The Biology of DesertsThis book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis in the book is on the organisms that dominate this harsh environment, although theoretical and experimental aspects as well as conservation and desertification are also considered Deserts are defined by their arid conditions; a consequence of this aridity is that most of the area occupied by desert is barren and monotonous, leading many people to regard it as wasteland. However, deserts are widespread and represent surprisingly biodiverse environments, although it is the relative simplicity of these ecosystems that makes them more tractable for study than more complex environments. In these resource-poor locations, natural selection is working at its most extreme and provides some of the best-known examples of Darwinian selection. The Biology of Deserts includes a wide range of ecological and evolutionary issues including morphological and physiological adaptations of desert plants and animals, species interactions, the importance of predation and parasitism, food webs, biodiversity and conservation. It features a balance of plant and animal (both invertebrate and vertebrate) examples, and also emphasizes topical applied issues such as desertification and invasive species. The book concludes by considering the positive aspects of desert conservation. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Morphological and physiological adaptations | 29 |
Morphological physiological and behavioural | 66 |
Copyright | |
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Abramsky Acacia Acacia raddiana animals annual plants Arabian oryx areas Arid Environments Australia Australian deserts Ayal beetles biomass birds brood parasite burrow bush encroachment C4 photosynthesis Chihuahuan desert CO₂ competition conservation considered correlation density desert plants desertification dispersal dunes Ecology ecosystems effects evaporative example flowers foraging geophytes gerbils germination gradient grasses grasslands grazing growth habitat habitat selection herbivores host increased indicate interactions Journal of Arid kangaroo rats kind permission leaf mammals mean annual rainfall mesic metabolic Namib desert Namibia Negev desert Negev desert Israel nitrogen North America nutrients occur Oecologia oryx Otjimbingwe photosynthesis plant species pollination populations precipitation predation prey rain regions resource rodents Rosenzweig rugatipennis Sahara saline Saltz sand savanna seeds senita Shmida shrubs soil soil salinization Sonoran desert South Africa spatial species richness spiders surface temperature tenebrionid trees vegetation wadis Ward and Seely water loss Whitford yucca moths