Deserts and Semideserts

Deserts and Semideserts PDF Author: Michael Allaby
Publisher: Heinemann-Raintree Library
ISBN: 1432941755
Category : Desert animals
Languages : en
Pages : 66

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Book Description
There are deserts on every continent, from the sun-baked heart of Africa to the chilly plains of northern China. Together, they make up one of Earth's largest biomes. Biologists divide the living world into major zones called biomes, including deserts, oceans, tropical forests, and tundra. Looking at biomes helps us understand the connections between our planet's climate and the plants and animals that live there. Biomes also have a huge impact on people. Each book reveals the fascinating web of relationships between climate, plants, animals, and people that makes every biome unique. Inside this book Superb photography, bringing each biome dramatically to life Clear maps of each major region of every featured habitat identify the main areas of environmental stress Fact panels give at-a-glance information on each region Meets curriculum standards for the study of biomes and their importance for plants, animals, and people Glossary, sources of further information, and index Book jacket.

Deserts and Semideserts

Deserts and Semideserts PDF Author: Michael Allaby
Publisher: Heinemann-Raintree Library
ISBN: 1432941755
Category : Desert animals
Languages : en
Pages : 66

Get Book Here

Book Description
There are deserts on every continent, from the sun-baked heart of Africa to the chilly plains of northern China. Together, they make up one of Earth's largest biomes. Biologists divide the living world into major zones called biomes, including deserts, oceans, tropical forests, and tundra. Looking at biomes helps us understand the connections between our planet's climate and the plants and animals that live there. Biomes also have a huge impact on people. Each book reveals the fascinating web of relationships between climate, plants, animals, and people that makes every biome unique. Inside this book Superb photography, bringing each biome dramatically to life Clear maps of each major region of every featured habitat identify the main areas of environmental stress Fact panels give at-a-glance information on each region Meets curriculum standards for the study of biomes and their importance for plants, animals, and people Glossary, sources of further information, and index Book jacket.

Climate Change in Deserts

Climate Change in Deserts PDF Author: Martin Williams
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107016916
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 653

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Book Description
A synthesis of the environmental and climatic history of every major desert and desert margin, for researchers and advanced students.

Fire in California's Ecosystems

Fire in California's Ecosystems PDF Author: Jan W. van Wagtendonk
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520961919
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 567

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Book Description
Fire in California’s Ecosystems describes fire in detail—both as an integral natural process in the California landscape and as a growing threat to urban and suburban developments in the state. Written by many of the foremost authorities on the subject, this comprehensive volume is an ideal authoritative reference tool and the foremost synthesis of knowledge on the science, ecology, and management of fire in California. Part One introduces the basics of fire ecology, including overviews of historical fires, vegetation, climate, weather, fire as a physical and ecological process, and fire regimes, and reviews the interactions between fire and the physical, plant, and animal components of the environment. Part Two explores the history and ecology of fire in each of California's nine bioregions. Part Three examines fire management in California during Native American and post-Euro-American settlement and also current issues related to fire policy such as fuel management, watershed management, air quality, invasive plant species, at-risk species, climate change, social dynamics, and the future of fire management. This edition includes critical scientific and management updates and four new chapters on fire weather, fire regimes, climate change, and social dynamics.

Ecophysiology of Economic Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands

Ecophysiology of Economic Plants in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands PDF Author: Gerald E. Wickens
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3662037009
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
This book deals with arid and semi-arid environments and their classification, and the physiological restraints and adaptations of plants to the environment. Further, it discusses economic botany and the needs and methods of conserving economic plants. A broad view is taken regarding the definition of economic plants, taking into account their value to the environment as well as to man and to livestock. The individual deserts and associated semi-arid regions are described in separate chapters, providing background information on the regional environments in terms of climate and major plant formations. The economic plants within these formations, their usages, geographical distribution together with their morphological and physiological adaptations are treated in detail.

Encyclopedia of Deserts

Encyclopedia of Deserts PDF Author: Michael A. Mares
Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press
ISBN: 0806172290
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 695

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Book Description
Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.

Sustainable Land Use in Deserts

Sustainable Land Use in Deserts PDF Author: Siegmar-W. Breckle
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 364259560X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 473

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Book Description
Changing desert areas for land use implies a lot of ecological problems. These and related ones are dealt with in this book covering various interdisciplinary and international aspects. Large areas in arid and semi-arid regions are already polluted in various ways. One of the biggest problems is the anthropogenic salinization by inadequate means of agriculture and irrigation. Additionally, most arid areas in the world are dramatically overgrazed. Methods and practices of a sustainable land use in deserts are urgently needed in many arid regions. This book gives a broad survey on some of the affected regions of the world as well as some case studies from elsewhere (Aral Sea, Negev desert, Namib desert etc.). Thus, basic and applied sciences are brought together. Water management in deserts, grazing systems or reclamation of desertified areas are among the topics of this book, as well as social and economic aspects.

Arid and Semi-Arid Geomorphology

Arid and Semi-Arid Geomorphology PDF Author: Andrew S. Goudie
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107067162
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 467

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Book Description
Based on four decades of research by Professor Andrew Goudie, this volume provides a state-of-the-art synthesis of our understanding of desert geomorphology. It presents a truly international perspective, with examples from all over the world. Extensively referenced and illustrated, it covers such topics as the importance of past climatic changes, the variability of different desert environments, rock breakdown, wind erosion and dust storm generation, sand dunes, fluvial and slope forms and processes, the role of the applied geomorphologist in desert development and conservation, and the Earth as an analogue for other planetary bodies. This book is destined to become the classic volume on arid and semi-arid geomorphology for advanced students and researchers in physical geography, geomorphology, Earth science, sedimentology, environmental science and archaeology.

Reclamation of Arid Lands

Reclamation of Arid Lands PDF Author: Mohammad Jafari
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 331954828X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
This book provides an overview of arid and semi-arid lands conditions, their general characteristics, methods of management, conservation, exploitation and reclamation. It also focuses on how to utilize the potential of arid lands with the minimum manipulation and alteration. Arid and semi-arid areas represent a major part of natural ecosystems not only in Iran, but around the world, and mismanagement and inappropriate exploitation of these areas may lead to further gradual degradation. As such, an understanding of the characteristics of these areas is vital if they are to be conserved and reclaimed.

Nomadic Desert Birds

Nomadic Desert Birds PDF Author: W. Richard J. Dean
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 366208984X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
My interest in the behaviour and movements of birds of arid and semi-arid ecosystems began when my wife, Sue Milton, and I were Roy Siegfried, Director, at that time, of the Percy approached by Prof. FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, to set up a project to investigate granivory in the South African Karoo. Sue and I spent some time finding a suitable study site, setting up accommodations and an automatic weather station at Tierberg, in the southern Karoo near the village of Prince Albert, and planning projects. Among our first projects was a transect where we noted plant phe nology, measured seed densities on the soil surface, counted birds, observed ant activity, measured soil surface temperatures and col lected whatever climate data we could at 40 sites along a 200-km oval route. Along the way, we became interested in the marked presence and absence of birds at certain sites - abundant birds one day, and very few birds at the same site a month later. Subsequent counts along fixed transects through shrublands confirmed that a number of bird species were highly nomadic over short and long distances, locally and regionally, leading to speculation on how widespread these movements were in the arid ecosystems of the world.

Deserts and Desert Environments

Deserts and Desert Environments PDF Author: Julie J Laity
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444300741
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Taking a global perspective, this book provides a concise overviewof drylands, including their physical, biological, temporal, andhuman components. Examines the physical systems occurring in desert environments,including climate, hydrology, past and present lakes, weathering,hillslopes, geomorphic surfaces, water as a geomorphic agent, andaeolian processes Offers an accessible introduction to the physical, biological,temporal, and human components of drylands Investigates the nature, environmental requirements, andessential geomorphic roles of plants and animals in this stressfulbiological environment Highlights the impact of human population growth on climate,desertification, water resources, and dust storm activity Includes an examination of surface/atmosphere interactions andthe impact of ENSO events.