semi-desert scrub

views updated Jun 11 2018

semi-desert scrub A transitional formation type situated between true desert and more thickly vegetated areas (e.g. between thorn forest and desert or between savannah and desert). The vegetation is sparser than that of the thorn forest and succulents are more common, as a consequence of the drier climate. Most of the plants are shallow-rooted, and so able to exploit before it evaporates any precipitation that percolates into the surface layer of the soil.

semi-desert scrub

views updated May 21 2018

semi-desert scrub A transitional formation type situated between true desert and more thickly vegetated areas (e.g. between thorn forest and desert or between savannah and desert). The vegetation is sparser than that of the thorn forest and succulents are more common, as a consequence of the drier climate. Most of the plants are shallow-rooted, and so able to exploit before it evaporates any precipitation that percolates into the surface layer of the soil.