Soil organisms drive major ecosystem functions by mineralising carbon and releasing
nutrients during decomposition processes, which supports plant growth, aboveground …

The nitrogen content of a plant is only one of the many plant characteristics that are vitally
important to herbivores. However, because of its central role in all metabolic processes as …

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the structure, function, environmental response,
interactions with other ecosystem components, and indicator values of microphytic crust on …

This book offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to desert ecology and adopts a
strong evolutionary focus. As with other titles in the Biology of Habitats Series, the emphasis …

Saprophagous macroarthropods are usually described as litter transformers that have low
assimilation efficiencies and little direct effect on carbon mineralization. They are considered …

The nutritional morphology, physiology and ecology of terrestrial isopods (Isopoda:
Oniscidea) is significant in two respects.(1) Most oniscid isopods are truly terrestrial in terms …

Is the concept “ecosystem structure and function,” taken as implying biological interaction
and regulation, useful in understanding deserts? Some theoretical arguments and some …

Paternal investment in terrestrial arthropods occurs in three contexts. Prezygotic investment
includes indirect contributions to offspring through nutrients provided o the male's mate …

Primary production in desert ecosystems is limited by precipitation, nutrient availability
(especially nitrogen), and the species' production potential. Plant biomass provides food for …

Ecological surveys, conducted after a prolonged dry period (mean annual precipitation—14
mm) and after a high rainfall event (118 mm), showed that the Namib dunes respond …