Desert Biology: Special Topics on the Physical and Biological Aspects of Arid RegionsG. W. Brown 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. |
Contents
| 1 | |
| 21 | |
| 51 | |
CHAPTER IV THE EVOLUTION OF DESERT VEGETATION IN WESTERN NORTH AMERICA | 101 |
CHAPTER V THE BIOLOGY OF DESERT PLANTS | 141 |
CHAPTER VI BIOLOGY OF DESERT AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES | 195 |
CHAPTER VII TEMPERATURE REGULATION AND WATER ECONOMY OF DESERT BIRDS | 357 |
CHAPTER VIII TEMPERATURE REGULATION IN DESERT MAMMALS | 395 |
CHAPTER XI HUMAN ADAPTATIONS TO ARID ENVIRONMENTS | 517 |
APPENDIX 1 | 557 |
APPENDIX 2 | 558 |
APPENDIX 3 | 560 |
APPENDIX 4 | 562 |
AUTHOR INDEX | 565 |
| 584 | |
| 620 | |
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Common terms and phrases
Acad activity adaptations Africa Amphibians amphibians and reptiles Amphibolurus Anderson animals areas arid Arizona Australian Bartholomew basins batrachians behavior Biol birds body temperature Bragg Bufo Bull Cade California Calotes versicolor cerastes climatic Cloudsley-Thompson Cnemidophorus Cnemidophorus tigris Colorado Desert Copeia Crotalus Crotalus cerastes Crotaphytus Dawson diurnal dunes Ecology effects eggs environment evaporative cooling fauna Fitzsimons flora genera genus Geol glands habitats heat Hemidactylus flaviviridis Herpetologica Hist humidity increased Klauber Lake Larrea lizards mammals Mayhew metabolic meters Mexico Miller Minton Mohave Mohave Desert moisture Museum Naturalist occur Phrynosoma Physiol physiological plants ponds precipitation Proc produce Publ rainfall relatively reptiles reptiles Amphibians rock Sahara saline salt Salton Sea sand Scaphiopus Sceloporus Schmidt-Nielsen skin snakes soil Sonoran Sonoran Desert South southern Stebbins surface thermal thermoregulation tion toads Univ Uta stansburiana vegetation venom water loss Western North America winter zone Zool