Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome characterized by receiving only a small amount of moisture, usually defined as less than 250 mm of annual precipitation. They form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of the earth's land surface area.
Contents
Character of the biome
Biodiversity: Deserts and xeric shrublands may have a very diverse and rich flora. Reptile fauna may also be very diverse with pronounced local endemism in some regions.
Minimum resources: Many species track seasonally variable and patchy resources and require large natural landscapes to persist. Available water sources and riparian habitats are critical for the persistence of many species.
Poor soils: Because biomass productivity is low, the litter layer is almost nonexistent and the organic content of surface soil layers is very low. Also, evaporation tends to concentrate salts at the soil surface.
Sensitivity to disturbance: As the desert is highly sensitive to grazing, soil disturbance, burning, plowing, and other cover alteration; restoration potential can be very low and regeneration very slow. The introduction of exotic species may be a serious problem.
Desertification
The conversion of productive drylands to desert conditions, known as desertification, can occur from a variety of causes. One is human intervention, including intensive agricultural tillage or overgrazing in areas that cannot support such exploitation. Climatic shifts such as global warming or the Milankovitch cycle (which drives glacials and interglacials) also affect the pattern of deserts on Earth.