https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Deserts_and_xeric_shrublandsDeserts and xeric shrublands - Revision history2026-07-31T18:20:42ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Deserts_and_xeric_shrublands&diff=460622&oldid=prevZVPZulma5461169 at 14:47, 23 February 20262026-02-23T14:47:37Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Biome with 250 mm of annual rainfall or less}}<br />
{{redirect|Xeric|the comic book grant foundation|Xeric Foundation}}<br />
[[File:Ain Errich1.jpg|thumb|300px|Desertic region at the [[M'Sila Province]], Algeria]]<br />
[[File:Biome_map_13.svg|thumb|right|250px|Extent of deserts and xeric shrublands]]<br />
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'''Deserts and xeric shrublands''' are a [[biome]] defined by the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]].<ref name=wwf>{{CC-notice|bysa3}} {{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425205057/http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat13.cfm|archive-date=2012-04-25|url=http://wwf.panda.org:80/about_our_earth/ecoregions/about/habitat_types/selecting_terrestrial_ecoregions/habitat13.cfm|title=Deserts and Xeric Shrubland Ecoregions|author=World Wide Fund for Nature|access-date=2019-05-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Desert]]s and xeric ([[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|ξηρός}} {{translit|grc|xērós}} 'dry') [[shrubland]]s form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of [[Earth]]'s land surface area.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lockwood|first=M.|title=Managing Protected Areas: A Global Guide|page=199}}</ref> Ecoregions in this habitat type vary greatly in the amount of annual rainfall they receive, usually less than {{convert|10|in|mm|order=flip}} annually except in the margins. Generally evaporation exceeds rainfall in these ecoregions. Temperature variability is also diverse in these lands. Many deserts, such as the [[Sahara Desert|Sahara]], are hot year-round, but others, such as East Asia's [[Gobi Desert]], become quite cold during the winter.<ref name=wwf/><br />
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Temperature extremes are a characteristic of most deserts. High daytime temperatures give way to cold nights because there is no insulation provided by [[humidity]] and cloud cover. The diversity of climatic conditions, though quite harsh, supports a rich array of habitats. Many of these habitats are [[ephemeral]] in nature, reflecting the paucity and seasonality of available water.<ref name=wwf/> Woody-stemmed shrubs and plants characterize vegetation in these regions. Above all, these plants have evolved to minimize water loss. Animal biodiversity is equally well adapted and quite diverse.<ref name=wwf/><br />
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== Degradation ==<br />
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===Desertification===<br />
{{Main article|Desertification}}<br />
[[File:Sengi-landscape Nama Karoo.tif|thumb|right|The [[Nama Karoo]] in South Africa is a xeric shrubland that receives between {{convert|100|and|500|mm|in|0}} of rain a year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/ecoregions/at1314|title=Nama Karoo|publisher=WWF|access-date=2018-12-19}}</ref>]]<br />
The conversion of productive [[drylands]] to desert conditions, known as [[desertification]], can occur from a variety of causes. One is human intervention, including intensive agricultural tillage or [[overgrazing]]<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first=C. Michael|last=Hogan|year=2009|url=https://editors.eol.org/eoearth/wiki/Overgrazing|title=Overgrazing|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Earth|editor-first1=Sidney|editor-last1=Draggan|editor-first2=Cutler J.|editor-last2=Cleveland|publisher=National Council for Science and the Environment|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> in areas that cannot support such exploitation. Climatic shifts such as [[global warming]] or the [[Milankovitch cycle]] (which drives [[Glacial period|glacials]] and [[interglacial]]s) also affect the pattern of deserts on Earth.<br />
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=== Woody plant encroachment ===<br />
{{Main article|Woody plant encroachment}}<br />
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Xeric shrublands can experience woody plant encroachment, which is the thickening of bushes and shrubs at the expense of grasses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Eldridge|first1=David J.|last2=Bowker|first2=Matthew A.|last3=Maestre|first3=Fernando T.|last4=Roger|first4=Erin|last5=Reynolds|first5=James F.|last6=Whitford|first6=Walter G.|date=July 2011|title=Impacts of shrub encroachment on ecosystem structure and functioning: towards a global synthesis: Synthesizing shrub encroachment effects|journal=Ecology Letters|language=en|volume=14|issue=7|pages=709–722|doi=10.1111/j.1461-0248.2011.01630.x|pmc=3563963|pmid=21592276}}</ref> This process is often caused by unsustainable land management practices, such as overgrazing and fire suppression, but can also be a consequence of [[climate change]]. As a result, the shrublands' core [[ecosystem services]] are affected, including its biodiversity, productivity, and groundwater recharge.<ref>{{Citation|last1=Archer|first1=Steven R.|title=Woody Plant Encroachment: Causes and Consequences|date=2017|work=Rangeland Systems|pages=25–84|editor-last=Briske|editor-first=David D.|place=Cham|publisher=Springer International Publishing|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-3-319-46709-2_2|isbn=978-3-319-46707-8|last2=Andersen|first2=Erik M.|last3=Predick|first3=Katharine I.|last4=Schwinning|first4=Susanne|last5=Steidl|first5=Robert J.|last6=Woods|first6=Steven R.|series=Springer Series on Environmental Management |s2cid=133015720 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Woody plant encroachment can be an expression of land degradation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Schlesinger|first1=William H.|last2=Reynolds|first2=James F.|last3=Cunningham|first3=Gary L.|last4=Huenneke|first4=Laura F.|last5=Jarrell|first5=Wesley M.|last6=Virginia|first6=Ross A.|last7=Whitford|first7=Walter G.|date=1990-03-02|title=Biological Feedbacks in Global Desertification|url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.247.4946.1043|journal=Science|language=en|volume=247|issue=4946|pages=1043–1048|doi=10.1126/science.247.4946.1043|pmid=17800060 |bibcode=1990Sci...247.1043S |s2cid=33033125 |issn=0036-8075|url-access=subscription}}</ref><br />
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==Ecoregions==<br />
{{see also|List of desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions}}<br />
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The World Wide Fund for Nature highlights a number of desert [[ecoregion]]s that have a high degree of [[biodiversity]] and [[endemism]]:<ref name=wwf/><br />
* The [[Nama Karoo]] of Namibia has the world's richest desert fauna.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cowling|first1=RM|first2=C|last2=Hilton-Taylor|year=1994|chapter=Patterns of plant diversity and endemism in southern Africa: An overview|pages=31–52|editor-first=BJ|editor-last=Huntley|title=Botanical diversity in southern Africa|publisher=National Botanical Institute|location=Pretoria, South Africa}}</ref><br />
* The [[Carnarvon xeric shrublands]] of Australia are a regional center for endemism.<ref name=wwf/><br />
* The [[Chihuahuan desert]] may be the most [[biodiversity|biodiverse]] desert ecoregion in the world.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Terrestrial ecoregions of North America : a conservation assessment|year=1999|last1=Ricketts|first1=TH|first2=E|last2=Dinerstein|first3=DM|last3=Olson|display-authors=et al|publisher=Island Press|location=Washington, DC|isbn=1-55963-722-6|page=44}}</ref><br />
* The [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]] and [[Baja California desert|Baja deserts]] of Mexico and the United States are unusual desert communities dominated by giant [[columnar cactus|columnar cacti]].<ref name=wwf/><br />
* [[Madagascar spiny forests]]<br />
* [[Atacama Desert]]<br />
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==See also==<br />
{{div col}}<br />
* {{annotated link|Hydric soil}} <br />
* {{annotated link|Mesic habitat|Mesic}} <br />
* {{annotated link|Rain shadow}} <br />
* {{annotated link|Sagebrush steppe}} <br />
* {{annotated link|Shrub-steppe}} <br />
* {{annotated link|Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands}} <br />
* [[Xeriscaping]] — gardening or landscaping in xeric environments<br />
* [[Xerocole]]s — animals adapted to xeric environments<br />
* [[Xerophyte]]s — plants adapted to xeric environments<br />
{{div col end}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{commons}}<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905010259/http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoframe-list.htm Index to Deserts & Xeric Shrublands at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]<br />
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090129105807/http://www.xericworld.com/forums/ Xeric World] Online community focused on the study of xeric plant species<br />
* [https://sand-boarding.com/desert-plants/ Desert Plants: List, Names and Adaptations]<br />
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{{Palearctic desert and xeric shrubland ecoregions}}<br />
{{Biomes}}<br />
{{Biodiversity of South Africa|ecoreg}}<br />
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[[Category:Deserts and xeric shrublands| ]]<br />
[[Category:Terrestrial biomes]]<br />
[[Category:Flora of the California desert regions]]<br />
[[Category:North American desert flora| ]]</div>ZVPZulma5461169