Compares and contrasts the 5 North American deserts according to terrain, weather, and wildlife.

Following a description of the physical and biological characterization of the four North American deserts together with the primary adaptations of plants to environmental stress, the authors go on to present case studies of key species. They provide an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the major patterns of adaptation in desert plants, with one chapter devoted to several important exotic plants that have invaded these deserts. The whole is rounded off with a synthesis of the resource requirements of desert plants and how they may respond to global climate change.

Over 40 illustrations: Gila monster, kit fox, prairie dog, other animals; also plants: cactus, rice grass, saltbush, many more.

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Campbell's pairings bring forth both what is hidden and What is revealed in the desert -- the passing of time and timelessness, the flora that manages to survive despite the meager resources, and the ancients for whom the desert has measured life. His years of training in anthropology and the natural sciences have given Campbell the rare ability to remain objective. Yet, he sees with all the fullness of experience the ways that nature and time have transformed these places, and he knows that this alone can speak wonders. Thus, to travel with Campbell is to experience the unfolding of the desert's deeply held secrets.