Anthropogenic factors such as climate change, land use, urbanization, alongside the spread of invasive species are some of the challenges impacting the arid and semi-arid regions of the western United States. Climate change in particular negatively impacts wildfire regimes and in turn increases re-establishment competition between native and invasive vegetation. The canopy of many native vegetation, such as shrubs and trees, not only provides a refuge from predators, but also offers a cool micro-climate where animals can rest away from direct sunlight. Because native vegetation canopy, such as those of shrub, may be crucial to the survival of other taxa, it’s vital to find modes of conservation whilst post-disturbance landscape recovery is made. In this study, we aimed to build artificial canopies of two shapes (triangle and rectangle) that were easily assembled and were more-cost-effective than prototypes already discussed in the literature called UV Permeable Shade Cloth Shelters (UPSS). The shelters were built using PVC piping for the skeletal structure and shade cloths at 3 light blockage intensities: 15%, 50%, and 90%. Furthermore, we paired temperature and light sensor logger to each open, shelter, and shrub micro-site to test the efficiency of the shelters at cooling and shading during the different time blocks of the day. Shelters were secured to ground using metal stakes. Generalized Linear Models (GLM) followed by post-hoc analyses were used to test for specific interactions.
Results/Conclusions:
Shelters offered more stable temperatures and more consistent blockage from sunlight compared to the open, and functioned similarly to shrubs. Micro-climate data were also significantly different from weather station data. Triangle was slightly superior to rectangle and functioned best at the 90% blockage for decreasing temperature and lowering sunlight. This evidence suggest that shelters can provide and important mechanism or tool for stakeholders to provide habitat for plants and animals either as a temporary stepping stone in restoration strategies or as a means to enhance habitat quality through simple and cost effective interventions.