Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris (Beavertail)
Credit: Susan Fawcett
about the species
Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris is widespread throughout the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, and extends into the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau. Within California, its range spans nine of the USDA Ecoregions including the Colorado Desert, Great Valley, Mojave Desert, Mono, Sierra Nevada, Sierra Nevada Foothills, Sonoran Desert, Southeastern Great Basin, and Southern California Mountains and Valleys. Prickly-pear cacti provide reliable food sources for over 90 vertebrate species and a diversity of pollinators.
why species was selected
Because it is so abundant and widespread, Opuntia basilaris var. basilaris is ideal for capturing variation across the desert landscape. Although beavertail cacti are overwhelmingly diploid, there are many polyploid Opuntia species. A reference genome will enable researchers to disentangle the complex evolutionary histories of these iconic desert plants.
