Indlela Izitshalo Ezincishanayo Eziqongelela Ngayo Amanzi Azo

AKUZONA zonke izitshalo zaseSaguaro National Monument yaseArizona ezonga amanzi azo. Emahlathini aluhlaza aseziNtabeni ezinkulu zeRincon, amanzi amaningi amane azidlulele nje, angena ngezimpande futhi aphume ngamaqabunga. Kodwa leyo yindawo ekude yalelipaki. Izwe eliphansi elishisayo, eliwugwadule olomile elikhanga izivakashi. Yilapho-ke lapho kuna khona imvula engamamilimitha angaphansi kuka-300 onyakeni ovamile.

Kunezinhlobo ezingaba ngu-50 zomdolofiya kulelipaki, kodwa lowo oqongelela amanzi amaningi kakhulu yilowo okwethiwe ngawo lendawo eyigugu yesizwe, isaguaro enkulu, iCarnegiea gigantea. Isaguaro (ephinyiselwa ngokuthi “sawaro”) iqala iyincane kodwa igcina iyinkulu kakhulu. Nokho, kuthatha isikhathi ngayo ukufinyelela lapho. Imbewu ngokwayo ayiyinkulu kunongci osekugcineni kwalomusho. Ekupheleni konyaka waso wokuqala, isithombo singase sibe ngamasentimitha angu-0,6 kuphela. Ngemva kweminyaka engu-15 siba ngamasentimitha angamashumi amathathu, namamitha amabili ngemva kweminyaka engu-50, igatsha laso lokuqala livela eminyakeni engu-75. Ngalesikhathi, siqala ukuqhakaza nokukhiqiza imbewu. Lapho isikhule ngokwanele, isaguaro eyodwa ikhiqiza amashumi ezinkulungwane zembewu ngonyaka, engaba yizigidi ezingu-40 ekuphileni kwayo, okungeyodwa kuphela engase iphile ize iguge. Ingaphila iminyaka engu-200, nesiqu esingamamitha angu-0,8 ubukhulu, ibe ngamamitha angu-15 ubude, futhi inesisindo samathani ayishumi—izingxenye ezine kweziyisihlanu okungamanzi. Futhi sincishana kakhulu ngamanzi aso!

Futhi sinomona kabi ukuze siwathole! Izimpande zaso zakha umhlandla ongajulile owenaba uze ufinyelele emamitheni angu-30 nhlangothi zonke. Ngemva kokuna kwemvula, lezimpande zimunca amanzi angamalitha angu-750, anele ukugcina isaguaro iphila unyaka owodwa. Amashubhu akhiwa izimbambo zokhuni ezingu-12 noma ngaphezulu ahamba ngaphakathi kwesiqu namagatsha ukuze asiqinise. Imifingcizo enjengenkositini isivumela ukuba sikhukhumale noma sinciphe. Isikhumba saso esiluhlaza, esinengcina senza ukudla ngephotosynthesis futhi silondoloze umswakamo. Ameva aso avimbela izilwane ekwebeni amanzi aso.

Kodwa okumangalisayo ngenqubo yemidolofiya yokulondoloza amanzi amandla awo okukhiqiza ukudla kwawo ngaphandle kokulahleka kwamanzi amaningi. Iphotosynthesis—inqubo izitshalo ezikhiqiza ngayo ukudla kwazo—ifuna amanzi avela ezimpandeni, isikhutha esivela emoyeni, nokukhanya kwelanga. Phakathi namahora okukhanya kwasemini, izitshalo eziningi zikhipha amaphesenti amaningi kakhulu amanzi azo ngezimbotshana, noma amastoma asemaqabungeni azo, ngesikhathi esifanayo zingenise isikhutha nokukhanya kwelanga okudingekayo kuyiphotosynthesis.

Nokho, imidolofiya ngeke ikumele ukulahleka okunjalo kwamanzi phakathi namahora okukhanya kwasemini endaweni yawo ezungezile eshisayo, neyomile. Ngakho, ivala izimbotshana eziseziqwini zawo ukuze ivimbele noma yikuphi ukulahleka kwamanzi ngokuhwamuka. Nokho, lokhu kuvimbela ukungeniswa kwesikhutha esidingekayo kuyiphotosynthesis, engenzeka kuphela lapho kunokukhanya kwelanga ukuze kunikeze amandla adingekayo. Ixazululwa kanjani lenkinga? Ngomklamo ongavamile wesayensi yezinto eziphilayo.

Ikhambi Lenkinga

Ubusuku basogwadule bupholile, buyabanda ngisho nokubanda. Imidolofiya ivula izimbotshana zayo ngalesosikhathi. Ingenisa isikhutha kodwa ikhulule umswakamo omncane kakhulu emoyeni wasebusuku. Kodwa iphotosynthesis ayenzeki ngalesikhathi. Isikhutha sibekwa ngesethi isimiso sokulumbana kwamakhemikhali esihluke ngokuphelele futhi esisebenza ngokuphumelela kakhulu, esibizwa ngokuthi yisimiso sePEP. Kamuva, isikhutha siyadedelwa futhi sithunyelwe endaweni lapho izinqubo ezivamile zephotosynthesis zenzeka khona emini.

Iphotosynthesis ngokwayo iyinqubo eyinkimbinkimbi ngempela ehlanganisa ukulumbana okuhlukahlukene kwamakhemikhali okungaba ngu-70 futhi kuye kwakhulunyelwa ngokuthi “isenzakalo esimangalisa ngempela.” Indlela ekhethekile imidolofiya eyenza ngayo ebusuku ukuze ilondoloze amanzi imane inezele ekubeni yisimangaliso kwayo. Yebo, izazi zokuziphendukela kwemvelo, zithi konke kwenzeka ngengozi, kodwa njengoba ingasetshenziswa izitshalo eziningi ezingahlobene nayo, lengozi kwakumelwe ingasenzi kanye lesimangaliso kodwa isenze izikhathi eziningi. Ubufakazi kanye nokucabanga okuvamile kubonisa ukuthi kwenzeka ngokomklamo woMdali ohlakaniphile.

Isikhonzi Sokuningi

Isaguaro iyanikela enhlalakahleni yomphakathi. Kusukela ngasekupheleni kuka-April kuqhubeke kuze kube uJune, izixha ezinkulu zezimbali ezimhlophe zakha isigqoko esembozayo ngaphezu kwesihloko sesiqu namagatsha. Imbali ngayinye ivuleka ebusuku futhi ibune ngosuku olulandelayo. Kodwa isaguaro ngayinye iphindaphinda lenqubo ubusuku ngobusuku amasonto angaba mane, ikhiqize izimbali eziningi ezingaba yikhulu. Ukubukeka kwayo okukhanyayo kuye kwayizuzela udumo lokuba imbali yezwe laseArizona. Izinyoni, amalulwane, izinyosi, namabhungane kuzodla ngompe futhi lulumbanise izimbali.

Izithelo zivuthwa phakathi kukaJune noJuly, lapho amajavelina, amacoyote, izimpungushe, izingwejeje, amaharvester ant, nezinyoni eziningi kuzitika ngezithelo nembewu. Amaflicker neziqophamithi zimba imigodi yokuzalela esiqwini nasemagatsheni ezingaphezu kwezizidingayo, kodwa lesitshalo selapha izilonda ngotwentwesi oluvikela izibazi ukuze sivikele ukulahleka kwamanzi, futhi lezimbobo kamuva zisetshenziswa ezinye izinyoni eziningi, kuhlanganise, nezikhova okuthiwa amaelf, izikhova eziyingozi, nohele abancane. Umbango uba mkhulu.

Eminyakeni edlule, lezimbobo ezinjengesigubhu zazisetshenziswa ngamaNdiya njengezimbiza zamanzi. Izimbambo zokhuni ezazisekela isisindo esikhulu samasaguaro anamanzi zazisetshenziselwa ukwakha izindawo zokukhosela nokubuyela. Lezitshalo ezinkulu eziluhlaza zikhiqiza futhi izithelo eziningi ezinjengemikhiwane ezinompe, amaNdiya omdabu angamaPapago ayeziwisa phezulu eziqwini nasemagatsheni ngezingodo ezinde. Ayenza ngazo ujamu, uju, notshwala. Imbewu yayidliwa ngamaNdiya nezinkukhu zawo. Isithelo sesaguaro sasibaluleke kakhulu kumaPapago kangangokuthi inkathi yokuvuna yayiphawula unyaka omusha.

Izitshalo zasogwadule ziyakwazi ukubhekana nenkinga yamanzi. Isitshalo imesquite siwathola wonke amanzi esiwadingayo. Sithumela impande enkulu phansi ngamamitha ayishumi kuya ku-30 ukuze ithole umthombo ongaphansi komhlaba. Kodwa lesithombo siphila kanjani phakathi nalesikhathi eside sokoma kuze kube yilapho impande yaso enkulu ifika emanzini? Lokho kumane nje kungenye yezimfihlakalo ezingaxazululiwe zasogwadule. Icereus eqhakaza ebusuku yakha isigaxa esisebenza njengendawo yokulondoloza yangasese ngaphansi komhlabathi. Isihlahlana secreosote sithumela izimpande ezifinyelela kude ukuze zilande amanzi, ngesikhathi esifanayo ezikhipha ubuthi ukuze bubulale noma yiziphi ezinye izithombo eziqala ukumila eduze naso.

Lezozitshalo ezinhle eziphila isikhathi esingangonyaka eziqhakaza entwasahlobo futhi zimboze ugwadule ngobukhazikhazi bazo obuyimibalabala azinalo nelilodwa lalamacebo awubuciko bokusinda ekuntulekeni kwamanzi. Khona-ke zikwenza kanjani? Ziyakugwema ngokuphelele ukuswelakala! Izimbewu zazo ngaphakathi zinamakhemikhali azivimbela ekubeni ziqhume. Ukuna okunamandla kwemvula kuyozisusa lezivimbeli, futhi imbewu iyomila futhi ikhule, izitshalo ziyoqhakaza futhi zikhiqize imbewu yezitshalo zesikhathi esizayo. Kuthatha okungenani amamilimitha angu-13 emvula ukususa lezivimbeli; imvudlana engenamandla ngeke yanele. Lembewu kusengathi iyakwazi ukulinganisa imvula, futhi ngaphandle kokuba ine ngokwanele ukuba imanzise esiyingini esiphelele sokuphila kwayo, ayimili. Ayikuqali lokho engeke ikuqede.

Amasaguaro anomakhelwane abathakazelisayo, akunjalo?

[Izithombe ekhasini 24]

Izimbali nesithelo se“saguaro”

[Isithombe ekhasini 25]

Zisebenza njengendawo yokuqhwakela yohele

[Umthombo]

Frank Zullo