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Desert. David Litts Robert Bentler. Where are Deserts?. What are deserts?. Precipitation <10” Lithosols Caliche 30 degrees N latitude 30 degrees S latitude. How much desert is there. 20% of land surface Desertification Most rapidly increasing biome
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Desert David Litts Robert Bentler
What are deserts? • Precipitation <10” • Lithosols • Caliche • 30 degrees N latitude • 30 degrees S latitude
How much desert is there • 20% of land surface • Desertification • Most rapidly increasing biome • More surface area than any other biome
Climate • Varies greatly • Can be farmed • Not all hot • Not all as dry as others • Yuma, Arizona very dry • Dzamiin Uuded, Mongolia rain X2
Plant life • Mostly C.A.M. plants • Cover is sparse
Wildlife • Abundance low, diversity high • Most nocturnal in summer
Anthropogenic influences • Invading plant species • Water harvesting • Destruction of soil stabilizers • Military exercises
Preserve the deserts • 50-300 years for natural biomass recovery • 3000 years for complete ecosystem recovery • Limit impacting factors
We hope you learned something • What they are • Where they are • What is there • How we influence them • How to save them • And their climate