Global ecosystem typology

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T5.4 Cool deserts and semi-deserts

Biome: T5. Deserts and semi-deserts biome

Contributors:
(texts)

Cool deserts and semi-deserts occur on cool temperate plains and plateaus in central Eurasia and temperate parts of the Americas from sea level up to 4,000 m. Strong winds and freezing temperatures prevail, with low annual precipitation falling as winter snow or sleet. Productivity is low on infertile sandy and clay soils, often with high salinity. Vegetation comprises a sparse cover of low grasses and dwarf shrubs, interspersed with bare patches, with some areas having only lichens and mosses or no vegetation at all. Fauna includes large nomadic herbivores including antelopes, wild horses and camels, which control composition of vegetation. Predators include raptors, snakes, bears, and cats.

Key Features

Xeromorphic suffratescent or non-sclerophyll shrublands or grasslands; freezing temperatures in winter low, rainfall offset by reduced evapotranspiration burdon; low diversity and endemism.

Overview of distribution

Cool temperate plains and plateaus from sea level to 4,000 m elevation in central Eurasia, western North America, and Patagonia. Extreme cold deserts are placed in the polar/alpine biome.

Profile versions

  • v1.0 (2020-01-20): MG Tozer; D Faber-Langendoen; DA Keith
  • v2.0 (2020-05-31): MG Tozer; DJ Eldridge; D Faber-Langendoen; DA Keith
  • v2.01 ():
  • v2.1 (2022-04-06): MG Tozer; DJ Eldridge; D Faber-Langendoen; DA Keith Full profile available at official site

Main references

Selected references for this functional group:

  • Johnson SL, Kuske CR, Carney TD, Housman DC, Gallegos-Graves LV, Belnap J (2012) Increased temperature and altered summer precipitation have differential effects on biological soil crusts in a dryland ecosystem Global Change Biology 18: 2583-2593

  • West NE (1983) Comparisons and contrasts between the temperate deserts and semi-deserts of three continents Ecosystems of the World vol. 5: Temperate deserts and semi-deserts (Ed. NE West). Elsevier, Amsterdam

Diagrammatic assembly model

Diagrammatic assembly model of T5.4 Cool deserts and semi-deserts. See general notes on diagrams. Open image full size.

Maps

Maps are indicative of global distribution patterns are not intended to represent fine-scale patterns. The maps show areas of the world containing major (coloured red) or minor occurrences (coloured yellow) of each ecosystem functional group. See general notes on maps.

There are 2 alternative versions of the indicative map for this functional group, please compare description and sources below.

T5.4.IM.mix_v1.0

Datasets

  • EarthEnv-LandCover-v1.0
  • Resolve-Ecoregions-2017

Map references

  • Tuanmu, M.-N. and W. Jetz (2014) A global 1-km consensus land-cover product for biodiversity and ecosystem modeling Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(9):1031–1045 DOI:10.1111/geb.12182

  • Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line

T5.4.web.mix_v1.0

Major and minor occurrences were initially identified using consensus land-cover maps (Tuanmu et al. 2014) and then cropped to selected terrestrial ecoregions (Dinerstein et al. 2017) at 30 arc seconds spatial resolution. Ecoregions were selected if: i) their descriptions mentioned features consistent with those identified in the profile of the Ecosystem Functional Group; and ii) if their location was consistent with the ecological drivers described in the profile. Open image full size.

Datasets

  • Resolve-Ecoregions-2017
  • EarthEnv-LandCover-v1.0

Map references

  • Dinerstein E, Olson D, Joshi A, Vynne C, Burgess ND, Wikramanayake E, Hahn N, Palminteri S, Hedao P, Noss R, Hansen M, Locke H, Ellis EE, Jones B, Barber CV, Hayes R, Kormos C, Martin V, Crist E, Sechrest W, Price L, Baillie JEM, Weeden D, Suckling K, Davis C, Sizer N, Moore R, Thau D, Birch T, Potapov P, Turubanova S, Tyukavina A, de Souza N, Pintea L, Brito JC, Llewellyn Barnekow Lillesø JP, van Breugel P, Graudal L, Voge M, Al-Shammari KF, Saleem M (2017) An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience 67: 534–545. DOI:10.1093/biosci/bix014. Data-set available on-line

  • Tuanmu, M.-N. and W. Jetz (2014) A global 1-km consensus land-cover product for biodiversity and ecosystem modeling Global Ecology and Biogeography 23(9):1031–1045 DOI:10.1111/geb.12182

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