      4
      1.3, 2.5, 2.4, 1.2
      2.0, 2.7, 2.5, 1.3
      2.5, 3.1, 3.1, 20

      102
      102
        5 2.4 1.0   3 1
      1
      NP
      1.5
      1.5
      nd


         hogs   
      103
      103
        5 2.0 0.7   3 3
      2
      2
      0.5, 0.8, 0.9
      1.2, 1.3
      1.4, 1.5

      104
      104
        8 4.6 1.5 23 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      2
      nd
      nd
        9

      105
      105
        8 5.0 1.5 23 0
      TNF, PNF
      0
      nd
      nd
      nd


         dead   
      106
      106
      13 6.3 1.6 45 2
      3
      2
      2.0, 2.4
      2.0, 2.4, 1.9
      4.0, 7.0

      107
      107
        8 5.0 3.0 31 6
      6
      0
      1.5, 2.0, 1.8, 1.3, 1.6, 1.4
      1.8, 2.4, 2.2, 1.5, 1.9, 1.5
      nd


         dead   
      108
      108
        8 5.0 1.5 31 TNF, PNF
      3
      3
      nd
      2.1, 1.8, 2.1
      2.1, 1.6, 2.4

      109
      109
        9 5.8 1.9 43 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      3
      nd
      nd
      2.9, 3.8, 3.4

      110
      110
        8 4.1 1.8 23 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      2
      nd
      nd
      2.5, 2.1

      111
      111
        8 2.7 0.9   6 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      2
      nd
      nd
      2.0, 0.6

      112
      112
      13 4.8 0.7 20 TNF, PNF
      4
      4
      nd
      2.1, 2.0, 1.7, 1.6
      2.6, 1.3, 2.7, 2.4

      113
      113
      13 6.3 2.6 74 1
      0
      0
      0.9
      nd
      nd


         dead   
      114
      114
        8 4.1 1.2 17 2
      2
      2
      1.7, 1.9
      1.7, 1.7
      2.1, 2.2

      115
      115
        5 2.2 0.8   3 0
      0
      0
      nd
      nd
      nd


         dead   
      116
      116
        8 4.4 0.3 23 3
      3
      3
      1.7, 1.0, 1.4
      1.7, 0.9, 1.6
      2.5, 0.7, 1.8

      117
      117
        8 5.4 1.7 28 3
      3
      3
      1.3, 2.8, 1.8
      1.8, 3.0, 2.1
      1.7, 3.6, 2.2

      118
      118
        8 5.3 1.3 34 5
      5
      5
      1.0, 1.3, 1.0, 1.2, 1.4
      1.0, 1.9, 1.3, 1.7, 2.0
      1.9, 1.1, 1.4, 1.0, 1.5

      119
      119
      13 5.4 2.3 48 4
      4
      4
      1.9, 0.8, 1.5, 1.6
      2.2, 0.9, 1.3, 1.9
      2.4, 0.9, 1.6, 1.6

      120
      120
        8 5.6 1.4 28 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      2
      nd
      nd
      1.8, 2.1

      121
      121
      13 6.3 2.6 71 2
      2
      2
      1.9, 2.5
      2.4, 2.6
      2.4, 2.7

      122
      122
        5 2.9 1.0   6 1
      TNF, PNF
      1
      2.2
      nd
      2.1

      123
      123
        8 5.0 1.8 31 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      2
      nd
      nd
      2.1, 1.6

      124
      124
        8 4.1 1.1 17 2
      2
      2
      1.9, 2.1
      1.8, 2.0
      1.8, 1.8

      125
      125
        8 4.4 1.1 14 2
      2
      2
      1.6, 1.5
      2.0, 1.6
      1.4, 1.4

      126
      126
      13 5.0 2.0 54 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      3
      nd
      nd
      2.4, 2.5, 2.4

      127
      127
        8 4.3 1.2 28 1
      1
      1
      1.8
      2.0
      2.3

      128
      128
      13 4.9 1.6 34 3
      3
      3
      1.6, 2.4, 2.0
      1.7, 2.8, 2.0
      1.8, 2.8, 2.1

      129
      129
      10 5.3 2.0 34 4
      4
      3
      2.0, 2.0, 1.0, 2.2
      2.2, 2.2, 1.7, 2.3
      2.2, 2.0, 2.3

      130
      130
        8 5.3 1.6 23 2
      2
      2
      1.1, 3.1
      1.1, 3.7
      3.9, 1.4

      131
      131
        8 4.8 2.6 26 3
      3
      3
      1.4, 1.2, 1.1
      1.9, 1.5, 1.4
      1.0, 1.7, 1.6

      132
      132
        8 4.4 1.5 17 2
      2
      NP
      1.5, 2.0
      1.9, 2.0
      nd


         hogs   
      133
      133
        8 4.2 1.7 20 0
      1
      1
      nd
      0.8
      1.3

      134
      134
        8 3.4 1.1   9 0
      2
      2
      nd
      1.4, 1.6
      1.4, 1.4

      135
      135
      13 5.4 1.0 28 2
      2
      2
      2.8, 1.7
      3.2, 1.9
      3.9, 1.8

      136
      136
      13 5.7 2.3 48 2
      3
      3
      1.9, 1.9
      2.4, 2.3, 1.4
      2.1, 2.2, 2.0

      137
      137
        8 4.6 1.5 17 3
      3
      3
      1.8, 1.8, 1.7
      1.6, 1.6, 1.3
      1.3, 1.2, 1.2

      138
      138
      13 5.7 2.6 43 TNF, 4
      4
      3
      1.1, 1.4, 1.8, 1.1
      1.2, 1.7, 2.4, 1.4
      3.0, 1.2, 1.2

      139
      139
        5 2.9 1.0   6 1
      1
      1
      1.8
      1.9
      2.1

      140
      140
      10 5.4 1.2 28 0
      0
      0
      nd
      nd
      nd


         dead   
      141
      141
      13 5.0 1.0 23 4
      4
      4
      1.6, 1.6, 1.8, 1.5
      –, –, –, –
      2.0, 1.8, 1.5, 1.5

      142
      142
      13 6.4 2.1 62 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      4
      nd
      nd
      2.6, 1.3, 1.1, 1.2

      143
      143
      13 6.3 1.9 51 TNF, PNF
      TNF, PNF
      3
      nd
      nd
      2.9, 2.7, 2.6

      144
      144
        5 3.9 1.7 23 2
      2
      2
      1.0, 1.0
      1.4, 1.3
      0.9, 1.0

      145
      145
        5 3.5 0.9 11 1
      1
      1
      1.4
      1.5
      1.4

      146
      146
      13 5.9 1.5 37 2
      2
      2
      1.8, 1.6
      2.0, 1.9
      2.2, 2.3

      147
      47
      13 5.7 1.6 34 4
      4
      4
      1.0, 1.4, 1.4, 1.8
      1.5, 1.5, 2.0, 2.0
      1.7, 1.5, 1.7, 1.2

      148
      148
      13 6.8 3.0 54 1
      1
      1
      2.5
      3.4
      3.2

      149
      149
      13 6.7 1.5 51 6
      6
      6
      1.8, 1.1, 1.0, 0.9, 1.1, 1.8,
      2.1, 2.0, 1.9, 1.4, 2.0, 2.0
      2.9, 1.7, 1.9, 1.9, 1.7, 2.4

      150
      150
        5 2.9 1.0   9 2
      2
      2
      1.3, 1.3
      1.4, 1.4
      1.0, 1.2


      The plants being surveyed are part of a larger population occurring on private land in South Texas. The area of the survey site itself is defined with a transect of 17-gauge electric fence wire secured with steel stakes the locations of which are recorded with a high resolution GPS. The transect zigzags through the study site with all plants in the study being located within approximately one-half meter of the wire. The area of the study site has not yet been accurately measured but we estimate it to be around half a hectare.

          We also tagged and measured a control group of 50 plants on 23 NOV 2008, which in future monitoring will give us an idea of the magnitude of natural mortality not associated with harvesting. {The results from our March 2009/2010 visits concerning those 50 individuals.}

          An additional 20 plants (#201-220) were harvested during the November 2008 monitoring to make up for what was believed to be lost plants from the original group of 50 harvested plants. {The results from our March 2009/2010 visits concerning those twenty individuals.}


      7 March 2009 update:
          Interestingly we found the same number of harvested study plants (with their tags) but as can be seen in the table above these were not entirely the same plants & tags as had been located on 23 November 2008.
          On this visit we used a Trimble high-resolution GPS instrument to record the location of all tags and/or plants located.
          Complete or partial burial of plants and their tags was sometimes encountered. To aid in future visits we added a rebar stake near each tagged plant.


      6 March 2010 update:
          A number of our tags and plants were completely buried and hence provided missing data in 2009. This year, 2010, thanks to the use of a high powered metal detector, we located all of our tags, stakes and plants unless the plants themselves were totally missing from the study site.


          Feral hog activity was extensive at this site so we will split the presentation of our data assessment into two conclusions: mortality involving hogs and mortality not involving hogs.
      Lophophora is surviving many known challenges.




      Regrowth study site showing typical Tamaulipan thornscrub vegetation

         

          If you would like to help support additional studies of this type, designed to answer basic questions that are critical to the optimal stewardship/management of vulnerable cactus species, please send a contribution, of $25 USD or whatever amount you can afford, to the Cactus Conservation Institute, 909 E. Sul Ross Ave., Alpine, TX 79830.
          We also now accept donations via PayPal.






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