Journal of Arid Environments最新文献

{"title":"Impact of drought-induced herbivory by Cape porcupine on Aloe claviflora on the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve, Prince Albert","authors":"G. Arena ,&nbsp;S.J. Milton","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Aloe claviflora</em>, widely distributed across the arid regions of southern Africa, remains understudied. In 2016, a population on the Wolwekraal Nature Reserve (113 ha) in the Western Cape, Succulent Karoo Biome, was surveyed to examine size class distribution and floral visitors. The genet population (205) had an inverse-J shape distribution with most genets occurring in the small size class (&lt;0.5–1 m) and fewer occurring in the large size classes. The ramet population (1354), exhibited a typical bell-shaped distribution, with 77% of ramets in 2016 occurring in the reproductive size class. In 2016 and 2021, 33% and 29% of the population produced flowers, respectively, which were visited by birds, reptiles, honeybees, solitary bees, and small mammals. Persistent drought (2015–2021) halted flowering in 2019 and 2020. Browsing by Cape Porcupine was first observed in 2018. Therefore, subsequent surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021 assessed the extent of damage. Since 2016, 62.9% of genets and 39.7% of ramets were destroyed. The data suggest that the animals frequently browsed on reproductive ramets. This study highlights the impact of drought-induced porcupine browsing on <em>A. claviflora</em> survival, underscoring significant changes in porcupine behavior and the resulting population decline of this long-lived, arid-adapted species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105337"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419268","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Beyond boundaries: Phylogeographic structure and major range extension of the Sinai Fan-Toed Gecko, Ptyodactylus guttatus (Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) in Saudi Arabia","authors":"Lukáš Pola ,&nbsp;Damien M. Egan ,&nbsp;Faris A. Mukhtar ,&nbsp;Abdulaziz A. Alkaboor ,&nbsp;Euan Ferguson ,&nbsp;Neil Rowntree ,&nbsp;Doubravka Velenská ,&nbsp;Vojtěch Waldhauser ,&nbsp;Denis Hlaváč ,&nbsp;Binish Roobas ,&nbsp;Mohammed Shobrak ,&nbsp;Ahmed Mohajja AlShammari ,&nbsp;Salvador Carranza ,&nbsp;Ricardo Oliveira Ramalho ,&nbsp;David Olson ,&nbsp;Josh Smithson ,&nbsp;Jiří Šmíd","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105335","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105335","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The harsh desert environment of Saudi Arabia, though seemingly inhospitable, harbours a rich herpetofauna. Field surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024 led to the rediscovery of the Sinai Fan-Toed Gecko (<em>Ptyodactylus guttatus</em>), a species distributed in the countries of southern Levant, previously known in Saudi Arabia only on the basis of a few historical records. This study combines phylogeographic analysis and ecological niche modelling to explore the species' genetic diversity and potential distribution. Phylogenetic analyses revealed four distinct lineages within Saudi Arabia, though nuclear markers showed a degree of allele sharing among these lineages. Ecological niche modelling suggests that the species' range may be nearly twice as large as previously assumed from its entire range, now extending into Tabuk, Medina, Bahah, and Ha'il Provinces of Saudi Arabia, showing a significant range extension. Additionally, by including topotypic material of <em>P. ananjevae</em>, we clarify its status within the <em>P. hasselquistii</em> species complex, laying an essential groundwork for systematic revision within this complex. This study enhances our understanding of herpetofaunal diversity in Saudi Arabia and emphasises the need for continued fieldwork and genetic research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105335"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143394829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feeding through the ages: Revisiting the diet of meerkats","authors":"Walter R. Jubber ,&nbsp;Marta B. Manser ,&nbsp;Andrea Fuller","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105331","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105331","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We investigated the diet and foraging behaviour of a social carnivore, the meerkat (<em>Suricata suricatta</em>), living in stochastic dryland, and examined seasonal, as well as age-related variation in diet. Insecta constituted the highest percentage of prey eaten (88.4%), followed by Arachnida (5.7%), Diplopoda (4.3%), and Reptilia (1.1%). Within Insecta, Coleoptera (70.4%) was the most dominant prey order in the diet, followed by Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera. There was seasonal variation in the diet of meerkats, with the three main Coleoptera families eaten year-round, but higher consumption of Coleoptera adults in the wet season than in the dry season. We found that old adult meerkats (&gt;24 months) consumed the most large-sized prey, while sub-adults (6–10 months) had the highest prey count of small adult Carabidae beetles. Yearlings (15–24 months) ate the highest percentage of Hepialidae caterpillars. Whether the high representation of Coleoptera in the meerkat diet reflects dietary opportunism associated with the relatively high abundance of Coleoptera, or specialisation in the diet regardless of abundance, remains to be determined.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105331"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sustaining agricultural livelihoods: The influence of agrotourism on enhancing wellbeing and income in the Todgha Oasis, Morocco","authors":"M'hamed Ahrabous ,&nbsp;Khalil Allali ,&nbsp;Aziz Fadlaoui ,&nbsp;Fatima Arib","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105333","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105333","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Agrotourism activities stimulate the development of additional local activities (e.g., tourist service providers, crafts, shops, and museums) and promote the rural area overall. Therefore, this study examines the impact of agrotourism on the wellbeing of farmers in the Todgha Oasis in Morocco. Using primary data from 47 farming households, the study employs factorial analysis of variance to analyze the influence of age, experience in agrotourism, and land ownership area on agrotourism income. Welfare indicators, including income-to-expenditure ratios, poverty thresholds, and the agricultural minimum wage (AMW), are also assessed to evaluate household prosperity. Our results reveal that agrotourism experience and land ownership area significantly predict agrotourism income, with a notable interactive effect highlighting the advantages of experienced farmers with larger landholdings. Agrotourism contributes to reducing poverty and elevating household income above the AMW for the majority of participants, fostering socioeconomic resilience. The contribution of this study is that it is the first study in North Africa that analyzes the impact of agrotourism on the wellbeing of Todgha Oasis farmers. The findings can serve as a reference for policymakers to formulate poverty reduction programs and improve agricultural households’ wellbeing by promoting broader agricultural and agrotourism activity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105333"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The impact of Polylepis tarapacana on soil microbial communities in the Andean Dry Puna of Chile","authors":"Ignacio Gutiérrez-Cortés ,&nbsp;Sofia Simpson ,&nbsp;Marlene Manzano ,&nbsp;Huber Villca ,&nbsp;Benjamín Castro ,&nbsp;Jean-Baptiste Ramond ,&nbsp;María del Pilar Fernández Murillo ,&nbsp;Fernando D. Alfaro","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105332","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105332","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interaction between plants and soil biogeochemical processes plays a key role in shaping microbial communities, especially under extreme conditions like those in the dry Andes. <em>Polylepis tarapacana</em>, one of the few trees able to survive in these conditions, influences soil development in significant ways. This study examines how <em>P. tarapacana</em> impacts soil microbial communities across varying tree cover. The presence of the tree was found to increase soil organic matter and pH, associated with changes in microbial composition and abundance. Bacterial phyla such as <em>Verrucomicrobiota</em>, <em>Gemmatimonadota</em>, and <em>Nitrospirota</em> increased significantly to the high cover site, while <em>Chloroflexota</em> and <em>Armatimonadota</em> decreased significantly to the absent cover site. Saprotrophic fungi and pathogens thrived with less plant cover, while ericoid mycorrhizal fungi were more prevalent in high and absent cover areas. Sulfur respiration rose in high cover sites, while ammonification decreased in medium cover areas. Enzymatic activities related to phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon capture also increased with tree cover, along with heterotrophic respiration. These findings suggest that improved soil conditions in areas with higher tree cover enhance microbial communities and soil functions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105332"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantifying the relative contributions of rainfall and antecedent soil moisture to flood generation: Analysis of 963 Iranian catchments","authors":"Afshin Jahanshahi ,&nbsp;Martijn J. Booij","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105328","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105328","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Throughout human history, floods have resulted in significant environmental and economic damages globally, and these impacts are expected to increase with climate change. Despite the occurrence of significant floods in Iran in recent decades, the precise impact of intense rainfall and antecedent soil moisture (ASM) on flood occurrence and how this relationship differs at different locations remains an area that requires further investigation. In this study, we analyzed annual maximum floods at 963 catchments across Iran from 1972 to 2019 (47 years). Moreover, we evaluated the relationship between catchment area and the main factor responsible for flood generation. Our analysis reveals a shift in the dominant factor driving flood generation from rainfall to ASM as the catchment area expands. The correlation between the topographic wetness index and the ratio of the relative significance of ASM (S) and daily rainfall (R) (i.e., Soil moisture-to-Rainfall Ratio; <span><math><mrow><mi>S</mi><mi>R</mi><mi>R</mi><mo>=</mo><mfrac><mi>S</mi><mi>R</mi></mfrac></mrow></math></span>.), is positive, while the correlation between the magnitude of annual floods and <em>SRR</em> ratio is negative. A quantitative estimation of potential flood probability in ungauged catchments in Iran is facilitated by establishing a framework based on the relationship between easily measurable catchment attributes and the primary phenomenon of flood generation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105328"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Piles and towers: Timnian mortuary monuments in the Negev desert of the 6th–3rd millennium BCE","authors":"Yael Abadi-Reiss","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>During the protohistoric period, a dominant burial practice in the deserts of the southern Levant involved above-ground, stone-built tombs, associated with the semi-nomadic Timnian cultural entity. This paper examines the characteristics of three distinct grave types from this period, highlighting regional and chronological variations between them. We present data from a newly excavated <em>namus</em> (singular of <em>nawamis</em>) stone-built tomb at the Ashalim site in the Negev Desert, offering an opportunity to explore connections between the Negev and neighboring populations. The Ashalim tomb reveals strong links with burial structures in Sinai to the south, while also reflecting the influence of a broader phenomenon common to the deserts further east—namely, the construction of grave markers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105322"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136508","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biophysical and environmental changes in livestock disturbed areas in a South-American desert woodland. Potential implications for natural or assisted re-vegetation","authors":"Lucía Nadia Biruk ,&nbsp;María Elena Fernández ,&nbsp;Julieta Nelida Aranibar ,&nbsp;Carla Valeria Giordano","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105314","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2024.105314","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Livestock breeding is among the main productive activities in drylands, often reducing vegetation cover, impacting the surrounding environment and plant regeneration. However, the magnitude of the change in environmental variables in response to vegetation changes has rarely been assessed in arid ecosystems. Our objective was to quantify changes in vegetation cover and floristic composition, as well as the associated microclimatic and edaphic variables that can challenge the ecosystem's restorative capacity in the Monte desert woodland of Argentina. We surveyed sites at 600 (disturbed) and 2000 m (relatively undisturbed) from five rural livestock posts. We found that disturbed sites had lower vegetation cover, altered floristic composition and more stressful environmental conditions for plants. The widest difference was a 50 % decrease in soil NO₃⁻-N concentration, coupled with a 30 % increase in solar radiation (mainly UV-B), a 4 °C increase in air temperature, and coarser soil texture. Potential constraints to plant regeneration would be therefore not only related to low water availability, but also to lower fertility, higher radiation and temperature. Decisions on species selection to restore these ecosystems must therefore consider plant traits related to nutrient use and uptake capacity, and resistance to photo-oxidative stress, in addition to drought resistance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105314"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136701","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gastrointestinal parasites in rodent middens across the Atacama Desert of northern Chile","authors":"Agustín Bellusci ,&nbsp;Antonio Maldonado ,&nbsp;María Eugenia de Porras ,&nbsp;María Ornela Beltrame","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105329","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105329","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deserts are unique ecosystems, characterized by extreme conditions and singular biodiversity. The Atacama Desert, South America, is one of the harshest environments on Earth. Rodent middens are valuable archives of desert ecosystems, offering insights into desert ecosystems worldwide. In the last years, rodent middens have been recognized as excellent sources of gastrointestinal parasites in dryland ecosystems. Parasites comprise a large portion of the world's biodiversity, and often play a crucial role in ecosystems. However, there is an overall dearth of knowledge of parasite ecological patterns and processes, especially from deserts. This study aims to investigate gastrointestinal parasite assemblages from current rodent middens across the Atacama Desert, and discuss their distribution at the regional scale. A wide diversity of gastrointestinal parasites was revealed through coproparasitological studies. Eighteen parasitic taxa or morphotypes belonging to Nematoda, Cestoda and Coccidia were identified, and were associated with three rodent families (Chinchillidae, Cricetidae and Octodontidae). Higher parasite richness and number of eggs/oocysts were found at lower-latitude and mid-altitude regions, aligning with the primary productivity patterns of the region. The adaptation of rodents and their parasites to extreme conditions highlights the intricate relationships between species and their environments. This study underscores the value of rodent middens as crucial archives for assessing parasite presence in extreme environments; and emphasizes the importance of considering latitudinal and altitudinal variations in understanding parasite community patterns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105329"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of type and extent of vegetative cover on terrestrial small mammals in the semi-arid Okanagan Valley, British Columbia","authors":"Walt Klenner ,&nbsp;Thomas P. Sullivan","doi":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105325","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jaridenv.2025.105325","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The intermontane grasslands and shrub-steppe rangelands of the Okanagan Valley of southern British Columbia, Canada have a long history of anthropogenic disturbances. Livestock grazing, urbanization and agriculture have all played roles in altering the historic habitat mosaic. Less than 10% of semi-arid grasslands remain in a natural state and are occupied by several species of terrestrial small mammals. These species may provide useful insight into the effects of habitat alteration because they occur in sufficient abundance for sampling, select habitat at multiple scales, and are strongly influenced by habitat structures. We investigated a wide range of semi-arid habitats, most with a history of livestock grazing, and predicted that habitats with a high percentage cover of native grasses and forbs, and some degree of vertical structure, would support the highest overall abundance and species diversity of small mammals. We studied small mammal communities from 1994 to 1997 on 24 sites selected to represent a wide variety of habitat conditions that spanned a range of plant species assemblages. The 24 sites covered a range of levels of mineral soil exposure with no plant cover ranging from 1.4% to 27.2%. Mean cover of major shrubs were bitterbrush (<em>Purshia tridentata)</em> that ranged from 0% to 29.8% and sagebrush (<em>Artemisia tridentata)</em> that ranged from 0% to 16.2%. Mean cover of grass-forbs ranged from 21.6% to 69.5%. The Great Basin pocket mouse (<em>Perognathus parvus</em>) was the dominant species numerically (mean of 29–44 mice/ha in high density years) and showed a strong positive relationship to mean cover of total shrubs, at least above 20% ground cover. The deer mouse (<em>Peromyscus maniculatus</em>) was the second most abundant species (mean of 23–26/ha in high density years) with a negative correlation of mean cover of grasses and forbs. The western harvest mouse (<em>Reithrodontomys megalotis</em>) reached mean densities of 5–6/ha and was positively correlated with grass-forb sites but not <em>Artemisia</em>-dominated sites. The consistently low numbers of montane voles (<em>Microtus montanus</em>) (2–3/ha, up to 6–10/ha at high densities) and lack of any relationship with cover of grasses and forbs reflected the poor habitat conditions for this keystone species. Mean abundance and species diversity of total mammals were positively correlated with a measure of vegetation cover density, thereby suggesting that some degree of protection from predators was perceived.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":51080,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Arid Environments","volume":"227 ","pages":"Article 105325"},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143136504","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}