Subzonobiome VII (rIII) of the Extremely Arid Deserts of Middle Asia: the Biome Group Middle Asia

Abstract

Compared with the subtropical deserts of zonobiome III, conditions in these middle-Asian deserts, with no greater rainfall, are less extreme. For the vegetation this is partly because after a process of hardening, the plants enter a period of quiescence, and water losses through winter dryness are minimal. Furthermore, precipitation in winter accumulates as snow, so that in spring water from the thaw can seep deeply into the soil and is stored there. Apart from the Mohave desert in North America and the Andean desert of South America, which have been described in Vol. 2, this type of desert is found only in Asia, where it covers a vast area (Fig. 5.1).