Sources: PowerPoint, text (p. 12-18)

1. Desert (precipitation; indicator species) below:

• Great Basin Desert
  • most of Nevada, southern Oregon and Idaho
  • precipitation year-round, mostly snow
  • big sagebrush
• Mojave Desert
  • southern Nevada (Las Vegas) and southeast California (Death Valley)
  • precipitation mostly winter rain
  • joshua tree
• Sonoran Desert
  • southern Arizona and California and northwestern Mexico
  • precipitation winter and summer rain
  • columnar cacti and trees in Fabaceae family
• Chihuahuan Desert
  • southern New Mexico, western Texas and north-central Mexico
  • precipitation mostly summer rain
  • tarbush)

2. A series of biotic communities occurs as one goes up mountains. These biotic communities (e.g., Ponderosa Pine forest) are isolated from other such communities by the distance separating mountain ranges. These isolated mountains and their biotic communities are referred to as sky islands.

3. Habitat occurring beside permanent and temporary streams (dry washes) and other sources of water.

4. These areas are estimated to support at least 80% of vertebrate species despite occupying less than 5% of the area. Riparian areas are being lost for a variety of reasons, especially lowering the water table to supply agriculture and cities.