Ecology of Desert Systems

By W. Whitford. 2002

416 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Conceptual Framework and Paradigms. Landforms, Geomorphology, and Vegetation. Characterization of Desert Climates. Wind and Water Processes. Patch - Mosaic Dynamics. Adaptations. Primary Production. Consumers, Consumption, and Secondary Production. Decomposition and Nutrient Cycling. Desertification. Monitoring and Assessment. Desert Ecosystems in the Future.

Subfields: Earth-Surface Processes, Plant Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/28ecf17747a73051fd1773067453b9ba7571d660

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In Earth-Surface Processes

In Plant Science

Citations in the corpus

Remnant shrubs in Mediterranean semi-arid steppes: effects of shrub size, abiotic factors and species identity on understorey richness and occurrence (2005, background): “The prevalence of site characteristics over shrub patch characteristics and identity as a determinant of observed understorey occurrences may be the consequence of the overriding role that environmental conditions play in the patterns of plant recruitment and establishment in semi-arid areas (Whitfo”
Comparative ecology of desert small mammals: a selective review of the past 30 years (2011, background): “…WITH ABIOTIC FACTORS By definition, deserts are influenced strongly and clearly by abiotic factors (Cloudsley-Thompson 1975; Laity 2008; Ward 2009; Whitford 2002), but the magnitude, frequency, and predictability of these can vary greatly such that their relative roles can differ markedly from…”
Effects of Biological Soil Crusts on Seed Bank, Germination and Establishment of Two Annual Plant Species in the Tengger Desert (N China) (2005, background): “These rehabilitation methods have changed mobile dunes to stable productive ecosystems (Fearnehough et al., 1998; Fullen and Mitchell, 1994; Li et al., 2003; Whitford, 2002).”
Biocrusts: the living skin of the earth (2018, neutral): “Despite being a prevalent component of many terrestrial ecosystems, and particularly of drylands, the interactions of biocrusts with other organisms have traditionally been neglected, particularly when compared with other biotic components such as vascular plants or soil animals (Whitford 2002).”
Keystone rodent interactions: prairie dogs and kangaroo rats structure the biotic composition of a desertified grassland (2006, background): “Many of the former grasslands throughout this region have become desertified, with the replacement of perennial grasses by annual species and the invasion of shrubs (Schlesinger et al. 1990, Whitford 2002, Ceballos et al. 2005).”
Reintroduction of fossorial native mammals and potential impacts on ecosystem processes in an Australian desert landscape (2007, background): “The lowdensity of seed and litter in the matrix is attributed to surface runoff (Shachak et al., 1991; Boeken et al., 1995), comminution and photo-oxidation of litter by sandblasting (Moorhead and Reynolds, 1989; Whitford, 2002), and the winnowing effect of wind on litter and seed (Reichman, 1984).”
The role of the perch effect on the nucleation process in Mediterranean semi-arid oldfields (2006, background): “…abandonment under semi-arid conditions differ from that observed in more mesic areas due to the reduced plant cover that characterises the former (Whitford, 2002), the differences in the relative importance of interspecific interactions such as facilitation and competition (Bertness and…”
Foraging animals create fertile patches in an Australian desert shrubland (2009, background): “These seeds may be placed within sites of differing favourability for germination, and their distribution within the landscape will determine both the potential areas in which plants can germinate, and the likely composition of plants establishing within a patch (Whitford 2002).”
Modifying the ‘pulse–reserve’ paradigm for deserts of North America: precipitation pulses, soil water, and plant responses (2004, background): “The three attributes of precipitation (low, variable, unpredictable) in semiarid and arid ecosystems of the world manifest in an extraordinary diversity of observed dynamics, especially with regards to plant community composition and primary productivity (Evenari et al. 1985; MacMahon 1979; Whitfor”
Soil enzyme and microbial activities in a grazing ecosystem of Patagonian Monte, Argentina (2011, background): “Most of these ecosystems are used as rangelands with domestic grazers (Whitford, 2002).”