Hi all– One point regarding Neahga Leonard's observations: Tamarisks (like cottonwoods and cattails) are primarily anemochores, so seed dispersal doesn't strongly depend on their position in any particular watershed. They may spring up in any damp patch, often many miles from a seed source, up, down or across elevational gradients.
Our 'Nature' essay cites two papers regarding tamarisk, one describing what we know about tamarisk introduction and identifying the moment and the reason tamarisks were recategorized from being a solution (to accelerated erosion) to being a problem (by the Phelps Dodge Mining Co.); the other reviews the more recent literature and draws attention to a variety of shortcomings in traditional tamarisk-related science. Both can be downloaded at my Academia site (below) Matthew K Chew Assistant Research Professor Arizona State University School of Life Sciences ASU Center for Biology & Society PO Box 873301 Tempe, AZ 85287-3301 USA Tel 480.965.8422 Fax 480.965.8330 [email protected] or [email protected] http://cbs.asu.edu/people/profiles/chew.php http://asu.academia.edu/MattChew
