What Are the Effects of Driving All Terrain Vehicles in Desert Ecosystems?

Compression of Soil

• ATV compress soil because of their weight. This changes the ability of the soil to retain water. The compaction of soil can change erosion patterns and create permanent ruts, increasing the flow of water away from areas, and with it the flow of nutrients and minerals. This extra erosion also adds sediment to streams, which increases the temperature of the water and alters the quality of the water for the worse.

Damage to Vegetation

• The weight of ATVs crushes native plants and their root systems. In some areas of ATV use, some native species have become nearly extinct. According to Mostly Water, desert areas in California show a drastic decrease in plants in areas of high ATV use, particularly native plants. Sand dune ecosystems are particularly fragile, and cannot recover once ATVs have displaced sand and ruined dune plants.

The Effect of Noise on Desert Animals

• ATVs create an unnatural level of noise which can be disturbing to animals native to the desert. Excessive noise can cause animals to change eating and mating patterns. Desert tortoises and lizards both show negative reactions to the noise, moving away from their traditional habitat to avoid it. Sometimes lizards use the trails created by ATVs for their own travel, and end up in danger of being run over. Flat-tailed horned lizards in the desert move more slowly after being disturbed by ATVs, which also puts them at risk.

Invasion of Non-Native Plants

• ATVs often carry seeds of non-native plants and weeds in the tread of their tires, weeds that can take root in areas of ATV-caused erosion, sometimes pushing out native species of plants. According to the Department of the Interior, ATVs are the main cause for the spread of noxious plants in western deserts.

Soil and Water Pollution

• The sediment created by ATVs that ends up in streams threatens the animals living in the water. In deserts, soil pollution disturbs the lichens and other organisms that live on the surface of the soil, destabilizing the fragile ecosystem. Soil pollution also poisons plants, slowing the process of photosynthesis.

Archaeological Damage

• Many deserts are the sites of archaeological expeditions, which can be severely damaged by ATVs. According to the California Department of Parks, Red Rock Canyon State Park had 36 archaeological sites suffer damage because of loss of soil, damage of geological features and destruction of archaeological artifacts.