[1] Water scarcity is a critical issue in semiarid regions; however, regional groundwater monitoring is extremely limited. This study evaluates the ability of the GRACE satellites to monitor groundwater storage in the semiarid High Plains aquifer, United States (450,000 km area), which is subjected to intense irrigation. GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (TWS) is highly correlated with th...

In the arid and semiarid environments of the world, microhabitats serve as models for the structure of vegetation communities. The goal of this study was to identify differences in the structures of the herbaceous communities growing on a crystalline substrate and those growing on a sedimentary substrate in a semiarid region of northeastern Brazil. One hundred 1 × 1 m plots were established in ...

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacq., renamed Megathyrsus maximus Jacq.) is a native forage plant in Africa of great economic value, but it was introduced almost all tropical countries as source animal forage. Over the last decade, North arid regions (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt) through authorized unauthorized ways. It has two reproduction modes sexual apomictic Besides its abil...

In alpine habitats, positive interactions among plants tend to increase with elevation as a result of altitudinal increase in environmental harshness. However, in mountains located in arid zones, lower elevations are also stressful because of scarce availability of water, suggesting that positive interactions may not necessarily increase with elevation. Here we analysed the spatial association ...

The rapidly increasing incidence of diabetes mellitus is becoming a serious threat to mankind's health in all parts of the world. In fact, known cases reflect only part of the problem, as many diabetics, especially with type 2 diabetes, are unaware of their disease, which initially shows no definitive symptoms. Despite the great efforts invested in diabetes research, its prevalence continues to...

We examined levels of genetic variation and genetic structure in the leafy cactus (Pereskia guamacho) in arid and semiarid zones in Venezuela. We surveyed genetic diversity within 17 populations using 19 allozyme loci. Genetic diversity was relatively high at both the species (P(s) = 89%, A(s) = 3.26, AP(s) = 3.53, H(es) = 0.24) and population (P(p) = 63%, A(p) = 1.90, AP(p) = 2.42, H(ep) = 0.2...

To gain understanding on how alluvial zones modify water and nutrient export from semiarid catchments, we compared monthly discharge as well as stream chloride, carbon, and nitrogen dynamics between a hillslope catchment and a valley-bottom catchment with a well-developed alluvium. Stream water and solute fluxes from the hillslope and valley-bottom catchments showed contrasting patterns between...

Salicornia is a valuable halophyte annual plant in the most species. This salinity tolerance plant that grows in salt water marshes are found all over the world. Since salinity is a major stress factor, Salicornia is a priceless edible vegetable, considered to be a favourable resource for cultivation in arid and semiarid coastal zones. However, the important thing is ...

Generally, alluvial basins of arid and semiarid zones are the places with excessive groundwater withdrawal, and also they have a high potential for land subsidence. Excessive groundwater withdrawals have caused severe land subsidence in Tehran, Iran. At present, the maximum land subsidence rate is 36 cm/year, covering an area of nearly 530 km2. In the 2000s, as a result of economic and populati...

The Columbia Basin of south-central Washington and north-central Oregon is a major potato-growing region in North America where more than 65,000 ha of potatoes are grown annually. The environment is semiarid (mean rainfall is between 15 and 22.5 cm), and the potato crop is irrigated mostly by center-pivot systems. Although the Columbia Basin is semiarid, potato production is annually threatened...