
Desert Biomes
Joyce A. Quinn(Author)
Greenwood Press
Published on 30. December 2008
Book
Hardback
248 pages
978-0-313-34016-1 (ISBN)
Description
This volume in the Greenwood Guides to Biomes of the World focuses on deserts, the seemingly desolate-but actually quite lively-regions that are home to some of the most interesting and beautiful flora and fauna in the world. Desert Biomes examines three different types of biomes: warm/hot deserts (such as the Mojave and Sahara deserts), cold deserts (such as Patagonia in South America), and the West Coast Fog Desert biomes, which occur on certain regions of the western edge of major continents. The volumes examines how these biomes are unique in terms of their vegetation, geographical distribution, soil, challenges posed by the environment, adaptation of the plants and animals to the environment, and conservation efforts. Maps, photos, diagrams, drawings, and tables accompany the text, as do sidebars that highlight habitats, species, and ecological relationships. The volume includes a bibliography of accessible resources for further research.
Reviews / Votes
"Physical geographer and cartographer Quinn (retired, California State U, Fresno) begins by explaining features common to the living systems in deserts, among them the physical environment and plant and animal adaptations. Then she focuses in turn on warm, cold, and west-coast fog desert biomes, beginning again with global features of the type, then surveying examples in regions on various continents. Readers can learn about a particular desert or desert type that interests them, she says, but will miss much nuance without the larger picture. She uses common names of species, but appends Latin binomial at the end of each chapter." - SciTech Book NewsMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-0-313-34016-1 (9780313340161)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Joyce A. Quinn is Professor Emerita in the Department of Geography at California State University, Fresno. She earned an MA from the University of Colorado and a PhD from Arizona State University, specializing in the effect of climate on the distribution of plants. Travel throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, Northern and Southern Africa, Uzbekistan, Nepal, China, Southeast Asia, Micronesia, among others allowed her to experience several biomes firsthand.
Content
Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2 Warm Deserts Chapter 3 Cold Deserts Chapter 4 West Coast Fog Deserts