Arid ecosystems are characterized by high spatial heterogeneity, and the variation among vegetation patches is a clear example. Soil biotic and abiotic factors associated with these patches have also been well documented as highly heterogeneous in space. Given the low vegetation cover and little precipitation in arid ecosystems, soil microorganisms are the main drivers of nutrient cycling. None...

salinization is the main characteristic of soils in arid and semi-arid regions which reduce the agricultural potential ofirrigated lands. therefore, soil reclamation as well as determination of the leaching requirement for salt control is veryimportant for better plant growth. in this study, the effects of leaching on saline soils of sistan region, southeast of iranwere examined using unsaturat...

Growth in the publication of scientific articles is occurring at an exponential rate, prompting a growing need to synthesise information in a timely manner to combat urgent environmental problems and guide future research. Here, we undertake a topic analysis of dryland literature over the last 75 years (8218 articles) to identify areas in arid ecology that are well studied and topics that are e...

A lack of well preserved paleoclimate indicators coupled with the abundance of gypsic soils in arid and semi-arid regions has stimulated research on using dO and dD isotopic analysis of the hydration water of gypsum to interpret paleoclimate. This study stresses the importance of establishing a pedogenic origin for gypsum crystals prior to isotopic analysis and evaluates the dominant processes ...

1.1 Prevalence of abiotic stresses in SAT agriculture The semi-arid tropics (SAT) include parts of 48 countries in the developing world: in most of India, locations in south east Asia, a swathe across sub-Saharan Africa, much of southern and eastern Africa, and a few locations in Latin America (Fig 1). Semi-arid tropical regions are characterized by unpredictable weather, long dry seasons, inco...

Large termite mounds, constructed by colonies of various species of macrotermitine termites (Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae), are dominant features of the arid and semi-arid savannas of southern Africa. These mounds can populate a savanna in very high densities, generally one to four colonies per hectare, containing biomass of termites and symbiotic fungi that exceeds the typical biomass...

The world is getting modernized and industrialized day by day. As a result vehicles and engines are increasing. But energy sources used in these engines are limited and decreasing gradually. This situation leads to seek an alternative fuel for diesel engine. Biodiesel is an alternative fuel for diesel engine. The esters of vegetables oil animal fats are known as Biodiesel. This paper investigat...

A substantial reservoir (up to 1 kg ha(-1)) of natural perchlorate is present in diverse unsaturated zones of the arid and semi-arid southwestern United States. The perchlorate co-occurs with meteoric chloride that has accumulated in these soils throughout the Holocene [0 to 10-15 ka (thousand years ago)] and possibly longer periods. Previously, natural perchlorate widely believed to be limited...