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Texas Biodiversity

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Supreet Sahoo
Texas Biodiversity

Texas Tech University’s Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, along with U.S Geological Survey and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department are working hand in hand to assess and keep data on the biodiversity of Texas.

The Texas Bird Photo Tour is part of the National GAP Analysis Program established by the government. The Texas project is conducted by the Texas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at Tech.

The purpose of the project is to assess and keep data on the biodiversity of Texas. This information is used to show distribution of animals and how the population growth of humans and animals affects the animals’ vegetation of Texas. It also gives data for professors and scientists to predict future problems and solutions.

"We need to maintain some quality of life," said Nick Parker, unit leader and professor of the Texas Gap.
Parker said that if you look, it is a rapidly eroding picture with more people and more pressure on the land and we (society) need to find a way to manage resources because growth fragments habitat.

That is where the GAP Analysis project can help. Data collected can be used to help towns building new shopping centers or malls or even show which direction the growth of the town should go to minimize disturbance of plants and animals. The data can even help farmers and ranchers.

 

Flora

With our lush restored native grassland savannah, Selah has a large diversity of woody plants, succulents, forbs and grasses. Our herbarium currently houses a collection of over 350 preserved specimens of plants from the ranch.

  • 117 Woody Plant Species
  • 245 Wildflower Species
  • 97 Grass Species
  • 4 Fern Species
  • 6 Cacti Species

Fauna

From birds to bees, Selah has a variety of wildlife big and small. We currently have voucher specimens housed in the Texas Natural History Museum, as well as our growing insect collection located here on the ranch.

  • 8 Amphibian Species
  • 221 Bird Species
  • 5 Fish Species
  • 12 Insect Orders
  • 14 Lizard Species
  • 28 Mammal Species
  • 23 Snake Species
  • 6 Turtle Species

Keep track of our real time finds with Selah’s iNaturalist place page, where you can see what visitors, staff, and scientists are recording as part of a global biodiversity project.

 

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