Plant productivity, predation, and the abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits in the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico

The abundance of black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus) can fluctuate dramatically. We used data from the Chihuahuan Desert to test the relative strength of top-down (predation) or bottom-up (food availability) limiting forces. Predictions for the top-down hypothesis were, 1) a positive relationship between coyote (Canis latrans) and jackrabbit abundance (numerical response) and 2) a positive relationship between percent occurrence of jackrabbits in coyote scats and jackrabbit abundance (functional response). Predictions for the bottom-up hypothesis were, 1) plant productivity is directly related to precipitation, 2) jackrabbit abundance is positively related to precipitation and plant productivity, and 3) changes in abundance of jackrabbits over the reproductive season will be directly related to precipitation and plant productivity. We found a limited numerical response but no functional response of coyotes to jackrabbit abundance. Forb productivity was significantly related to annual precipitation levels (r² = 0.69, p = 0.002). Grass productivity was related to annual precipitation (r² = 0.34, p = 0.028). Jackrabbit abundance (r² = 0.38, p = 0.002) and changes in abundance (r² = 0.73, p < 0.001) were significantly related to precipitation and forb and grass productivity. We conclude that precipitation levels and plant productivity affect jackrabbit abundance more than predation levels.     

Surface energy and water vapor fluxes observed in a desert plantation in central Iran

Summertime observations of surface radiation budget, energy balance and atmospheric surface layer meteorology were made on an arid valley floor planted with Haloxylon aphyllum to combat desertification in central Iran. The surface microclimate is characterized and compared with other arid regions and the role of ‘desert greening’ on surface fluxes is considered. A high surface albedo (0.265) and large longwave radiation loss produced relatively low net radiation. Energy partitioning was dominated by sensible and ground heat fluxes with opposing diurnal asymmetry governed by strong diurnal variability in eddy diffusivity. The Bowen ratio was 2.53, which fell inside the range of other vegetated arid surfaces. Surface temperature gradients were strong both in the atmospheric surface layer and in the substrate, with consistent lapse conditions by day and inversions at night. The wind regime included a moderate daytime regional wind which displayed Coriolis turning and weaker nocturnal slope flows. Actual evapotranspiration (1 mm dy⁻¹) was only a small fraction of potential evapotranspiration. The diurnal pattern of AET indicates strong stomatal control. The desert greening effect of Haloxylon plantations provided atmospheric water and reduced sensible heat flux by up to 40%.     

Dispersal of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and dark septate endophytes by Ctenomys cf. knighti (Rodentia) in the northern Monte Desert of Argentina

In arid and semi-arid environments, root-associated fungi may play a key role in plant communities (e.g., seedling establishment, nutrient acquisition, plant survival and heat tolerance). Several studies have shown the importance of small mammals as consumers and dispersal agents of mycorrhizal fungi spores in tropical and temperate ecosystems. However, little is known about the dispersal of infective propagules of endophytic fungi in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. This study analyzed the potential role of the subterranean rodent Ctenomys cf. knighti as a dispersal agent of root-associated fungi. In order to demonstrate this role, we analyzed: (1) the incidence of colonization of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes on representative plant species of the Monte Desert; (2) the presence of fungal structures of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes in C. cf. knighti fecal samples; and (3) the infectivity of the fungal propagules contained in the scat and their growth effects on nine native plant species. Data strongly suggest that this South American subterranean rodent may play a key role as a dispersal agent of arbuscular mycorrhizae and dark septate endophytes fungi in the arid environment of the northern Monte Desert of Argentina.     

Effects of an exceptional drought on daily activity patterns, reproductive behaviour, and reproductive success of reintroduced Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx)

Activity patterns, social behaviour, and reproductive success of Arabian oryx were monitored in a reintroduced population in Mahazat as-Sayd Protected Area, Saudi Arabia. During the first year of the study, precipitation was 38% lower than the long-term average, whereas rainfall in the following year resulted in precipitation that was 92.8% of the long-term average. These dramatically different rainfall conditions corresponded with distinct patterns in various environmental parameters (air and soil temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, air pressure). Daily activity patterns, the frequency of social behaviours, and foraging activity were significantly reduced during the drought period. The frequency of reproductive behaviour was significantly related to daytime, air temperature and radiation, with a pronounced reduction of reproductive activities during the drought. Monthly rates of conceptions were considerably lower during the drought. Our results substantiate the idea that extended dry periods affect the population development of Oryx, but also raise questions about habitat suitability and carrying capacity. Future management of Arabian oryx should consider extreme climatic events as factors influencing various aspects of the ecology and behaviour of this species. This aspect may become even more important in the face of climate change, including a future increase of extreme climatic events.     

Distribution of axis-splitting in Mojave Desert shrub species along an elevational gradient

Although highly branched from the base, all shrubs have short main axes linking canopies to root systems. Main axes become increasingly segmented into independent canopy/stem/root segments as aridity increases across continents. The resulting hydraulic modularity has been proposed as an adaption to low soil moisture that prevents runaway embolism and minimizes risk of hydraulic failure. Here we test the hypotheses that (1) at a regional scale, the importance of axis-splitting species in communities declines with increasing elevation, as a proxy for precipitation, and (2) that this decline is explained by lower occurrence of low-elevation dominant species. We evaluated all species for axis splitting and determined importance values in plots along an elevational transect in the Mojave Desert. As predicted, as elevation increased, the total importance of axis-splitting species declined from 100% at low-elevation sites to 75% at the highest elevation site. However, this decline was not due solely to the decline of the lower elevation dominant species. At the high elevation site, the influx of new species resulted in a six-fold increase in species richness and almost all of the new high elevation woody eudicotyledonous species exhibited axis splitting; non-splitting species were represented by other growth forms.     

Colluvial sedimentation in a hyperarid setting (Atacama Desert,northern Chile): Geomorphic controls and stratigraphic facies variability

Research on colluvial depositional systems has recently emphasized periglacial and high‐altitude settings, and the relations between Quaternary slope stratigraphy and climate change. This article examines the role of variable slope morphology, surface hydrology and microclimate in controlling colluvial sedimentation along a coastal tract of the hyperarid Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Direct accessibility of active surfaces is accompanied by uninterrupted stratigraphic exposures along the base of slopes, allowing direct comparisons between surface processes and the resulting sedimentary record. Four slope sectors are identified, based on differences in morphology and processes over active surfaces. Colluvial sedimentation is controlled by complex interactions of slope gradients and profiles, exposure to dominant winds, and potential runoff pathways, which vary considerably between different sectors. Major differences are evident between these hyperarid deposits and slope sedimentation in periglacial and temperate settings, including the complete absence of pedogenic activity and clay minerals; the volume of aeolian deposits and their role in controlling processes which redistribute sediment downslope, extending colluvial aprons; and the occurrence of runoff processes only where favoured by particular topographic configurations. Depositional surfaces range from steep talus cones, to debris‐flow‐dominated and aeolian‐dominated colluvial aprons, to an aeolian ramp subject to reworking by mass flows and flash floods. Consequently, facies associations and architectures at outcrop are highly variable and highlight the importance of spatial variations in slope morphology and processes in producing distinct, coeval colluvial stratigraphies within a single environmental context. Discrepancies between active processes and the corresponding stratigraphic signatures are also evident in some sectors; for example, preservation of alluvial and aeolian facies in stratigraphic sections does not always reflect the dominant processes over active slopes. Together with the spatial variability in processes and deposits along these slopes, this suggests that caution is required when extracting palaeoenvironmental information from analyses of colluvial successions.     

Great Victoria Desert: Development and sand provenance

Sands of the Great Victoria Desert, south‐central Australia, can be divided into three main groups on the basis of their physical and chemical characteristics (colour, grainsize parameters, mineralogy of heavy‐mineral suites, quartz oxygen isotopic composition, zircon U–Pb ages). The groups occupy the western, central and eastern Great Victoria Desert respectively, boundaries between them corresponding approximately to changes in the underlying rocks associated with the Yilgarn Craton to Officer Basin to Arckaringa Basin. Several lines of evidence suggest derivation of the sands mainly from local bedrock with very little subsequent aeolian transport. Ultimate protosources for the sands, each in order of importance, are: western Great Victoria Desert—Yilgarn Craton, Albany‐Fraser Orogen, Musgrave Complex; central Great Victoria Desert—Musgrave Complex; eastern Great Victoria Desert—Gawler and Curnamona Blocks, Adelaide Geosyncline, Musgrave Complex. Sediment from the Adelaide Geosyncline includes in addition an ‘exotic’ component from Palaeozoic sedimentary rocks probably derived mainly from Antarctica. Sediment transport of several hundred kilometres from these protosources to the sedimentary basins was dominantly by fluvial, not aeolian, means. Post‐Tertiary aeolian transport or reworking has been minimal, serving only to shape sand eroded from underlying sedimentary rocks or residual products of local basement weathering into the current dunes.     

沙尘天气下输沙率的野外观测与分析

2014年7月—2014年8月借助风速仪、微梯度集沙仪,通过野外监测系统获取的试验数据,对塔中地区2014年7月—2014年8月沙尘天气过程中贴地层输沙率进行分析,得出:0～85 mm高度内,随着风速的增大,35～85 mm无论是绝对的输沙量还是相对的输沙量都减少。0～85 mm高度内,各层输沙率最大值均出现在风速为8 m·s-1左右,波动较为显著;最小值出现在6.5 m·s-1左右,波动不明显;沙尘天气中,输沙率最大值出现在5～15 mm高度,最小值出现在35～85 mm高度。扬沙天气中,风速9.2 m·s-1时,输沙率最大值在0～5 mm处。沙尘暴天气,拐点风速为7.5 m·s-1,7.5 m·s-1时,输沙率增加不显著,7.5 m·s-1时,输沙率增加显著。通过微梯度集沙仪获得的上述试验数据是风沙工程设计的一个极重要工程参数,具有重要的实践意义。     

Geomorphology of sand dunes in the Northeast Taklimakan Desert

Three types of sand dunes exist in the Taklimakan Desert, namely compound/complex crescent dunes and crescent chains, compound dome dunes and compound/complex linear dunes. Besides these three compound/complex types, single simple dunes are also distributed throughout the sand sea. The compound/complex linear dunes are developed under acute bimodal wind regimes. Though the ratios of the resultant drift potential (RDP) and the drift potential (DP) are the same as that near the border and adjacent area of the sand sea, the compound/complex crescent and dome dunes are developed, respectively, because of divergence of the sand available, the stress of the sand-moving winds and the time scales of dune formation. The sand supply for the dunes is not from Lopo Nor in the east as previous studies suggested but mainly from local alluvial or lacustrine deposits. The grain size component does not correlate evidently to the morphology parameters of the sand dunes. Analyses of the DP and drift direction suggest that the northeast Taklimakan is an area of low wind energy and the resultant drift direction (RDD) coincides well with the distribution, morphology and scales of the dunes.     

生物土壤结皮：荒漠昆虫食物链的重要构建者

干旱荒漠地区由于水分因子的限制,其植被分布以不连续的高等植物斑块与隐花植物及其结皮的斑块镶嵌为其主要特征,构成了独特的荒漠植被景观格局。作为荒漠生态系统的主要组成者,荒漠昆虫与生境的关系,特别是与高等植物之间的食物链关系已得到大量的文献报道。本文基于野外调查和实验室模拟观测,发现了尖尾东鳖甲(Anatolica mucronata)对藓类结皮有取食现象,哈蛃(Haslundichilis sp.)对地衣结皮有取食现象。证实了生物土壤结皮直接参与了荒漠昆虫食物链和食物网的构成,为深入了解生物土壤结皮在荒漠生态系统中的功能和地位提供了实验证据。