Asals Ecosystems
MASENO UNIVERSITY
(BONDO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE)
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND EARTH SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
NAME: OCHIENG’ GABRIEL
REGISTRATION NO: ED/5104/2008
COURSE: NGE 312 BIOGEOGRAPHY
TERM PAPER TOWARDS THE PARTIAL AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (ARTS) WITH IT
QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 5. Citing specific examples, discuss the physiological, morphological, behavioral and anatomical adaptative traits of biomes in: a) ASAL ecosystems and b) Tundra ecosystems. 1. Critically examine the relevance of the theory of natural selection in biogeographical studies.
DATE: AUGUST, 2011. ARID AND SEMI-ARID LANDS ECOSYSTEMS
Introduction
The deserts of the world are areas in which there is a great deficit of water. They are areas with great moisture shortage. This is usually determined by the high temperatures that determine many of the characteristics of the soils, the vegetation, the animals and the landforms and human activities of such areas.
Modern systems of defining aridity tend to be based on the concept of water balance, the relationship that exists between the input of water in form of precipitation, the losses arising from evaporation and transpiration (evapo-transpiration) and any changes in storage (soil moisture, groundwater, etc). By definition, in arid areas, there is an overall deficit in water balance over a year and the size of that deficit determines the degree of aridity.
Extremely arid areas cover about four percent of the earth’s land surface, arid about fifteen percent and semi-arid about fourteen point six percent. Combined, these amount to almost one-third of the earth’s total land area. The deserts occur in five great provinces separated by either oceans or equatorial forests. The largest of these by far includes the Sahara and a series of other deserts extending eastwards
(BONDO UNIVERSITY COLLEGE)
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENT AND EARTH SCIENCES
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
NAME: OCHIENG’ GABRIEL
REGISTRATION NO: ED/5104/2008
COURSE: NGE 312 BIOGEOGRAPHY
TERM PAPER TOWARDS THE PARTIAL AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (ARTS) WITH IT
QUESTIONS ANSWERED: 5. Citing specific examples, discuss the physiological, morphological, behavioral and anatomical adaptative traits of biomes in: a) ASAL ecosystems and b) Tundra ecosystems. 1. Critically examine the relevance of the theory of natural selection in biogeographical studies.
DATE: AUGUST, 2011. ARID AND SEMI-ARID LANDS ECOSYSTEMS
Introduction
The deserts of the world are areas in which there is a great deficit of water. They are areas with great moisture shortage. This is usually determined by the high temperatures that determine many of the characteristics of the soils, the vegetation, the animals and the landforms and human activities of such areas.
Modern systems of defining aridity tend to be based on the concept of water balance, the relationship that exists between the input of water in form of precipitation, the losses arising from evaporation and transpiration (evapo-transpiration) and any changes in storage (soil moisture, groundwater, etc). By definition, in arid areas, there is an overall deficit in water balance over a year and the size of that deficit determines the degree of aridity.
Extremely arid areas cover about four percent of the earth’s land surface, arid about fifteen percent and semi-arid about fourteen point six percent. Combined, these amount to almost one-third of the earth’s total land area. The deserts occur in five great provinces separated by either oceans or equatorial forests. The largest of these by far includes the Sahara and a series of other deserts extending eastwards