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Global Biodiversity in a Changing Environment pp 201–222Cite as

Deserts

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Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 152))

Abstract

Arid and semi-arid lands cover about one third of the earth’s terrestrial surface. They are commonly perceived as hostile and barren places; in fact, they are heavily used by human populations. Direct and indirect effects of human activities in arid ecosystems will become increasingly important over the next few decades, and these effects will act on existing patterns of biodiversity in dryland regions. Extreme and severe environments have led to evolution of considerable biodiversity and unique biotic adaptations, some of which are of significant potential value in human terms (Huenneke and Noble 1996). Global changes in climate, land use, population density, and consumption threaten to cause two types of changes in arid and semi-arid Systems: changes within existing deserts and conversions to or from other cover types. In this chapter I will consider first the patterns and extent of diversity in arid ecosystems, ranging from true hot deserts to temperate semi-deserts and shrub-steppe. I will then discuss the major mechanisms by which global change should affect drylands. I will outline the scenarios for change and the predictions for conversion among types and discuss how these changes might affect diversity of desert organisms at local and regional levels, with a focus on patterns of species richness. Finally, I will briefly discuss how these changes in biodiversity might be expected to affect ecosystem function.

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Authors
  1. Laura Foster Huenneke
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    F. Stuart Chapin III

  2. Department of Ecology and IFEVA Faculty of Agronomy, University of Buenos Aires and CONICET, Buenos Aisres, 1417, Argentina

    Osvaldo E. Sala

  3. Departmento de Ingeniería Ambiental y Manejo de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Potosino de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas, San Luis Potosí, SLP, México

    Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald

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Huenneke, L.F. (2001). Deserts. In: Chapin, F.S., Sala, O.E., Huber-Sannwald, E. (eds) Global Biodiversity in a Changing Environment. Ecological Studies, vol 152. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4613-0157-8_10

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