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We present eight metatranscriptomic datasets of light algal and cyanolichen biological soil crusts from the Mojave Desert in response to wetting. These data will help us understand gene expression patterns in desert biocrust microbial communities after they have been reactivated by the addition of water.

There are two ways, broadly speaking, that one might conceive of meritocratic education. On a standard, ‘narrow’ conception, a meritocratic approach to education is one which distributes certain educational goods and opportunities according to merit. On a second, ‘broader’ conception, however, meritocratic education is an educational system suited to a commitment to meritocracy – where ‘meritocracy’ refers to a particular conception of distributive justice. In this article, I argue that these two conceptions are incompatible with each other, and so the standard ‘narrow’ conception of meritocratic education is, in fact, incompatible with a commitment to meritocracy, at least given the typical way of understanding meritocracy. Of particular importance is that while meritocracy, as a view of distributive justice, requires a commitment to equality of opportunity principles, the narrowly meritocratic conception of education does not. The reason has to do with differences in the underlying justifications of the merit-based principles in each: Meritocracy appeals to moral desert, while the educational desert that is grounded by one’s merits is best thought of as a kind of institutional desert. Thus, I will argue, while meritocracy (and so the broad conception of meritocratic education) is constrained by a fair equality of opportunity requirement, narrowly meritocratic education is not. Recognizing the relationships between meritocracy, meritocratic education, and equality of opportunity, I argue, sheds considerable light on disagreements in the debate over equality of opportunity in education.

The article discusses the thermal adaptation strategies of desert locusts in the Sahara Desert, focusing on mate-guarding behavior that helps ovipositing females avoid overheating in extremely hot conditions. Male locusts act as parasols for females by mounting them during daytime oviposition, reducing their body temperatures significantly. This mate-guarding behavior may serve as a defensive strategy to cool females and expand their ecological niches. The study suggests that understanding these thermoregulatory strategies could aid in environmentally conscious pest control and help desert locusts adapt to future climate change. [Extracted from the article]

Mountains play a crucial role in shaping the climate of an area and subsequently, the environments and species that are suited to those particular conditions. Understanding the relationships between environmental conditions and their influence on the occurrence of a species is necessary to make informed decisions when conserving relevant habitats. This study evaluated and compared the potential for different interactions between climatic variables to describe the environmental preferences and the range of the Ladakh urial, a narrowly distributed sub‐species of Ovis vignei, in the arid Himalayas. Species distribution models were created from spatially thinned presence‐only occurrence data of 50 locations using a Maximum Entropy (Maxent) model. For this, we subdivided the modeled distribution into environmental categories with varying degrees of suitability. We identified a high cold precipitation to annual precipitation ratio typical of cold desert climates well suited to describe the highest quality environments for urial. The inverse, low warm precipitation to annual precipitation ratio was found to better describe the urial's range at the lower end of potential habitat. In this comparison, we observed that with the exclusion of unsuitable cold steppe habitat with a higher warm precipitation to annual precipitation ratio, we were able to refine the extent of this species range but at a trade‐off to the accurate description of high‐quality environments. This study demonstrated the strong potential of cold arid climatic conditions to describe the distribution of urial in India, which have implications for identifying important areas for the conservation and management of the species in the high altitude rangelands of Ladakh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horticultural Expos are second-tier expositions sanctioned by the Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE) and the latest event was held in Doha, Qatar from October 2023 to March 2024. Organized around the theme of “Green Desert, Better Environment,” Expo 2023 included pavilions from about 80 countries and organizations, and aimed to entice 3 million visitors to Qatar. Although Horticultural Expos are smaller and receive less attention than top-tier World’s Fairs, they are nonetheless important sites for host countries to engage in cultural diplomacy. Drawing from an event ethnography at the Expo in December 2023, this article shows how the Qatari hosts adapted nationalist scripts about the desert and local identity – to cement the state-led storyline that Qatar is committed to a sustainable and globally-engaged path to future development – in crafting its cultural diplomacy discourse for the event. Though cultural diplomacy works differently at second-tier global events, the case of Qatar’s Expo 2023 still has concrete effects that must be understood and evaluated on their own terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In nature, microbes do not thrive in seclusion but are involved in complex interactions within- and between-microbial kingdoms. Among these, symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria are namely known to improve plant health, while providing resources to benefit other microbial members. Yet, it is not clear how these microbial symbionts interact with each other or how they impact the microbiota network architecture. We used an extensive co-occurrence network analysis, including rhizosphere and roots samples from six plant species in a natural desert in AlUla region (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and described how these symbionts were structured within the plant microbiota network. We found that the plant species was a significant driver of its microbiota composition and also of the specificity of its interactions in networks at the microbial taxa level. Despite this specificity, a motif was conserved across all networks, i.e., mycorrhizal fungi highly covaried with other mycorrhizal fungi, especially in plant roots—this pattern is known as assortativity. This structural property might reflect their ecological niche preference or their ability to opportunistically colonize roots of plant species considered non symbiotic e.g., H. salicornicum, an Amaranthaceae. Furthermore, these results are consistent with previous findings regarding the architecture of the gut microbiome network, where a high level of assortativity at the level of bacterial and fungal orders was also identified, suggesting the existence of general rules of microbiome assembly. Otherwise, the bacterial symbionts Rhizobiales and Frankiales covaried with other bacterial and fungal members, and were highly structural to the intra- and inter-kingdom networks. Our extensive co-occurrence network analysis of plant microbiota and study of symbiont assortativity, provided further evidence on the importance of bacterial and fungal symbionts in structuring the global plant microbiota network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The dynamics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in soils determine their fertility and crop growth in agroecosystems. These dynamics depend on microbial metabolism, which in turn depends on nutrient availability. Farmers typically apply either mineral or organic fertilizers to increase the availability of nutrients in soils. Phosphorus, which usually limits plant growth, is one of the most applied nutrients. Our knowledge is limited regarding how different forms of P impact the ability of microbes in soils to produce the enzymes required to release nutrients, such as C, N and P from different substrates. Methods: In this study, we used the arable layer of a calcareous soil obtained from an alfalfa cropland in Cuatro Cienegas, México, to perform an incubation experiment, where five different phosphate molecules were added as treatments substrates: three organic molecules (RNA, adenine monophosphate (AMP) and phytate) and two inorganic molecules (calcium phosphate and ammonium phosphate). Controls did not receive added phosphorus. We measured nutrient dynamics and soil microbial activity after 19 days of incubation. Results: Different P molecules affected potential microbial C mineralization (CO2-C) and enzyme activities, specifically in the organic treatments. P remained immobilized in the microbial biomass (Pmic) regardless of the source of P, suggesting that soil microorganisms were limited by phosphorus. Higher mineralization rates in soil amended with organic P compounds depleted dissolved organic carbon and increased nitrification. The C:N:P stoichiometry of the microbial biomass implied a change in the microbial community which affected the carbon use efficiency (CUE), threshold elemental ratio (TER), and homeostasis. Conclusion: Different organic and inorganic sources of P affect soil microbial community structure and metabolism. This modifies the dynamics of soil C, N and P. These results highlight the importance of considering the composition of organic matter and phosphate compounds used in agriculture since their impact on the microbial activity of the soil can also affect plant productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, deserts are considered as fragile and unique biomes. They not only have the capacity to provide various ecosystem services, and possess great tourism potential and scientific value, but also are susceptible to modifications or alterations in their geomorphology. Despite the strategic importance of these ecosystems at a global level, there is limited specialized research directed towards the study of deserts in Ecuador. The purpose of this research is to determine the susceptibility to degradation and carrying capacity of environmental units to support tourist and recreational activities, thereby offering the community a sustainable resource over time. The delimitation of environmental units was carried out based on the identification of land use and land cover through the supervised classification method. Multicriteria analysis was used to obtain the areas susceptible to degradation, where the environmental units were evaluated through expert evaluation. Once the results of the previousmethodologieswere obtained, areas with environmental and tourist potential were identified using the hosting capacity matrix, which is based on anthropic activities developed in the area. Subsequently, a proposal for conservation strategies and activities at the national and local levels was formulated. Five categories of land use and land coverwere identified, resulting in 11 environmental units represented in spatial data. It was determined that approximately 31% of the territory is more susceptible to degradation, while the remaining 69% is less susceptible. Based on the susceptibility of these areas, 7 activities and 2 tourist routes were designated to help reduce anthropogenic pressure. Additionally, the community was provided with 5 proposals for conservation strategies at the national level, 4 at the local level, and 4 activities to be developed based on the findings identified during the investigation. This highlights the significant potential that the Palmira Desert has to become a conservation area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arid oasis ecosystems are susceptible and fragile ecosystems on Earth. Studying the interaction between deserts, oases, and impervious surfaces is an essential breakthrough for the harmonious and sustainable development of people and land in drylands. Based on gridded data such as land use and NDVI, this article analyzes the interaction characteristics between oases, deserts, and impervious surfaces in northern Egypt and examines their dynamics using modeling and geographic information mapping methods. The results show the following: In terms of the interaction between deserts and oases, the primary manifestation was the expansion of oases and the reduction of deserts. During the study period, the oases in the Nile Delta and Fayoum District increased significantly, with the area of oases in 2020 being 1.19 times the area in 2000, which shows a clear trend of advance of people and retreat of sand. The interaction between oases and impervious surfaces was mainly observed in the form of the spread of impervious surfaces on arable land into oases. During the study period, the area of impervious surfaces increased 2.32 times. The impervious surface expanded over 1903.70 km2 of arable land, accounting for 66.67% of the expanded area. The central phenomenon between the impervious surface and the desert was the encroachment of the covered area of the impervious surface into the desert, especially around the city of Cairo. Population growth and urbanization are the two central drivers between northern Egypt's oases, deserts, and impervious surfaces. The need for increased food production due to population growth has forced oases to move deeper into the desert, and occupation of arable land due to urbanization has led to increasing pressure on arable land, creating a pressure-conducting dynamic mechanism. Finally, countermeasures for sustainable regional development are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of natural groundwater outflows depends on many factors, such as lithology, geological structure, and climate. Areas with particularly poor crenological recognition are arid and semi-arid regions, primarily due to rarity of groundwater outflows in these locations. The article presents the hydrographic and hydrochemical characteristics of selected groundwater outflows in arid and semi-arid areas. In addition to hydrographic mapping, basic physical parameters of water were measured in selected springs, such as temperature (T, °C), electrolytic conductivity (EC, μS∙cm–1), and reaction (pH, –). Laboratory analyses determined the major cations and anions in water: Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, NH4+, SO42−, Cl−, NO3−, Br−, PO43−,. The analyses were performed using an ion chromatograph Metrohm 850 Professional IC. Twenty-four natural groundwater outflows in South America, Africa, and Asia were selected for research. It was found that the vast majority of outflows are transit sources. Their supply area may be far from discharge points. The supply source is rainwater or meltwater from high mountain massifs. Other types of outflow are springs of alluvial fans and braided rivers. They are fed by waters from glacial rivers, which infiltrate alluvial deposits and flow back to the surface. Hydrochemical analysis has shown that the physicochemical properties of water in dry areas vary significantly. Still in the hydrochemical type, there is a predominance of sulphate, chloride, and sodium ions. This distinguishes the spring waters from these areas in temperate latitudes, which are dominated by bicarbonate and calcium ions.

Globally, deserts are considered as fragile and unique biomes. They not only have the capacity to provide various ecosystem services, and possess great tourism potential and scientific value, but also are susceptible to modifications or alterations in their geomorphology. Despite the strategic importance of these ecosystems at a global level, there is limited specialized research directed towards the study of deserts in Ecuador. The purpose of this research is to determine the susceptibility to degradation and carrying capacity of environmental units to support tourist and recreational activities, thereby offering the community a sustainable resource over time. The delimitation of environmental units was carried out based on the identification of land use and land cover through the supervised classification method. Multicriteria analysis was used to obtain the areas susceptible to degradation, where the environmental units were evaluated through expert evaluation. Once the results of the previous methodologies were obtained, areas with environmental and tourist potential were identified using the hosting capacity matrix, which is based on anthropic activities developed in the area. Subsequently, a proposal for conservation strategies and activities at the national and local levels was formulated. Five categories of land use and land cover were identified, resulting in 11 environmental units represented in spatial data. It was determined that approximately 31% of the territory is more susceptible to degradation, while the remaining 69% is less susceptible. Based on the susceptibility of these areas, 7 activities and 2 tourist routes were designated to help reduce anthropogenic pressure. Additionally, the community was provided with 5 proposals for conservation strategies at the national level, 4 at the local level, and 4 activities to be developed based on the findings identified during the investigation. This highlights the significant potential that the Palmira Desert has to become a conservation area.

Abstract In nature, microbes do not thrive in seclusion but are involved in complex interactions within- and between-microbial kingdoms. Among these, symbiotic associations with mycorrhizal fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria are namely known to improve plant health, while providing resources to benefit other microbial members. Yet, it is not clear how these microbial symbionts interact with each other or how they impact the microbiota network architecture. We used an extensive co-occurrence network analysis, including rhizosphere and roots samples from six plant species in a natural desert in AlUla region (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and described how these symbionts were structured within the plant microbiota network. We found that the plant species was a significant driver of its microbiota composition and also of the specificity of its interactions in networks at the microbial taxa level. Despite this specificity, a motif was conserved across all networks, i.e., mycorrhizal fungi highly covaried with other mycorrhizal fungi, especially in plant roots—this pattern is known as assortativity. This structural property might reflect their ecological niche preference or their ability to opportunistically colonize roots of plant species considered non symbiotic e.g., H. salicornicum, an Amaranthaceae. Furthermore, these results are consistent with previous findings regarding the architecture of the gut microbiome network, where a high level of assortativity at the level of bacterial and fungal orders was also identified, suggesting the existence of general rules of microbiome assembly. Otherwise, the bacterial symbionts Rhizobiales and Frankiales covaried with other bacterial and fungal members, and were highly structural to the intra- and inter-kingdom networks. Our extensive co-occurrence network analysis of plant microbiota and study of symbiont assortativity, provided further evidence on the importance of bacterial and fungal symbionts in structuring the global plant microbiota network.

Intensive industrial development in the form of metallurgical plants and quarries for mining of mineral resources in the vicinity of the city of Yazd resulted in significant dustiness of the ground layer of atmosphere and accumulation of industrial dust on the soil surface. At the locations of alloy steel production facilities, dust composition was dominated by particulate matter less than 1 μm (PM1), while near sand quarries, dust particles less than 10 μm (PM10) were predominant. The dust from these sources also differs in chemical composition (iron/silicon content ratio, pH). Registration with a pyranometer with a dark green filter with transmittance at a wavelength of 550 nanometers with a time interval of 20 seconds at a speed of 30 km/h during the movement along the specified routes allowed authors to identify zones with a stable increased content of particles of different sizes in the near-surface atmosphere. Sampling soil pits in these zones confirmed the presence on their surface of layers of dust deposits with a thickness of more than 5 cm, which allows them to be attributed to Technosols in accordance with the WRB soil classification. The soil map of the research area was compiled at a scale of 1 : 25 000 with the reflection of Technosols participation in the soil patterns. According to the map, more than three quarters of the study area are soil complexes including Technosols. Arid climatic conditions of the region lead to the accumulation of dust on the soil surface, which are practically not transformed and not removed from the soil, which results in their degradation and deterioration of the environmental conditions. Dust accumulation on the soil surface affects the state of vegetation cover of the region, which serves as a basis for indirect satellite indication of dusting zones. The method of revealing the dust layer on the soil surface based on the assessment of dustiness of the near-surface atmosphere using pyranometer can serve as a good complement to remote sensing methods.

Abstract A combined multiscale approach using ground, drone and satellite surveys can provide accurate landscape scale spatial mapping and monitoring. We used field observations with drone collected imagery covering 70 ha annually for a 5‐year period to estimate changes in living and dead vegetation of four widespread and abundant arid zone woody shrub species. Random forest classifiers delivered high accuracy (> 95%) using object‐based detection methods, with fast repeatable and transferrable processing using Google Earth Engine. Our classifiers performed well in both dominant arid zone landscape types: dune and swale, and at extremes of dry and wet years with minimal alterations. This highlighted the flexibility of the approach, potentially delivering insights into changes in highly variable environments. We also linked this classified drone vegetation to available temporally and spatially explicit Landsat satellite imagery, training a new, more accurate fractional vegetation cover model, allowing for accurate tracking of vegetation responses at large scales in the arid zone. Our method promises considerable opportunity to track vegetation dynamics including responses to management interventions, at large geographic scales, extending inference well beyond ground surveys.

The inhabitants of the arid plain of northwest San Luis harvest rainwater in impoundments (small dams) to support cattle and goat production in native forests. This ancient technology has been complemented, in the last two decades, by aqueducts that transport water from the central mountains of San Luis (Nogolí dam). In this study, we 1) present an approach to social perceptions and local knowledge about impoundments; 2) implement technological improvements in six of them to increase the efficiency of water harvesting and storage, and 3) characterize the temporal dynamics of the regional water resource (impoundments and Nogolí dam). To achieve this, we conducted surveys with impoundment users, installed water level sensors, hired road machinery for improvements, and analyzed existing databases. The survey results showed that the impoundments, far from being mere water reservoirs, constitute the cultural heritage of rural families. The application of technological improvements significantly increased the maximum average water level of the enhanced impoundments, from 144 to 220 cm (P<0.05), resulting in a 113% increase in the average maximum stored volume, reaching 1282 m³ (P<0.05). The daily water level of the improved impoundments was higher than control ones (on average, 110 vs. 62 cm, respectively; P<0.01). The water supply from the impoundments exhibited complementarities concerning the temporal dynamics of the Nogolí dam in terms of the speed of response to rainfall and the time lag between filling and emptying. This study provides key knowledge to achieve ‘water sovereignty’ in the arid plain of northwest San Luis by proposing the enhancement of existing impoundments and the use of the aqueduct as a complement to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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A rich diversity of radiation-resistant (Rr) and desiccation-resistant (Dr) bacteria has been found in arid habitats of the world. Evidence from scientific research has linked their origin to reactive oxygen species (ROS) intermediates. Rr and Dr. bacteria of arid regions have the potential to regulate imbalance radicals and evade a higher dose of radiation and oxidation than bacterial species of nonarid regions. Photochemical-activated ROS in Rr bacteria is run through photoinduction of electron transfer. A hypothetical model of the biogeochemical cycle based on solar radiation and desiccation. These selective stresses generate oxidative radicals for a short span with strong reactivity and toxic effects. Desert-inhibiting Rr bacteria efficiently evade ROS toxicity with an evolved antioxidant system and other defensive pathways. The imbalanced radicals in physiological disorders, cancer, and lung diseases could be neutralized by a self-sustaining evolved Rr bacteria antioxidant system. The direct link of evolved antioxidant system with intermediate ROS and indirect influence of radiation and desiccation provide useful insight into richness, ecological diversity, and origin of Rr bacteria capabilities. The distinguishing features of Rr bacteria in deserts present a fertile research area with promising applications in the pharmaceutical industry, genetic engineering, biological therapy, biological transformation, bioremediation, industrial biotechnology, and astrobiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disturbances drive large changes in plant composition and ecosystem functioning in drylands, but current understanding of how recovery following disturbance depends on the environment is limited due to challenges in analysing effects of disparate disturbances across abiotic gradients.We combined remote sensing and field observations across 5600+ km of natural gas pipeline corridors and adjacent undisturbed vegetation to investigate how recovery from a uniform, severe disturbance varied with factors that influence water availability in drylands.We found that recovery of net primary production (NPP) often remains incomplete, with only 42% of our sites projected to fully recover within 100 years. NPP recovery was quicker and more complete in regions that receive most of their annual precipitation at low temperatures and have fine‐textured soil; recovery of total shrub cover (median timing of 81 years) was faster on fine‐textured soils in locations that receive most of their annual precipitation at high temperatures. Locations with quick recovery of shrub cover were linked with a shift in dominant shrub species and incomplete NPP recovery.Synthesis. Recovery of NPP and shrub cover in drylands were driven by different environmental factors. For both NPP and shrub cover, locations with high pre‐disturbance values required more time to recover to adjacent undisturbed levels than locations with low pre‐disturbance values. Quick recovery of shrub cover or productivity was generally linked with a shift in dominant plant species or functional group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The aims of this study are to explore the vertical distribution of soil nutrients in sand dunes of N. tangutorum nebkhas at different successional stages in the Ulanbuhe Desert, and to provide a scientific foundation for the stable growth of N. tangutorum shrubs in the region. [Methods]N. tangutorum nebkhas sand piles at different succession were selected stages as the research objects. Through preliminary vegetation investigation, based on the dead rate and coverage of the N. tangutorum shrub, it was divided into different succession stages, namely the development stage (dead rate 10％～30％, coverage 20％～40％), stable stage (dead rate＜10％, coverage 40％～60％), and decline stage (dead rate＞50％, coverage＜20％). Three relatively independent N. tangutorum nebkhas sand piles were selected for each succession stage. The vegetation characteristics and soil nutrients in the inter dune area and on windward and leeward slopes of sand piles were investigated and determined, respectively. [Results]As the succession of the N. tangutorum shrub progresses, the height, crown length, and width of the N. tangutorum first increased and then decreased. Among them, the crown length in the stable stage was significantly higher than that in other stages (p＜0. 05), increased by 45. 50％and 50. 01％compared to the developmental and declining stages, respectively (p＜0. 05). At the leeward slope, the soil nutrient content during the development stage shows a'descending ascending descending 'trend with the increase of soil depth, while the organic matter content during the stable and declining stages showed a decreasing trend, reaching the minimum value at 40-60 cm. At the windward slope, the content of soil organic matter and total nitrogen in 40-60 cm soil layer reached the maximum value in the decline stage with the development of the succession stage, but the content of total nitrogen in the development and decline stage reached the minimum value in 40-60 cm soil layer with the increase of the soil depth, which was 83. 33％and 80. 31％lower than that in 0-10 cm soil layer, respectively (p＜0. 05). The soil nutrients of the white thorn shrub sand pile at different slope positions reached their maximum values at 0-10 cm, but overall, the nutrient enrichment effect of the N. tangutorum nebkhas sand pile soil was not significant. [Conclusion]This research has shown that the soil nutrients in the N. tangutorum nebkhas sand pile are mainly concentrated on the surface of the sand pile. How to alleviate the activation of the N. tangutorum nebkhas sand pile and soil nutrient loss is an important guarantee for the stability of the N. tangutorum nebkhas sand pile in arid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: In the Atacama Desert certain plant species can be found in small and isolated areas, limited to regions with water availability. The degree of connectivity within and between these natural populations depends on their pollen and seed dispersal abilities, as well as on the barriers imposed by the landscape. Prosopis flexuosa is a species of high economic and ecological importance included in the algarrobo Conservation and Management program. The main objective of this work is to analyze the genetic variability and mating system of P. flexuosa in the Atacama Desert. M&M: Genetic diversity parameters as well as the mating system were evaluated in a natural population (Quillagua) based on microsatellite molecular markers. The hierarchical distribution of genetic variance and kinship coefficients were analyzed. Results: The results indicate high levels of genetic diversity (HE = 0.67-0.65; Ar = 3.8- 3.7), high outcrossing rates (t m = 0.97, t s = 0.85), low biparental inbreeding (11.6%) and multiple paternity. The proportion of full sibs decreases when considering seeds from the same or different pods (89→16%). Only the variance between families is significant (p < 0.001) and mean kinships estimated show that progenies within families are not only constituted by half sibs. Conclusions: The results are discussed and related to the limited pollen and seed dispersal and their implication for the management of this resource. The study of the mating system parameters of this Chilean desert population suggests that the low population density and the environment fragmentation would not be influencing their mating capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A combined multiscale approach using ground, drone and satellite surveys can provide accurate landscape scale spatial mapping and monitoring. We used field observations with drone collected imagery covering 70 ha annually for a 5‐year period to estimate changes in living and dead vegetation of four widespread and abundant arid zone woody shrub species. Random forest classifiers delivered high accuracy (> 95%) using object‐based detection methods, with fast repeatable and transferrable processing using Google Earth Engine. Our classifiers performed well in both dominant arid zone landscape types: dune and swale, and at extremes of dry and wet years with minimal alterations. This highlighted the flexibility of the approach, potentially delivering insights into changes in highly variable environments. We also linked this classified drone vegetation to available temporally and spatially explicit Landsat satellite imagery, training a new, more accurate fractional vegetation cover model, allowing for accurate tracking of vegetation responses at large scales in the arid zone. Our method promises considerable opportunity to track vegetation dynamics including responses to management interventions, at large geographic scales, extending inference well beyond ground surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Mountains play a crucial role in shaping the climate of an area and subsequently, the environments and species that are suited to those particular conditions. Understanding the relationships between environmental conditions and their influence on the occurrence of a species is necessary to make informed decisions when conserving relevant habitats. This study evaluated and compared the potential for different interactions between climatic variables to describe the environmental preferences and the range of the Ladakh urial, a narrowly distributed sub‐species of Ovis vignei, in the arid Himalayas. Species distribution models were created from spatially thinned presence‐only occurrence data of 50 locations using a Maximum Entropy (Maxent) model. For this, we subdivided the modeled distribution into environmental categories with varying degrees of suitability. We identified a high cold precipitation to annual precipitation ratio typical of cold desert climates well suited to describe the highest quality environments for urial. The inverse, low warm precipitation to annual precipitation ratio was found to better describe the urial's range at the lower end of potential habitat. In this comparison, we observed that with the exclusion of unsuitable cold steppe habitat with a higher warm precipitation to annual precipitation ratio, we were able to refine the extent of this species range but at a trade‐off to the accurate description of high‐quality environments. This study demonstrated the strong potential of cold arid climatic conditions to describe the distribution of urial in India, which have implications for identifying important areas for the conservation and management of the species in the high altitude rangelands of Ladakh.

Abstract: Rawls famously argued against meritocratic conceptions of distributive justice on the grounds that the accumulation of merit is an unavoidably lucky process, both because of differences in early environment, and innate talents. Thomas Mulligan (2018a) has recently provided a novel defense of meritocracy against the “luck objection”, arguing that both sources of luck would be mostly eliminated in a meritocracy. While a system of fair equality of opportunity ensures that differences in social class or early environment do not lead to differences in the accumulation of merit, Kripke’s essentiality of origin thesis means that our genetic endowments, and thus our innate talents, could not have been any other way. But if we could not fail to have our innate talents, Mulligan argues, then it is not a matter of luck that we have them, and so the merits we accumulate on their basis are not so luck-dependent. This paper argues that Mulligan’s appeal to the essentiality of origin thesis fails to rescue meritocratic conceptions of distributive justice from the luck objection for two reasons. First, even granting essentiality of origin and fair equality of opportunity, the contingencies of the market and the social environment mean that having some innate talents is far luckier than having others. And second, the appeal to essentiality of origin misses the underlying motivation for the luck objection, and ignores the intimate connection between desert and responsibility.

Abstract Background The knowledge about the species of a habitat (both resident and transient/dominant and rare) is a vital step to plan the conservation measures. Being generalist predators, spiders help controlling the population of their prey and maintain ecosystem stability. This makes spiders excellent bio-indicators for assessing the impact of anthropogenic disturbance factors on natural ecosystems (De, Siliwal, Uniyal and Hussain in Trop. Ecol. 63: 1–7, 2021). The aim of this study was to assess the dominance structure and constancy of spiders in three different habitats (Sand dunes, Riparian and Rocky) of the Thar desert. Study was conducted from March 2017 to February 2019 covering all seasons. Results The eudominant species in sand dunes and rocky desert belonged to the family Thomisidae. These species were Tmarus sp. 1 and Tmarus kotigeharus Tikader, 1963, respectively. There were two eudominants in Riparian habitat (Oecobius putus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 and Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831)). Through the analysis of constancy of all the species in the Thar desert, it was revealed that three species were constant in all the three habitats. The number of accessory and accidental species was far higher than constant species in all the habitats. Conclusions The number of accessory and accidental spider species in all habitats was far higher than constants due to the unstability of spider population. Therefore, this study highlights the necessity for conservation of these habitats of the Thar desert.

Abstract Ecological resource availability is crucial for the persistence and survival of local desert animal communities. Dryland resources such as shrubs and burrows positively benefit animal species by mitigating harsh abiotic factors and providing habitat. Understanding the role of native shrubs, many of which serve as foundation species within desert regions, as well as the function of underground burrows as resources, provides insights into habitat utilization. In this study, we seek to better understand the co-occurrence of these two resources as a first step in quantifying key patterns locally and regionally in drylands. We tested whether the presence of burrows increased with the density of foundational shrubs near the burrows at two scales—within a 5 m radius of every burrow recorded and at the site level—defined as discrete ecological areas. We performed fieldwork across 31 sites within the arid and semiarid regions of Central California. We used a combination of burrow field surveys and satellite imagery to document both vertebrate animal burrow frequencies and shrub densities. Additionally, the accuracy of the shrub data was verified through ground truthing. Both fine-scale and site-level shrub densities positively predicted the relative likelihood of burrows and the frequency of burrows, respectively. The existence of two highly utilized dryland resources and the relationship between them signal that areas abundant in both resources will likely better support resident animal species. This finding underscores the significance of incorporating both shrub density and burrow frequency in studies of habitat interconnectivity and quality. The co-occurrence patterns of these resources will support novel habitat management and conservation strategies designed around both conservation and restoration efforts.

Iraq's reproductive and developmental seasons for the frog vary depending on the region and ecological, geographical, and climatic factors, but they always take place from February to April. This study set out to observe the impact factor of water temperature on frog embryo development and tadpoles' development in the frog genus Bufotes variabilis. In central Iraq (semi-arid zones), temperatures are high, and precipitation is low; the temperature plays an important role in the timing of metamorphosis, especially in amphibian populations of Iraq. In the three months of February, March, and April, a hand net was used to gather a total of 100 eggs from the bank of the Babylon River and divided into three groups, tadpole's total snout to vent length (SVL) at stages 25, 35, and 46 were measured during this period. This group experiences varying stages when the water temperature varies from 10°C in February to 25°C in April. Histologically, frog skin is composed of an epidermal and dermal layer. The epidermal layer comprises a mucous-stratified squamous epithelium (keratinized or non-keratinized) with three strata of keratinocytes (basal, intermediate, and apical). The dermis is divided into two strata, a loose connective tissue stratum underneath the epidermis that contains melanin pigment cells, blood vessels, mucous and granular glands, and a dense irregular connective tissue stratum rich in crisscrossed collagen fibers. Histological specimens were taken to study the mucous and granular glands of the frog's skin during the same period using rotund methods; the skin showed changes in mucous and granular gland diameter in April is larger than that in February. We registered in dorsal pectoral skin the mucous gland I, spherical in shape and constituted by a single layer of relatively tall prismatic secretory cells with basal nuclei. While the Mucous gland II is constituted of low cuboidal secretory cells with middle or basal nuclei surrounding a somewhat demanding lumen. In conclusion, the temperature plays a big role in tadpole size and time of metamorphosis as well as skin changes.

Background: Despite the exposure to arid environmental conditions across the globe ultimately hampering the sustainability of the living organism, few plant species are equipped with several unique genotypic, biochemical, and physiological features to counter such harsh conditions. Physiologically, they have evolved with reduced leaf size, spines, waxy cuticles, thick leaves, succulent hydrenchyma, sclerophyll, chloroembryo, and photosynthesis in nonfoliar and other parts. At the biochemical level, they are evolved to perform efficient photosynthesis through Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C4 pathways with the formation of oxaloacetic acid (Hatch-Slack pathway) instead of the C3 pathway. Additionally, comparative genomics with existing data provides ample evidence of the xerophytic plants' positive selection to adapt to the arid environment. However, adding more high-throughput sequencing of xerophyte plant species is further required for a comparative genomic study toward trait discovery related to survival. Learning from the mechanism to survive in harsh conditions could pave the way to engineer crops for future sustainable agriculture. Aim of the review: The distinct physiology of desert plants allows them to survive in harsh environments. However, the genomic composition also contributes significantly to this and requires great attention. This review emphasizes the physiological and genomic adaptation of desert plants. Other important parameters, such as desert biodiversity and photosynthetic strategy, are also discussed with recent progress in the field. Overall, this review discusses the different features of desert plants, which prepares them for harsh conditions intending to translate knowledge to engineer plant species for sustainable agriculture. Key Scientific Concepts of Review: This review comprehensively presents the physiology, molecular mechanism, and genomics of desert plants aimed towards engineering a sustainable crop.

Ants (Hym., Formicidae) have been recognized as vital components of arid ecosystems. Determining the diversity patterns of ants and the ecological factors behind these patterns is expected to improve our understanding of the functioning of arid ecosystems. Here, we explored patterns of ant species diversity and community composition along an elevational gradient (800 to 2800 m) in the arid area of Central Iran. The elevational gradient in ant diversity and the effects of environmental factors on various indices of ant diversity and species composition were investigated using generalized linear mixed models and variance partitioning analysis. We recorded 34 ant species of 12 genera and 8 tribes from 120 surveyed quadrats. Climate variables were the most important predictors of ant community structure. Indices of ant alpha diversity including Hill numbers and taxonomic diversity increased with elevation. Hill numbers were negatively influenced by temperature, while they were positively affected by precipitation. The observed diversity pattern could be explained by the diversity-productivity hypothesis. In our study area, the maximum primary productivity and consequently the maximum species diversity occurred at high elevations, where precipitation is high and temperature is lower than the extremes that could limit plant productivity. Ant assemblages are expected to become increasingly composed of warm-tolerant species in response to warmer and drier conditions driven by climate change. The distribution of species with lower heat tolerance will be limited to high-elevation areas in Central Iran. These areas could act as refuges for ants and should be considered priorities for conservation

Abstract: The orthodox view of the metaphysics of desert is that desert is a triadic relation that obtains between a subject, an object and a desert base. Not only is this view lacking in motivation, but conceiving of the desert base as part of the desert relation renders the concept of desert incoherent. Instead, desert should be thought of as a dyadic relation between a subject and an object, where desert bases are simply the grounds for dyadic desert facts.

Background: The knowledge about the species of a habitat (both resident and transient/dominant and rare) is a vital step to plan the conservation measures. Being generalist predators, spiders help controlling the population of their prey and maintain ecosystem stability. This makes spiders excellent bio-indicators for assessing the impact of anthropogenic disturbance factors on natural ecosystems (De, Siliwal, Uniyal and Hussain in Trop. Ecol. 63: 1–7, 2021). The aim of this study was to assess the dominance structure and constancy of spiders in three different habitats (Sand dunes, Riparian and Rocky) of the Thar desert. Study was conducted from March 2017 to February 2019 covering all seasons. Results: The eudominant species in sand dunes and rocky desert belonged to the family Thomisidae. These species were Tmarus sp. 1 and Tmarus kotigeharus Tikader, 1963, respectively. There were two eudominants in Riparian habitat (Oecobius putus O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1876 and Menemerus bivittatus (Dufour, 1831)). Through the analysis of constancy of all the species in the Thar desert, it was revealed that three species were constant in all the three habitats. The number of accessory and accidental species was far higher than constant species in all the habitats. Conclusions: The number of accessory and accidental spider species in all habitats was far higher than constants due to the unstability of spider population. Therefore, this study highlights the necessity for conservation of these habitats of the Thar desert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil seed banks help maintain species diversity through temporal storage effects and function as germination pools that can optimize fitness across varying environmental conditions. These characteristics promote the persistence of native plant communities, yet disturbances such as fire and associated invasions by non-native species can disrupt these reserves, fundamentally altering successional trajectories. This may be particularly true in deserts, where native plant communities are less adapted to fire. While studies of fire effects on desert plant communities are not uncommon, information regarding the short- and long- term effects of fire on seed banks is less available. To better understand the influence of fire and invasive species on desert seed banks, we investigated soil seed bank biodiversity from 30 wildfires that burned between 1972 and 2010 across the Mojave Desert ecoregion of North America. We assessed how characteristics of fire regimes (frequency, time since fire, and burn severity) interacted with climate and invasive plants on measures of a-, p-, and g- diversities. Because p-diversity is a direct measure of community variability and reveals important information about biodiversity loss, we further examined the nestedness and turnover components of p-diversity. Mean a- and ^-diversities were generally higher for burned locations than in unburned reference sites, however individual fire variables had little influence on patterns of seed bank diversity. Burned area seed banks tended to be dominated by non-native invasive species, primarily two grasses, (Bromus rubens, Bromus tectorum), as well as an invasive forb (Erodium cicutarium). The most striking pattern we observed was a collective sharp decline in a-, p-, and g-diversities with increased invasive species dominance, indicating the homogenization of seed bank communities with the colonization of invasive species after fire. Evidence of homogenization was further supported by reduced turnover and increased nestedness in burn areas compared to reference areas indicating potential biodiversity loss. Our findings highlight how biological processes such as plant invasions can combine with disturbance from fire to alter patterns of seed bank composition and diversity in desert ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subterranean rodents modify the surrounding environment being classified, in some cases, as keystone species and/or ecosystem engineers. This role could be context‐dependent if the changes produced shift throughout the species distribution range and are stronger under certain environmental conditions. Our objective was to analyse whether the effect of Ctenomys mendocinus on vegetation cover is context‐dependent. Given that primary productivity may increase plants' ability to tolerate or compensate following herbivory, we hypothesize that the effect of C. mendocinus on vegetation cover will be context‐dependent along a primary productivity gradient, with smaller effects in highly productive environments and larger effects in less productive ones. We compared the effect of C. mendocinus on plant cover among four contrasting environments and found that it depended on primary productivity in a predictable manner. In low productivity environments, the rodent significantly reduces vegetation cover, while it has no discernible effect in highly productive ones. These findings suggest that the effect of C. mendocinus on plant cover depends on primary productivity level and highlights the importance of accounting for the underlying environmental factors that influence the intensity of C. mendocinus–plant interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectivity is essential for the maintenance of genetic diversity and stability of wildlife populations. Drought and changing precipitation regimes have caused natural aquatic amphibian breeding habitats to disappear or become isolated and have led to the replacement of natural surface water with artificial livestock water tanks. Terrestrial movement is the only means of responding to aquatic threats in arid landscapes and to allow population connectivity. Aridity may present an impenetrable barrier in hydrologically fragmented environments. We used a facultatively paedomorphic and federally endangered salamander to assess the challenges of movement across arid working lands. Sonoran tiger salamanders (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi) are endemic to the San Rafael Valley of southeastern Arizona, United States of America, where they depend on livestock water tanks as breeding habitat. The ecology of this species' metamorphs outside of stock tanks is virtually unknown. To assess survival on the landscape during terrestrial movement we used radio‐transmitters to track 78 adult metamorphosed salamanders over 2 years. Sonoran tiger salamanders moved up to 1 km from the tank edge, and average distances moved of over 400 m were higher than most Ambystoma species. However, during the study period, none reached neighboring stock tanks. We found high mortality due to predation and desiccation. Individuals that dispersed to terrestrial habitat in summer survived longer than individuals that dispersed in spring. High mortality suggests terrestrial movement is exceptionally risky and may contribute to isolated subpopulations and elevated levels of inbreeding. Conservation actions that improve and maintain artificial aquatic habitats as well as increase connectivity may improve long‐term management for pond‐breeding amphibians in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The Worthen sparrow (WS) is an endemic species of the Mexican rangelands that is considered endangered. The objective of this study was to document the building materials for nest building of this obligate grassland bird species. After completing the breeding season from 2013–2016, 207 empty nests were collected to analyze the construction materials used in their assembly. The findings revealed that Muhlembergia torrey was a key component of the WS's nest. The study was conducted within a well-managed beef cattle operation in northeastern Mexico. Each nest was weighed and dissected to obtain the plant and animal material used to build the nests. The number of materials present per nest and relative frequency were determined. Twenty-one building materials were used. Over the years, Muhlenbergia torreyi represented 85.5% of the total biomass of the nests, and Aristida longiseta, Bouteloua gracilis, Brickellia canescens, Purshia mexicana and Cirsium ehrenbergii constituted 2.45, 2.80, 2.44, 1.34 and 1.11% of the total biomass, respectively. The above-mentioned grasses represented 95.62% of the total biomass. Material of animal origin was horse and cow hair, which represented 0.84 and 0.58% of the total biomass, respectively. It was concluded that, at the study site, Muhlenbergia torreyi was a key nest-building material for the Worthen sparrow nest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Desert is one of the harshest places on the earth due to low precipitation and soil nutrients. • Global desertification is a continuous process; almost 60% of the land surface is now desertified. • The plants in these desert ecosystems have developed several novel phenotypic characteristics that overcome the harsh environment. • Genome sequencing of the desert plant can enable us to identify the novel trait responsible for overcoming the xerophytic condition. • Transfer of novel genetic traits can be done to the crop plants. So that plants can withstand the harsh environment and overcome crop loss due to drought and other extreme conditions. Despite the exposure to arid environmental conditions across the globe ultimately hampering the sustainability of the living organism, few plant species are equipped with several unique genotypic, biochemical, and physiological features to counter such harsh conditions. Physiologically, they have evolved with reduced leaf size, spines, waxy cuticles, thick leaves, succulent hydrenchyma, sclerophyll, chloroembryo, and photosynthesis in nonfoliar and other parts. At the biochemical level, they are evolved to perform efficient photosynthesis through Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and C4 pathways with the formation of oxaloacetic acid (Hatch-Slack pathway) instead of the C3 pathway. Additionally, comparative genomics with existing data provides ample evidence of the xerophytic plants' positive selection to adapt to the arid environment. However, adding more high-throughput sequencing of xerophyte plant species is further required for a comparative genomic study toward trait discovery related to survival. Learning from the mechanism to survive in harsh conditions could pave the way to engineer crops for future sustainable agriculture. The distinct physiology of desert plants allows them to survive in harsh environments. However, the genomic composition also contributes significantly to this and requires great attention. This review emphasizes the physiological and genomic adaptation of desert plants. Other important parameters, such as desert biodiversity and photosynthetic strategy, are also discussed with recent progress in the field. Overall, this review discusses the different features of desert plants, which prepares them for harsh conditions intending to translate knowledge to engineer plant species for sustainable agriculture. This review comprehensively presents the physiology, molecular mechanism, and genomics of desert plants aimed towards engineering a sustainable crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the commencement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), renewable energy has faced many challenges in reaching the target of SDGs, while the potential ecological impact on the environment cannot be ignored. The expansion of photovoltaic (PV) networks is raising concerns regarding the potential impact of large-scale PV power stations on local ecosystems. However, a comprehensive understanding of the specific responses of vegetation and soil factors to PV con-struction across different study locations is still lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we con-ducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of 28 studies internationally representing 31 observational points that evaluated 432 different vegetation and soil factor responses to the installation of PV power stations. We used piecewiseSEM to explore the responses of predictors/factors to the eco-logical environment. This study investigated the geographical and environmental conditions associated with PV construction and their responses to vegetation and soil factors, considering the advantages and disadvantages of PV power station construction in different ecosystems. The results indicate that (1) the response of the ecosystems to PV power station construction increased by 58.89%. Among these, the most significant improvement is in the desert, which accounts for 77.26%. Im-provement in temperate regions is 59.62%, while there is a decrease of 19.78% in boreal regions. Improvement in arid regions is 84.45%, while improvement in humid regions is 9.84%. (2) PV construction promotes SWC, vegetation diversity, vegetation coverage, and vegetation biomass, significantly enhancing vegetation productivity. (3) Among the different ecosystems, PV power station effects were most significant in deserts, while showing negative impacts on croplands. (4) Compared to below-panel treatments, between-panel treatments were more effective in improving ecological conditions. The study contributes to mitigating adverse effects associated with photovoltaic site development, offering insights into site selection planning for solar power stations and the advancement of the renewable energy sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Punishment involves the intentional infliction of harm and suffering. Both of the most prominent families of justifications of punishment – retributivism and consequentialism – face several moral concerns that are hard to overcome. Moreover, the effectiveness of current criminal punishment methods in ensuring society’s safety is seriously undermined by empirical research. Thus, it appears to be a moral imperative for a modern and humane society to seek alternative means of administering justice. The special issue of Diametros “The Abolition of Punishment: Is a Non-Punitive Criminal Justice System Ethically Justified?” was brought into life precisely to give the authors a platform for such progressive inquiries. And it is now safe to say that this platform has been put to excellent use, since Valerij Zisman, Alexander Stachurski, Giorgia Brucato, Perica Jovchevski, Sofia M. I. Jeppsson, Stephen G. Morris, Benjamin Vilhauer, John Lemos, Saul Smilansky, Elizabeth Shaw, Mirko Farina, Andrea Lavazza and Sergei Levin have presented such thought-provoking texts that they are bound to set the stage for debate in the years to come. This article is an introduction to this special issue and to the authors’ papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A rich diversity of radiation-resistant (Rr) and desiccation-resistant (Dr) bacteria has been found in arid habitats of the world. Evidence from scientific research has linked their origin to reactive oxygen species (ROS) intermediates. Rr and Dr. bacteria of arid regions have the potential to regulate imbalance radicals and evade a higher dose of radiation and oxidation than bacterial species of non-arid regions. Photochemical-activated ROS in Rr bacteria is run through photo-induction of electron transfer. A hypothetical model of the biogeochemical cycle based on solar radiation and desiccation. These selective stresses generate oxidative radicals for a short span with strong reactivity and toxic effects. Desert-inhibiting Rr bacteria efficiently evade ROS toxicity with an evolved antioxidant system and other defensive pathways. The imbalanced radicals in physiological disorders, cancer, and lung diseases could be neutralized by a self-sustaining evolved Rr bacteria antioxidant system. The direct link of evolved antioxidant system with intermediate ROS and indirect influence of radiation and desiccation provide useful insight into richness, ecological diversity, and origin of Rr bacteria capabilities. The distinguishing features of Rr bacteria in deserts present a fertile research area with promising applications in the pharmaceutical industry, genetic engineering, biological therapy, biological transformation, bioremediation, industrial biotechnology, and astrobiology.

Climate change can affect species' geographical range in several ways, leading to species' geographical range expansion and contraction. Amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class, and deterioration is due, in part, to the loss of suitable habitat. This taxonomic group is especially sensitive because of their biphasic life cycles (aquatic and terrestrial) and microhabitat requirements. Herein, we propose a combined approach, which uses biological and life history information to understand species' sensitivity to climate change. The goals of our study were to (1) identify the contribution of environmental variables to the broad-scale distribution of amphibians in drylands of the southwestern United States and Mexico, (2) describe how the habitat suitability of amphibians can potentially respond to a range of climate change scenarios across drylands, and (3) identify amphibian traits related to increased vulnerability and adaptation to the specific pressures and mechanisms of climate change projected for the dryland areas. Results show that climate strongly influences the geographic distribution of amphibian diversity in drylands and that most amphibians are expected to lose habitat in the upcoming decades. This study also shows that areas with the greatest loss of high habitat suitability are related to temperature increases and precipitation reductions. Our results build a framework that will significantly improve the current state of knowledge on the drylands' biogeography while providing comprehensive information and analyses for decision-makers to conserve and protect endangered and threatened amphibian species and their habitats.

IntroductionSport tourism is a type of recreational trip where tourists temporarily leave their home to participate in sports activities, watch sports events or go to places that are related to sports activities. In other words, sports tourism is a phenomenon that is socially, economically, and culturally significant because of the unique interaction between an activity, people, and place. Many residents of Europe, who are deprived of this natural blessing of the world, consider desertification to be an attractive field of tourism. Domestic and foreign tourists can be attracted to Yazd province by its traditional, historical, cultural, geographical, and climatic architecture, handicrafts, and desert attractions. One of the most important features of the Yazd desert is its suitable space for activities and entertainment for different age groups, from children and babies to adventurous young people and middle-aged people. They can engage in various activities such as walking on sand dunes, watching the surfaces of salt marshes, salty rivers, seeing the clear sky and stars at night and the sunrise. The literature and research background indicate that the majority of research has concentrated on the factors or obstacles that contribute to the development of tourism in the desert, or the motivations of tourists. There is no research on sports tourism in the desert. Considering the high reception of foreign tourists from the city of Yazd and the variety of tourists who travel to Yazd from different parts of the world, solutions have been provided for the prosperity of the tourism industry in the city of Yazd as well as the country's tourism. It is important to consider the possibility of resolving tourism problems and increasing the number of foreign tourists in the regions. Nevertheless, the standard of living is slowly rising, and physical and mental health, recreation, and free time have become necessary for everyday life. It is crucial to address this issue by meeting people's diverse sports needs and improving their healthy living standards. Sports tourism as a means of maintaining physical and mental health and spending leisure time has many advantages. Promoting and developing tourism and economic prosperity can be achieved by developing sports tourism in the deserts of Yazd. Thus, the researcher decided to determine the factors that affect the acceptance of sports tourism in the desert by students at Yazd University. Material and MethodsThe current research was applied for specific purposes and used descriptive-correlational data collection methods. The statistical population of this research was the students of Yazd University, of whom 375 were selected as a sample according to Morgan's table using a simple random method. The research tool was the Alam Talab questionnaire (2014), whose validity was obtained by asking the opinions of experts in the field of sports tourism, and its reliability was obtained through Cronbach's alpha of 0.89. During descriptive analysis, SPSS version 26 software was employed, and Smart PLS version 4 software was utilized for structural equation modeling. Results and DiscussionIt was discovered that among the individual factor variables, the factor of obtaining pleasure and relaxation, which has a factor load of 1.199, is the most significant factor than physical fitness with a factor loads of 1.040. Among the variables of social factors, the mass media factor with a factor load of 0.929 is the most important item and the peer factor with a factor load of 0.724 is the least important item. The positive and significant effect of enjoyment and relaxation on the acceptance of sports tourism in the desert was confirmed, but the effect of fitness, mass media, family and peers on the acceptance of sports tourism in the desert was rejected. According to the coefficient of determination value of 0.124, the model does not fit well. According to the obtained results, it is suggested to have group tours with trained tour leaders during the competition season, preferably in autumn and winter, and with discounts or free sports insurance for emerging desert disciplines such as camel riding, sand riding, off-road, paragliding and Shooting with flying targets should be held in the deserts near and far of Yazd city. It is appropriate to provide extensive information about these events through mass media and national and local social networks. It is essential to prepare and make available to tourists complete and detailed maps of the routes, attractions, sports tourism facilities, and information in the desert camps of Yazd city. Finally, a specific trustee body in the tourism industry should be accountable for overseeing the activities of sports tourism tours.

The Heishan geothermal area is positioned above the sole Yunnan–Tibet high-temperature geothermal belt, where huge geothermal energy resources are available. Utilizing the characteristics of large exploration depth, extensive coverage, and high precision of the wide-field electromagnetic method, four survey lines were deployed, totaling 29.8 km, to enable a comprehensive analysis of the granite structure and fault distribution. The results indicate that the rocks within the area can be vertically divided into a granite basement and a fractured layer. Moreover, three different zones of resistivity were identified: the granite basement zone has a resistivity range of 2500–20000 Ω m, whereas the compressional shear zone and the secondary fault zone have a resistivity range of 750–2500 Ω m, and the extensional fault zone and the main fault zone have resistivity values below 750 Ω m. The Heishan-Hejian fault and the fault zone formed during its right-lateral strike-slip process, as well as the controlled area of the Qianmaihe fault, are all favorable targets. Of these, the Qianmahe fault possesses a larger-scale heat-conducting and water-controlling structure. In addition, in the secondary fault-controlled area extending to the west, the zone between F2’ and F4 exhibits renewed tectonic activity, suggesting a greater potential for geothermal resources.

The Lower Zeravshan district of Uzbekistan is characterized by the most arid climate and is particularly affected by global warming and anthropogenic pressure. The biodiversity of herpetobiont beetles in this region has not been sufficiently studied, and this makes it difficult to monitor the fauna of the region. This work was carried out to assess the biodiversity and ecological features of some groups of herpetobiont beetles during 2019–2023. Soil and light traps, soil excavations and manual collection were used to collect material. A total of 131 species of beetles were identified. The carabid fauna of the region is represented by 43 species belonging to nine subfamilies, 19 tribes, and 28 genera. For the fauna of the Republic, two species were recorded for the first time (Syntomus obscuroguttatus (Duftschmid, 1812) and Scarites subcylindricus Chaudoir, 1843). The darkling beetle fauna includes 46 species belonging to three subfamilies, 16 tribes, and 30 genera. For the first time, five species were recorded for the fauna of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Cyphogenia lucifuga Adams, 1817, Trigonoscelis apicalis Reitter, 1907, Colpotus sulcatus (Menetries, 1838), Tribolium destructor Uyttenboogart, 1933, Pentaphyllus chrysomeloides (Rossi, 1792)). The fauna of ground beetles and darkling beetles of the Lower Zeravshan consists of two species complexes that differ sharply from each other – xerophilic (inhabiting desert biocenoses) and hygromesophilic (inhabiting agricultural landscapes). The similarity coefficients of the fauna of these two types of biocenoses are very low. The fauna of click beetles is represented by 10 species belonging to four subfamilies and seven genera. The fauna of lamellar beetles consists of 31 species (32 with subspecies), belonging to eight subfamilies, 13 tribes, and 19 genera. In agrocenoses, a significant increase in the number of herpetobionts is observed in the first days of June. But their maximum number is observed in early July. It has been established that seasonal fluctuations in the number of representatives of the families Carabidae, Elateridae, Staphylinidae, and Tenebrionidae occur almost in parallel. Fluctuations in the number of representatives of the Scarabaeidae family do not correspond to the above pattern, and the maximum value is observed at the end of July. The data obtained can be used to assess biodiversity and environmental monitoring of arid zones of Uzbekistan.

The desert as a space is still fascinating people and stimulating the minds of those who nourish curiosity. Its landscape is the setting for cultural, religious, historical, artistic and phantasmagorical constructions and with its labyrinthine paths and surroundings, it offers an inexhaustible reservoir of perceptions for its inhabitants, researchers, visitors and admirers. Moreover, the image of the cultural other is stylized in this topographical environment. From a literary point of view, its location is a fertile ground for literary creativity and inspiration. This essay attempts to analyze the ambivalent side of the desert as a polyphonic and transcultural space for possible moments of enunciation, using the example of Karl May’s novel „Durch die Wüste“ (1892). The intention is also to examine the various facets of this space and its function as a plot and aesthetic-poetic topos of cultural Otherness in May’s poetry.

Arid oasis ecosystems are susceptible and fragile ecosystems on Earth. Studying the interaction between deserts, oases, and impervious surfaces is an essential breakthrough for the harmonious and sustainable development of people and land in drylands. Based on gridded data such as land use and NDVI, this article analyzes the interaction characteristics between oases, deserts, and impervious surfaces in northern Egypt and examines their dynamics using modeling and geographic information mapping methods. The results show the following: In terms of the interaction between deserts and oases, the primary manifestation was the expansion of oases and the reduction of deserts. During the study period, the oases in the Nile Delta and Fayoum District increased significantly, with the area of oases in 2020 being 1.19 times the area in 2000, which shows a clear trend of advance of people and retreat of sand. The interaction between oases and impervious surfaces was mainly observed in the form of the spread of impervious surfaces on arable land into oases. During the study period, the area of impervious surfaces increased 2.32 times. The impervious surface expanded over 1903.70 km2 of arable land, accounting for 66.67% of the expanded area. The central phenomenon between the impervious surface and the desert was the encroachment of the covered area of the impervious surface into the desert, especially around the city of Cairo. Population growth and urbanization are the two central drivers between northern Egypt’s oases, deserts, and impervious surfaces. The need for increased food production due to population growth has forced oases to move deeper into the desert, and occupation of arable land due to urbanization has led to increasing pressure on arable land, creating a pressure-conducting dynamic mechanism. Finally, countermeasures for sustainable regional development are suggested.

This paper argues that the mainstream economics view of production based on the conventional factors of production is socially and empirically inaccurate, giving a distorted view of the nature of the production process and the agents responsible for it. Although the factors of production are essential, just as important are the various social, cultural, and political enabling conditions, or what is termed the ‘understructure’ of market production (the complex of infrastructures which underlie and enable market production). We gain an enriched understanding of what the economy truly is by studying the functioning of the understructure and the ancestral labour and care encompassed in it. If this revised view is correct, it has radical ethical implications. In particular, it implies that individuals do not morally deserve the bulk of the income (90% or more) that they receive in the market. High levels of redistributive taxation may therefore be legitimatea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial distribution of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) defines several histologically and clinically distinct immune subtypes—desert (no TILs), excluded (TILs in stroma), and inflamed (TILs in tumor parenchyma). To date, robust classification of immune subtypes still requires deeper experimental evidence across various cancer types. Here, we aimed to investigate, define, and validate the immune subtypes in melanoma by coupling transcriptional and histological assessments of the lymphocyte distribution in tumor parenchyma and stroma. We used the transcriptomic data from The Cancer Genome Atlas melanoma dataset to screen for the desert, excluded, and inflamed immune subtypes. We defined subtype-specific genes and used them to construct a subtype assignment algorithm. We validated the two-step algorithm in the qPCR data of real-world melanoma tumors with histologically defined immune subtypes. The accuracy of a classifier encompassing expression data of seven genes (immune response-related: CD2, CD53, IRF1, and CD8B; and stroma-related: COL5A2, TNFAIP6, and INHBA) in a validation cohort reached 79%. Our findings suggest that melanoma tumors can be classified into transcriptionally and histologically distinct desert, excluded, and inflamed subtypes. Gene expression-based algorithms can assist physicians and pathologists as biomarkers in the rapid assessment of a tumor immune microenvironment while serving as a tool for clinical decision making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological literature indicates that actions performed with the assistance of cognition‐enhancing biomedical technologies are often deemed to be less praiseworthy than similar actions performed without such assistance. This study examines (i) whether this result extends to the bioenhancement of moral capacities, and (ii) if so, what explains the effect of moral bioenhancement on perceived praiseworthiness. The findings indicate that actions facilitated by morally bioenhanced individuals are considered less deserving of praise than similar actions facilitated by 'traditional' moral enhancement—for example, moral self‐education. This diminished praise does not seem to be driven by an aversion to (moral) bioenhancement per se. Instead, it appears to be primarily attributable to a perceived lack of effort exerted by bioenhanced individuals in the course of their moral enhancement. Our findings advance the philosophical discourse on the foundations of praise in the context of moral bioenhancement by elucidating the empirical basis underlying some assumptions commonly employed to argue for or against the permissibility of moral bioenhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shrubland is an important type of vegetation in the semi-arid region of the western Loess Plateau, and it is of great value to the maintenance of biodiversity and soil and water conservation. Equally, there may be significant differences in the level of diversity and the community assembly patterns across different types of shrublands (desert, alpine, and secondary shrublands). This study aimed to reveal the diversity and the community assembly patterns of different types of shrublands and the environmental explanations for these by using a taxonomic and phylogenetic analysis approach, as well as by considering soil and climate factors. The diversity level of the desert shrublands was low, and the habitats of the three types of shrubland were significantly different. Precipitation may be the main environmental factor driving the variation in and diversity of these types of shrubland. All three types of shrubland were strongly affected by environmental filtering and competitive exclusion, and their community assembly patterns were similar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological products and ecosystem services are essential for human survival and development. Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP) is a method to combine the value of ecosystem services and can reflect the status of ecosystem and ecological conservation and restoration performance. The conservation and restoration of desert ecosystems play an important role in expanding global cultivated land, ensuring food security, and improving human wellbeing. However, ecosystem services and the value of GEP in deserts have been neglected. Taking the Kubuqi Desert ecosystem as an example, this study evaluated the pattens, GEP value, and its change in the Kubuqi Desert ecosystem from 2000 to 2020. Our study found that 1) over the past 20 years, the areas of wetlands, forests, grasslands, and shrubs in the Kubuqi desert ecosystem had increased by 100.65%, 6.05%, 2.24%, and 2.03%, respectively, while that of desert had decreased by 10.62%; 2) the GEP of Kubuqi in 2020 was 55.48 billion CNY, among which its sandstorm prevention value was the highest (39.39%); 3) The value of ecosystem services in the Kubuqi desert ecosystem were all increased over the 20-year period and the largest increase came from sandstorm prevention (increased by 195.09%). This study emphasizes how GEP accounting can promote desert conservation and restoration, quantifies the contribution of desert ecosystems to human wellbeing, and provides future GEP accounting suggestions for desert ecosystems. This study can provide scientific information on the conservation and restoration of global desert ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]