BIBFRAME Work

Title

North American deserts

Type

• Monograph
• Text

Contribution

• Graham, Sean P. (aut)

Subject

• Arid regions ecology--North America (LCSH)
• Desert plants--Adaptation--North America (LCSH)
• NATURE / Ecosystems & Habitats / Deserts (BISACSH)
• NATURE / Plants / Cacti & Succulents (BISACSH)
• Desert ecology--North America (LCSH)
• Desert animals--Adaptation--North America (LCSH)

Language

• eng

Illustrative Content

• illustrations

Classification

• NAT048000
• DDC: 577.54097 (Assigner: dlc)
• LCC: QH541.5.D4 G7176 2025 (Assigner: dlc) (Status: used by assigner)
• NAT045010

Content

• text

Supplementary content

• bibliography
• index

Summary

"Deserts cover about one third of the earth's surface and are the largest terrestrial ecosystem in the world. They are the only biome that is actually expanding, largely due to human activities and climate change. In the United States, six unique desert ecosystems stretch across the country: the Great Basin, Mojave, Chihuahuan, Sonoran, Peninsular, and the Painted Desert. Both a travelogue and science writing, North American Deserts: Ecology of Our Arid Lands is a celebration of these ruthlessly beautiful landscapes. Readers will be transported from the enchanting saguaro forests of Arizona and the precipitous red walls of the Grand Canyon to the monotonous, yet impressive landscapes of Nevada's Great Basin and Texas' Chihuahuan Desert. More than 190 vivid, color photographs accompany the lively writing. Biologist Sean P. Graham has extensive field experience in the deserts of the Southwest and Mexico, and in North American Deserts, he takes readers on a journey through both sides of the border. The first half of the book focuses on global climate patterns giving rise to desert regions, and it then delves into how plants and animals survive the physical and biological characteristics of these ecosystems. The second half, which is split into cold and warm regions, features portraits of each desert that explore the unique flora and fauna. Although the work is focused on deserts in the United States, it also surveys the semiarid landscapes that extend into Canada and Mexico"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of Contents

The Desert Planet: Introduction -- Every Family's Canyon: Desert Landforms -- Toast the Solitario: Plant Adaptations -- The Devil's Hand: Animal Adaptations -- Coyotes and Creosote: Widespread Species -- Down to Zero: Desert Communities -- This New Old Desert: Biogeography -- Hasting's Cutoff: Great Basin Desert -- John Ford's America: Painted Desert -- One Tree Hill: Mojave Desert -- Zona del Silencio: Chihuahuan Desert -- El Gran Desierto: Sonoran Desert -- Just the Place for a Snark: Peninsular Desert -- The Secret Gallery of Hoon' Naqvut: Past, Present, Future --For Desert Rats, How I Drew the Desert Boundaries.

Authorized Access Point

Graham, Sean P. North American deserts

Geographic Coverage

• North America

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-30T17:48:24.247902+00:00
• Agent: cbc
• Status: c
• Derived from: 23728050

Admin Metadata

• Date: 2026-09-30
• Cataloger id: Unknown
• Description level: http://id.loc.gov/ontologies/bibframe-2-6-0/
• Description language: eng
• Description authentication: pcc