Following Dr. Bryan Endress up a hill behind the Beckman Center, the main research facilities at the Wild Animal Park, I came upon a landscape only rivaled in its bizarreness by Dr. Seuss himself. Dozens of small pots were arranged in rows, each one containing a tiny cactus pad half buried in the dirt. Some of the pads were sticking straight up whereas others were lying down, giving the appearance of a miniscule cemetery filled with fleshy green tombstones.

Dr. Endress, the Associate Director of Conservation Research for the division of Applied Plant Ecology, soon explained the story behind this strange sight. Applied Plant Ecology is the newest division at the research arm of the San Diego Zoo, and one of its main goals is to restore degraded plant communities so that the endangered animal species that depend upon them will thrive. The project we witnessed was designed to determine the most efficient way to grow a type of cactus in the genus Opuntia, which is the favored habitat for endangered cactus wrens.

The rest of our day was spent learning how to be plant ecologists and conducting real field research out in the Wild Animal Park’s 900-acre “backyard”. Dr. Endress and his team instructed us on the proper method of surveying cacti. We filled out data logs documenting relative health, new growth, presence of roots, proximity to other plants, and other important information for each cactus pad. Tromping through the brush on the steep slope where the cacti were planted, we avidly searched out each Opuntia pad, acting like children on a scavenger hunt in an exotic wilderness. Yet as we finished our survey, we also felt a sense of accomplishment, as the importance of this research was made clear. If enough Opuntia cacti are not restored to the vanishing coastal sage scrub habitat, the cactus wren will have nowhere to live and be protected from predators, further diminishing their numbers in the wild.

Although it might seem to be the case from my description, a plant ecologist’s job is no walk in the park. Dr. Endress and his team had to come up with a specific scientific methodology to accurately test the factors that might influence cactus growth rates. They are testing whether lying flat or being upright has any effect, as well as measuring the differences between plants that are grown in pots versus out in the field. The researchers must consider every variable that might interfere with the Opuntia’s growth, and worst of all, they have to be patient through a long-term experiment that will take many months to complete. If they succeed in gathering statistically significant results, however, the rewards will be monumental. This research will not only benefit scientists at the San Diego Zoo, it will also help habitat conservation efforts of other nearby environmental organizations. Of course, the greatest reward of all lies in helping the cactus wren find a safe home.

Sara, Careers Team

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