Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A satellite image of the Sahara, the world's largest hot desert and third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic. Desert greening is the process of afforestation or revegetation of deserts for ecological restoration (biodiversity), sustainable farming and forestry, but also for reclamation of natural water systems and other ecological systems that support life.
Xeric shrublands can experience woody plant encroachment, which is the thickening of bushes and shrubs at the expense of grasses. [5] 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.
Sand dunes in the Sahara Desert. Desert ecology is the study of interactions between both biotic and abiotic components of desert environments. A desert ecosystem is defined by interactions between organisms, the climate in which they live, and any other non-living influences on the habitat.
Desert plants maximize water uptake by having shallow roots that spread widely, or by developing long taproots that reach down to deep rock strata for ground water. [77] The saltbush in Australia has succulent leaves and secretes salt crystals, enabling it to live in saline areas.
Yin Yuzhen is known for her extensive tree-planting efforts in the Uxin Banner of China's semi-arid western region. Beginning in 1985, Yin experimented with various plants in her backyard, aiming to combat soil erosion and improve the barren landscape. [4]
Nurse plants also aid with recovery after herbivore grazing, because they provide higher levels of resources to the plant. [8] The effect of nurse plants on any particular species is dependent upon species richness and the dispersal strategy of the organism. [8] Nurse plants can help with seedling recruitment and protect plants from granivory.
Tropical heat generates unstable air in this area, and air masses become extremely dry due to the loss of moisture during the process of tropical ascent. [1] Hadley cell above Sahara desert. Another significant determinant of tropical desert climate are Hadley cells. Hadley cells concentrate all precipitations in the hotter humid lower pressure ...
Washingtonia filifera, the desert fan palm, [4] California fan palm, or California palm, [5] [6] [7] is a flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the far southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico.