Desert ecosystems are terrestrial biomes characterized by chronically low precipitation, high evapotranspiration, and large diurnal temperature fluctuations, resulting in water-limited primary productivity and sparse, highly specialized biota. Vegetation often exhibits xerophytic adaptations such as CAM or C4 photosynthesis, deep or extensive root systems, reduced leaf area, and osmotic adjustment, while fauna display behavioral and physiological strategies for water conservation and thermal regulation. Biogeochemical cycles are strongly pulsed, with episodic rainfall events driving rapid nutrient mineralization and biological activity. Desert ecosystems are structured by resource heterogeneity (e.g., “resource islands”), soil crust communities, and disturbance regimes including wind erosion and episodic flooding.
A 26-year study at the Arid Recovery Reserve reveals how removing invasive predators like cats and foxes triggers a dramatic reshaping of desert small mammal communities.
Plants & Animals
Jul 9, 2025
0
150
Residents of the world's driest desert, the Atacama in northern Chile, woke up Thursday to a jaw-dropping spectacle: its famous lunar landscape blanketed in snow.
Environment
Jun 27, 2025
0
240
The question of whether Earth is alone in harboring life has captivated humanity for millennia. In recent years, scientists have turned to Earth-like planets in other solar systems that may show the most promise, but many ...
Astrobiology
Jun 25, 2025
0
88
A new study published in The Innovation has revealed the microstructure and expansion mechanism of cyanobacteria-dominated biological soil crusts (BSCs). By employing micro-scale X-ray computed tomography (X-ray microCT), ...
Ecology
Jun 11, 2025
0
22
Researchers from several University of California campuses have collaborated to create a report on dust in California, a characteristic that defines the desert climate zone that encompasses most of the state.
Earth Sciences
May 2, 2025
0
33
In 2021, while revelers across America celebrated the fourth of July, three researchers waded through a shallow river delta in the New Mexican desert. Abby Eckland, Irina Overeem and Brandee Carlson stood in what remained ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2025
0
33
A new study reveals the modern arid desert between Africa and Saudi Arabia was once regularly lush and green with rivers and lakes over a period of 8 million years, allowing for the occupation and movements of both animals ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 9, 2025
0
82
The desert that we see today in Arabia was once a region that repeatedly underwent "green" periods in the past, as a result of periods of high rainfall, resulting in the formation of lakes and rivers about 9,000 years ago.
Earth Sciences
Apr 4, 2025
3
2117
