Coccidioidomycosis occurs in arid and semi-arid regions of the New World from the western United States to Argentina. Highly endemic areas are present in the southwest United States. Coccidioides species live in the soil and produce pulmonary infection via airborne arthroconidia. The skin may be involved by dissemination of the infection, or by reactive eruptions, such as a generalized exanthem...

Monitoring of net primary productivity (NPP) is especially important for the fragile ecosystems in arid and semi-arid regions. Great interest exists in observing large-scale vegetation dynamics and understanding spatial and temporal patterns of NPP in these areas. In this study we present results of NPP obtained with the model BETHY/DLR for Kazakhstan for 2003-2011 and its spatial and temporal ...

Loss of species richness and reduced abundance have been the main responses to perturbations of smalland medium-sized mammals in arid and semi-arid areas. Nonetheless, some mammal species whose habitat requirements are met in disturbed patches may benefit from structural changes in the environment brought about by perturbations. In desert areas of Argentina different mammal responses are attrib...

In recent years , tritium (the radioactive isotope of hydrogen) has been increasingly used as a r e search tool in chemistry, physics, biology, meteorology and hydrology. In a variety of investigations, such as the study of biological and metabolic processes, tritium or a chemical compound with tritium as one of the constituents can be used as a tracer. It is also useful in studying the effects...

Land degradation impacts on several critical environmental issues such as food security, diminishing quality and quantity of fresh water resources, preservation of natural resources, loss of biodiversity, and global climate change. Land degradation is responsible for soil erosion and can eventually lead to desertification. The International Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) defines des...

Plant can alter reproductive strategies for adaptation to different environments. However, alterations in flowering strategies and sexual allocation for the same species growing in different environments still remain unclear. We examined the sexual reproduction parameters of Caragana stenophylla across four climatic zones from semi-arid, arid, very arid, to intensively arid zones in the Inner M...

One of the ordinary methods to protect, rehabilitate, and enhance an ecosystemfunction in arid and semi-arid areas of the world is sand dune stabilization using biologicalpractices. Plantation of species on the soil plays a great role in sustainable management ofthe ecosystem. This research studies the effects of cultivation of Haloxylon ammodendronand Atriplex canescens on physical-chemical ch...

Biological soil crusts (BSCs), composed of lichens, cyanobacteria, mosses, liverworts and microorganisms, are key biotic components of arid and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide. Despite they are widespread in Spain, these organisms have been historically understudied in this country. This trend is beginning to change as a recent wave of research has been identifying BSCs as a model ecological sys...

Vegetation cover change is one of the key indicators used for monitoring environmental quality. It can accurately reflect changes in hydrology, climate, and human activities, especially arid semi-arid regions. The main goal this paper to review remote sensing satellite sensors methods mapping vegetation semi-arid. Arid lands are eco-sensitive environments with limited water resources cover. Mon...