We assembled a molecular phylogeny for the arid-zone members of the Egernia whitii species group to test Pianka's [Zoogeography and speciation of Australian desert lizards: an ecological perspective, Copeia (1972) 127-145] hypothesis that habitat specificity to the three major arid-zone vegetation communities is the primary cause of lizard speciation within the arid interior of Australia. This ...

Desert truffles are edible hypogeous (forming fruit bodies below ground) fungi that grow in semi-arid and arid areas. They highly valued for both their culinary medicinal properties the Mediterranean basin, Middle East Gulf form mycorrhizae mostly with plants belonging to Cistaceae family, mainly Helianthemum species. These still, usually, collected from wild, but loss of habitats due urbanizat...

Isotopic analysis of nitrate and sulfate minerals from the nitrate ore fields of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has shown anomalous O enrichments in both minerals. O values of 14–21 ‰ in nitrate and 0.4 to 4 ‰ in sulfate are the most positive found in terrestrial minerals to date. Modeling of atmospheric processes indicates that the O signatures are the result of photochemical reactions i...

Biogeosciences Discussions This discussion paper is/has been under review for the journal Biogeosciences (BG). Please refer to the corresponding final paper in BG if available. Abstract Atmospheric concentrations of reactive nitrogen species (Nr) from 2009 to 2011 are reported for ten sites in Xinjiang, an arid region in Northwest China. Concentrations of NH 3 , NO 2 , particulate ammonium and ...

karizes (qanat) prepare a part of fresh water sources in main desert of iran. the arid regions in deserts have isolated suitable aquatic habitats as strong barriers, thus only a few places with surface waters have remained accessible for water- related insects. this paper represents the results of only study on dragonfly species of karizes. we identified 10 species of typical desert dragonflies...

ABSTRACT Most previous studies of extreme temperatures have primarily focused on atmospheric temperatures. Using 18 years the latest version Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) data, we globally investigate spatial patterns hot and cold extremes as well diurnal range (DTR). We show that world’s highest LST 80.8°C, observed in Lut Desert Iran Sono...

One of the primary limiting factors for biological activities in desert ecosystems is nitrogen (N). This study therefore examined the effects of N and investigated the responses of an arid ecosystem to global change. We selected the typical desert plant Populus euphratica in a desert ecosystem in the Ebinur Lake area to evaluate the effects of N deposition on desert soil respiration. Three leve...

Locally isolated populations in marginal habitats may be genetically distinctive and of heightened conservation concern. Elephants inhabiting the Namib Desert have been reported to show distinctive behavioral and phenotypic adaptations in that severely arid environment. The genetic distinctiveness of Namibian desert elephants relative to other African savanna elephant (Loxodonta africana) popul...

Soil nutrients are vital for plant growth and survival present a crucial role in terrestrial function productivity. However, little is known about the effect mechanism of groundwater table on soil an arid desert ecological system. This study investigated impacts depth concentrations organic carbon (C), available nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) at shallow depths (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, 1.8, ...