Desert Scrubland

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to desert scrub communities, including subtypes, dominant species, and ecological features.

Desert scrub communities

Shrublands with very low precipitation where the most important abiotic factor is precipitation; often with areas of bare ground and several subtypes influenced by temperature, elevation, and soils.

Shadscale scrub

Desert scrub community dominated by Atriplex spp., developed in arid areas with < 2 inches rain/year, hot, dry summers, spiny plants < 1 m, small, gray-green leaves, occurring at 3,000—6,000 ft. elevation; common in the Mojave Desert and adjacent to Joshua Tree Woodland.

Alkali sink scrub

Desert scrub community composed of halophyte species, many having relatives in coastal salt marshes (Salicornia, Suaeda, Atriplex); occurs in low-lying, poorly drained flats in arid areas, where dry lakes fill with runoff, evaporate, and leave behind high concentrations of salt.

Ant-Plant Relationship in Alkali Sinks

Refers to the symbiotic relationship between alkali sink plants and ants, where ants bury seeds below the hard, salty crust where the salinity is lower and the moisture higher.

Creosote bush scrub

Desert scrub community that covers vast areas of the Mojave Desert on desert floors and alluvial fans, dominated by creosote bush, and includes other important members like Encelia spp., Mojave yucca, and cholla cactus.

Desert washes

A subset of species within the creosote bush scrub community that occupy desert washes, taking advantage of rare desert rains that temporarily fill the channels and provide subsoil moisture.

Desert oases

Areas in the Colorado Desert with springs or subsurface water, where the California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera), the only palm native to western North America, occurs.

Joshua Tree Woodland

A desert scrubland with widely spaced Yucca brevifolia trees, characteristic of the Mojave Desert, occurring between 2,000 to 6,000 ft.

Common species in Joshua Tree Woodland

Opuntia cacti, Juniperus, California buckwheat, box thorn, and Mormon tea.

Mormon tea (Ephedra)

Contains ephedrine, an alkaloid stimulant.