Brown Desert Biology

Special Topics on the Physical and Biological Aspects of Arid Regions
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4832-2371-1
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 654 Seiten, Web PDF

Desert Biology: Special Topics on the Physical and Biological Aspects on Arid Regions, Volume I covers the biology, geophysical characteristics, and ways of life in arid regions. This book is composed of 11 chapters, and begins with a brief description of a desert community, the Merkhiyat Jebels, with its diverse fauna and flora. The subsequent chapters look into the climate, geographical distribution, geologic and geomorphic aspects, and the evolution of desert community. These topics are followed by intensive discussions on desert plants, animals, and limnology. The last chapter describes the adaptive processes and human adaptation capacity to arid environments. This book will prove useful to upper division and graduate students in desert biology.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Brown, G. W.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Desert Biology: Special Topics on the Physical and Biological Aspects of Arid Regions;4
3;Copyright Page;5
4;Table of Contets;14
5;Desert Rain;6
6;List of Contributors;8
7;Preface;10
8;Acknowledgments;12
9;VOLUME II: TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED (Tentative);18
10;CHAPTER I. THE MERKHIYAT JEBELS: A DESERT COMMUNITY;20
10.1;I. Climate and Vegetation;22
10.2;II. Rain Fauna;24
10.3;III. Mammals;27
10.4;IV. Reptiles;30
10.5;V. Arthropods;32
10.6;VI. Interrelationships;36
10.7;ACKNOWLEDGMENT;37
10.8;REFERENCES;37
11;CHAPTER II.
CAUSES, CLIMATES, AND DISTRIBUTION OF DESERTS;40
11.1;I. Geographical Definitions of Deserts;40
11.2;II. Genetic Classification of Desert Climates;42
11.3;III. Subtropical Deserts;42
11.4;IV. Cool Coastal Deserts;56
11.5;V. Rain Shadow Deserts;60
11.6;VI. Continental Interior Deserts;62
11.7;VII. Polar Deserts;67
11.8;BIBLIOGRAPHY;69
12;CHAPTER III.
GEOLOGIC AND GEOMORPHIC ASPECTS OF DESERTS;70
12.1;I. Introduction;71
12.2;II. The Desert Landscape;76
12.3;III. Surficial Deposits in Desert Lowlands;86
12.4;IV. Hydrologic Aspects of Desert Basins;88
12.5;V. Desert Soils;93
12.6;VI. Surficial Geological Processes in Desert Regions;95
12.7;VII. Climatic Changes in Desert Regions;104
12.8;VIII. Concluding Statement;112
12.9;REFERENCES;114
13;CHAPTER IV.
THE EVOLUTION OF DESERT VEGETATION IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA;120
13.1;I. Introduction;120
13.2;II. Paleobotanical History of Tertiary and Quaternary Western North America;122
13.3;III. The Vegetation of the Californian Deserts;127
13.4;IV. The California Desert Flora;130
13.5;V. The Origin of the California Desert Flora on Distributional Grounds;138
13.6;VI. Endemism and the Origin of the California Desert Flora;143
13.7;VII. Evidence of Origin from Cytological Evidence;148
13.8;VIII. Conclusions;153
13.9;REFERENCES;155
14;CHAPTER V.
THE BIOLOGY OF DESERT PLANTS;160
14.1;I. Introduction;160
14.2;II. Flora of Deserts;161
14.3;III. Adaptations of Plants to Arid Environments;181
14.4;IV. Desert Cryptogams, Ferms, and Fern Allies;195
14.5;V. Ecological Considerations;205
14.6;REFERENCES;209
15;CHAPTER VI.
BIOLOGY OF DESERT AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES;214
15.1;I. Introduction;215
15.2;II. Amphibians;226
15.3;III. Turtles;244
15.4;IV. Lizards;248
15.5;V. Snakes;305
15.6;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS;318
15.7;REFERENCES;318
16;CHAPTER VII.
TEMPERATURE REGULATION AND WATER ECONOMY OF DESERT BIRDS;376
16.1;I. Introduction;376
16.2;II. Temperature Regulation;377
16.3;III. Water Economy;384
16.4;IV. Adaptations of Breeding Biology;405
16.5;V. Discussion and Summary;407
16.6;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS;408
16.7;REFERENCES;408
17;CHAPTER VIII.
TEMPERATURE REGULATION IN DESERT MAMMALS;414
17.1;I. Introduction;415
17.2;II. Ecological and Evolutionary Considerations;415
17.3;III. Large Herbivorous Mammals;420
17.4;IV. Small and Medium Sized Mammals;425
17.5;V. Carnivorous Mammals;432
17.6;VI. Special Considerations;433
17.7;VII. Summary and Conclusions;436
17.8;ACKNOWLEDGMENT;438
17.9;REFERENCES;438
18;CHAPTER IX.
DESERT LIMNOLOGY;442
18.1;I. Introduction;443
18.2;II. Physical Features;445
18.3;III. Chemistry of Desert Waters;457
18.4;IV. Productivity;470
18.5;V. Biota of Saline Water;475
18.6;VI. Biota of Temporary Waters;483
18.7;VII. Special Situations;490
18.8;VIII. Endemism, Relictism, and Special Habitats;494
18.9;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS;497
18.10;REFERENCES;497
19;CHAPTER X.
VENOMS OF DESERT ANIMALS;506
19.1;I. Scorpions: Order Scorpionida;507
19.2;II. Spiders: Order Araneida;510
19.3;III. Miscellaneous Desert Arachnids;514
19.4;IV. Venomous Insects;514
19.5;V. Centipedes and Millipedes;517
19.6;VI. Amphibians;517
19.7;VII. Venomous Reptiles;519
19.8;REFERENCES;531
20;CHAPTER XI. HUMAN ADAPTATIONS TO ARID ENVIRONMENTS;536
20.1;I. The Problems;537
20.2;II. Adaptive Processes;560
20.3;ACKNOWLEDGMENTS;572
20.4;GENERAL REFERENCES;572
20.5;SPECIFIC REFERENCES;573
21;APPENDIX 1;576
22;APPENDIX 2;577
23;APPENDIX 3;579
24;APPENDIX 4;581
25;AUTHOR INDEX;584
26;SUBJECT INDEX;603
27;GENUS AND SPECIES INDEX;639