- Drylands
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Drylands are areas with low amounts of water in the soil. These include arid lands, where the rate of evapotranspiration exceeds the rate of precipitation; and semi-arid lands where precipitation is low enough that water acts as the major limiting factor in plant growth.[1]
Drylands occupy approximately 50% of global land area.[2]
Drylands are complex, evolving structures whose characteristics and dynamic properties depend on many interrelated kinks between climate, soil, and vegetation.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Ryan, John (2003). "Research Centers for Dryland and Semiarid Regions". In Stewart, Bobby A. & Howell, Terry A.. Encyclopedia of water science. CRC Press. p. 795. ISBN 9780824709488. http://books.google.com/books?id=5cP-81xDWuwC&pg=PA795.
- ^ Abrahams, A.D. and A.J. Parsons 1994. Geomorphology of deserts environments in Geomorphology of Deserts Environments edited by A.D Abrahams and A.J. Parsons, p. 1-12. Chapman & Hall, London; New York.
- ^ Rodríguez-Iturbe, I. and A. Porporato 2004. Ecohydrology of Water-Controlled Ecosystems: Soil Moisture and Plant Dynamics. Cambridge University Press.
Categories:- Ecology stubs
- Biomes
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