Written by specialists in the field, the papers in this volume explore evolution of animals and plants on the deserts of North America, South America, and Australia. Together, the articles constitute a complete survey of the geological history of the deserts of three continents, the evolution of the animals and plants of those deserts, and their adaptations to the environments in which they live. The first paper, by Otto T. Solbrig, discusses the flora of the South American temperate and semidesert regions, citing numerous genera and reasons that they are found in the different areas. John S. Beard uses the same approach in his discussion of the evolution of Australian desert plants and focuses on western Australian areas. Guillermo Sarmiento appraises the evolution of arid vegetation in tropical America, including the Lesser Antilles and the Coast Range of Venezuela and Colombia. A. R. Main surveys the adaptation of Australian vertebrates to desert conditions and gives examples of how various species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians adapt to their environment in order for the greatest number to survive. James A. MacMahon designates specific communities in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan deserts and discusses the similarity of species of the North American desert mammal faunas found there, while Bobbi S. Low focuses on the evolution of amphibian life histories in the desert and compiles a lengthy table of amphibia comparing egg size, habitat, number of eggs per clutch, and so forth. Finally, W. Frank Blair treats adaptation of anurans to equivalent desert scrub of North and South America and cites various species of frogs and toads that are found in similar areas. The volume also includes an introduction by the editor and an index. Evolution of Desert Biota is the result of a symposium held during the First International Congress of Systematic and Evolutionary Biology in Boulder, Colorado; in August 1973.

"Rather than favoring only one approach, Juan J. Morrone proposes a comprehensive treatment of the developments and theories of evolutionary biogeography. Evolutionary biogeography uses distributional, phylogenetic, molecular, and fossil data to assess the historical changes that have produced current biotic patterns. Panbiogeography, parsimony analysis of endemicity, cladistic biogeography, and phylogeography are the four recent and most common approaches. Many conceive of these methods as representing different "schools," but Morrone shows how each addresses different questions in the various steps of an evolutionary biogeographical analysis. Panbiogeography and parsimony analysis of endemicity are useful for identifying biotic components or areas of endemism. Cladistic biogeography uses phylogenetic data to determine the relationships between these biotic components. Further information on fossils, phylogeographic patterns, and molecular clocks can be incorporated to identify different cenocrons. Finally, available geological knowledge can help construct a geobiotic scenario that may explain how analyzed areas were put into contact and how the biotic components and cenocrons inhabiting them evolved. Morrone compares these methods and employs case studies to make it clear which is best for the question at hand. Set problems, discussion sections, and glossaries further enhance classroom use."--Publisher's description.

Finally, an eBook version of this now classic textbook has become available. Largely based on the 6th edition, published in 2000, this version is competitively priced. Written by well-known ecologist Eric R. Pianka, a student of the late Robert H. MacArthur, this timeless treatment of evolutionary ecology, first published in 1974, will endure for many decades to come. Basic principles of ecology are framed in an evolutionary perspective.

The first volume of Evolutionary Bio/ogy was published eleven years ago. Since that time eleven volumes and one supplement have appeared. As stated in earlier prefaces, we are continuing the focus of this series on critical reviews, commentaries, original papers, and controversies in evolu tionary biology. lt is our aim to publish papers primarily of greater length than normally published by society journals and quarterlies. We therefore invite colleagues to submit chapters that fall within the focus and standards of Evolutionary Bio/ogy. The Editors vii Contents 1. Precambrian Evolution of Photosynthetic and Respiratory Organisms lohn M. 0/son Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Basic Assumptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Photosynthetic Energy Conversion and Electron Transport . . . . . . . 6 Oxygen-Evolving Organisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Photosynthetic Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Photoassimilation and Cyclic Electron Flow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . Acetate Assimilation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 . . . . . . . . . . . The Common Ancestor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 . . . . . . . . . . . Chlorophyll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quinone................................................ 19 Linear Electron Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . . . Light-Harvesting Systems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Photosynthetic Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 . . . . . . . Purpie and Green Bacteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 . . . . . . . . . Evolution of Blue-Green Algae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 . . . . . . . . Weak Electron Donors for the Protoalgae . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 . . . . . Evolution of Respiration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 . . . . . . . . . . General Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Molecular Structure and Protein Variation within and among Populations Richard K. Koehn and Waller F. Eanes Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Molecular Properlies and Structural Variation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 . . . . Amino Acid Composition and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . 46 . . Protomer Size and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 . . . . . ix X Contents Enzyme Polymorphism and Quaternary Structure . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . Enzyme Polymorphism and Subunit Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 . . . . . . Data and Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 . . . . . . . . . . . Drosophila Enzyme Polymorphism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . Human Enzyme Polymorphism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 . . . . . . . . Enzyme Polymorphism: Structure and Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 . . . . .

What little we know of the biology of desert invertebrates stems largely from inferences based on intensive and repeated observations. Such informa tion is not gained easily, since despite the actual abundance of these animals, relatively few of them are ever seen. In fact, except for species impacting on the well-being of human populations, historically most have been ignored by scholars in the western world. Indeed, it was ancient Egypt, with its reverence for the symbolism of the scarab, that probably provided us with the clearest early record of prominent desert types. A more modest resurgence of the story had to wait until the arrival of the present century. To be sure, some of the more obvious species had by then been elevated by European collectors to the level of drawing-room curios ities, and expeditions had returned large numbers to museums. But by 1900 the task of describing desert species and relationships among them was still in its infancy; and as for careful natural history studies, they too were just coming into their own.

Details the evolutionary history of the desert woodrat complex (lepida group, genus Neotoma) of western North America. The analyses include standard multivariate morphometrics of museum specimens coupled with mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences and microsatellite loci. The work also traces the spatial and temporal diversification of this group of desert dwelling rodents, revising species boundaries and delineating subspecies considered valid.

This book reviews the economic potential of various natural resources found in the Egyptian deserts that could help fill the food gap in Egypt, e.g., the date palm, olives, and domestic animals. Bearing in mind that the entire country is subject to arid or hyperarid climatic conditions, only a small portion (3% of total area) is agriculturally productive in comparison, the dominant deserts. These aspects, combined with a growing population (ca. 100 million citizens) and water resources scarcity, have produced severe adverse effects on natural resource utilization. This book presents innovative methods for addressing desert soil's key problems (soil erosion, salinity, pollution, decreased fertility, minerals, and weed and pest control). Its goal is to help authorities reclaim the desert and optimally utilize the minerals and the available natural resources to support the sustainability agenda 2030. Besides, it offers researchers guidance on remaining gaps and future research directions. Lastly and importantly, it provides essential information on investment opportunities in desert cultivation, such as the fields of food, fodder, and medicinal plants.

Encyclopedia of Deserts represents a milestone: it is the first comprehensive reference to the first comprehensive reference to deserts and semideserts of the world. Approximately seven hundred entries treat subjects ranging from desert survival to the way deserts are formed. Topics include biology (birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, plants, bacteria, physiology, evolution), geography, climatology, geology, hydrology, anthropology, and history. The thirty-seven contributors, including volume editor Michael A. Mares, have had extensive careers in deserts research, encompassing all of the world’s arid and semiarid regions. The Encyclopedia opens with a subject list by topic, an organizational guide that helps the reader grasp interrelationships and complexities in desert systems. Each entry concludes with cross-references to other entries in the volume, inviting the reader to embark on a personal expedition into fascinating, previously unknown terrain. In addition a list of important readings facilitates in-depth study of each topic. An exhaustive index permits quick access to places, topics, and taxonomic listings of all plants and animals discussed. More than one hundred photographs, drawings, and maps enhance our appreciation of the remarkable life, landforms, history, and challenges of the world’s arid land.

The first and so far only Plant Geography of Chile was written about 100 years ago, since when many things have changed: plants have been renamed and reclassified; taxonomy and systematics have experienced deep changes as have biology, geography, and biogeography. The time is therefore ripe for a new look at Chile’s plants and their distribution. Focusing on three key issues – botany/systematics, geography and biogeographical analysis – this book presents a thoroughly updated synthesis both of Chilean plant geography and of the different approaches to studying it. Because of its range – from the neotropics to the temperate sub-Antarctic – Chile’s flora provides a critical insight into evolutionary patterns, particularly in relation to the distribution along the latitudinal profiles and the global geographical relationships of the country’s genera. The consequences of these relations for the evolution of the Chilean Flora are discussed. This book will provide a valuable resource for both graduate students and researchers in botany, plant taxonomy and systematics, biogeography, evolutionary biology and plant conservation.

This book is an outcome of collaborative efforts of a multidisciplinary team of scientists. The core objective of this book is to provide cross-sectoral information on the different aspects of the terrestrial environment and ecosystems of Kuwait. The book will be considered as a ready source of information for those seeking information on the terrestrial environment and ecosystems, assessment and restoration, as well as sustainable uses and management. In spite of Kuwait’s hyper-arid environment, it is rich in natural resources including a wide range of native plants, animal species, different habitats, protected areas, diversified soils and water and oil resources. While the desert of Kuwait constitutes various features, such as sand sheet, sand dunes, nebkhas, inland and coastal sabkhas, rock outcrop, wadis and farming areas, it is rich in flora and fauna (native plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.). Due to changing climate, deserts of Kuwait as well as other countries are under severe threat of degradation and the degradation may be irreversible. To realize these impacts, an effort is being made to provide a ready source of information to highlight the potential threats to the terrestrial ecosystems and formulate adaptation and mitigation strategies for long-term ecosystems services in Kuwait as well as other countries located in a desert environment, such as Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Africa and countries in the Arab region. The book includes sixteen chapters covering multidiscipline subjects (such as natural resources, climate and climate change, geographical features, terrestrial habitats, ecosystems and threats, water and soil resources, agriculture, food security, water-energy-food-climate nexus, green-grey-blue water footprints of various crops, etc.). Thus, this book is a unique resource that provides the latest scientific information in a single volume.