Amphibian and reptile biodiversity in the semi-arid region of the municipality of Nopala de Villagrán, Hidalgo, Mexico

Current global changes are putting both biodiversity and the processes that depend on it at risk. This is especially true for semi-arid regions and the flagship groups that inhabit them, such as amphibians and reptiles. Semi-arid regions are often thought to have lower biodiversity and thus have been overlooked, resulting in the underestimation of their biological richness. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct an inventory of amphibians and reptiles in the semi-arid municipality of Nopala de Villagrán, Mexico, and analyze its biodiversity in relation to the seasons, vegetation and microhabitat. During a year of fieldwork, we found 24 species in the area, most of them of low abundance, and one of which was recorded for the first time for the state of Hidalgo. We documented five amphibian species and 19 reptile species. We also found that observed species richness was higher in the rainy season and in xeric scrub vegetation, although only the season differences were significant according to rarefaction curves. Our findings highlight the importance of seasonality and vegetation type for the species that inhabit this semi-arid region. This study broadens our understanding of the importance of semi-arid regions and, by extension, that of other areas with similar characteristics.

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Effects of Genotype and Rainfall on Forage Oats in a Semi-arid Region

Experimental Agriculture ◽

10.1017/s0014479700007936 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 217-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Hadjichristodoulou

Keyword(s):

Arid Region ◽

Selection Criteria ◽

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Annual Rainfall ◽

Varietal Response ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

SUMMARYThere were significant differences in dry matter yield among five forage oat varieties tested at ten environments during 1970–75. The correlation coefficients between annual rainfall and DM yield varied with variety from 0·69 to 0·88, late varieties tending to give higher yields. Lateness, and high varietal response to annual rainfall and improved environmental conditions, can be used as selection criteria in semi-arid regions. Late varieties had higher DM and lower crude protein contents, and forage produced under lower rainfall conditions tended to have more DM and crude protein.

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Can the Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica sand-fixing forest develop sustainably in a semi-arid region?

10.5194/hess-2019-110 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yiben Cheng ◽

Hongbin Zhan ◽

Mingchang Shi

Keyword(s):

Pinus Sylvestris ◽

Arid Region ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Moisture Distribution ◽

Water Infiltration ◽

Accurate Estimation ◽

Sandy Land ◽

Mu Us Sandy Land ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Desertification is a global environmental and societal concern at present, and China is one of the countries that face the most severe damage of desertification. China’s so-called Three North shelterbelt Program (3NSP) has produced a vast area of lined forest in the semi-arid regions with the purpose of battling desertification. Such a wind-breaking and sand-fixing forest has successfully slowed down the incursion of desert. However, the vast artificial forestry consumes a large amount of water resources, which profoundly affect the fragile ecological environment in the semi-arid regions. In turn, a large amount of water loss also causes a great number of vegetation deaths or defects. To understand the water balance and sustainable development of artificial forest in semi-arid region, this study uses the 30-year-old lined Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica sand-fixing forest in the eastern part of Mu Us Sandy land in Northwestern China as an example. Specifically, this investigation studies the redistribution of water in soil under existing precipitation conditions, so as to evaluate whether the rain-feed forestry can develop sustainably or not. Rain gauge, newly designed lysimeter and soil moisture sensor are used to monitor precipitation, deep soil recharge (DSR) and soil water content, resulting in an accurate estimation of annual moisture distribution of the rain-feed Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica. The study shows that there are two obvious moisture recharge processes in an annual base for the Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forest soil in Mu Us Sandy land: 1) the snow melted water infiltration-recharge process in the spring, and 2) the precipitation-recharge process in the summer. The recharge depth of the first process is 160 cm. The second process results in DSR (referring to recharge that can reach a depth more than 200 cm and may eventually replenish the groundwater reservoir). The DSR of 2016–2018 is 1.4 mm, 0.2 mm, 1.2 mm, respectively. To reach the recharge depths of 20 cm, 40 cm, 80 cm, 120 cm, 160 cm, and 200 cm, the corresponding precipitation intensities have to be 2.6 mm/d, 3.2 mm/d, 3.4 mm/d, 8.2 mm/d, 8.2 mm/d, and 13.2 mm/d, respectively. The annual evaporation amount in the Mu Us Sandyland Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forest is 426.96 mm in 2016, 324.6 mm in 2017, 416.253 mm in 2018. This study concludes that under the current precipitation conditions, very small but observable DSR happened, thus the groundwater system underneath the forest may be replenished, meaning that the artificial Pinus forestry can probably develop sustainably. This study confirms that developing limited amount forestry in semi-arid regions is likely in a sustainable fashion. The widely variable annual precipitation in semi-arid areas may affect this conclusion and should be investigated in the future.

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A comparison of curve number based methods for runoff estimation from small watersheds in a semi-arid region of India

Hydrology Research ◽

10.2166/nh.2008.045 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 39 (3) ◽

pp. 191-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Shakir Ali ◽

V. N. Sharda

Keyword(s):

Arid Region ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Curve Number ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Storm Event ◽

Small Watersheds ◽

Curve Number Method ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

The performance of five curve number based methods, generally employed for estimation of runoff, viz. National Engineering Handbook (NEH-4), storm event (SE), rank order (RO), lognormal frequency (LF) and s-probability (SP), was evaluated using runoff data recorded from three small watersheds in a semi-arid region of India. The most effective and reliable curve number method for runoff estimation was selected based upon several tests of goodness of fit including coefficient of determination (R2), index of agreement (D), root mean square error (RMSE) and relative bias (RB). The LF method was adjudged as the most promising curve number method for estimating runoff from small watersheds in the semi-arid regions of India. The runoff predicted by the LF method was in close agreement with the observed runoff for all four tests of goodness of fit. Though the performance of the SE, RO and NEH-4 methods was almost comparable to each other, the SP method registered higher deviation from the observed runoff values. From the analysis, it is concluded that the LF method can be successfully employed for estimation of curve number based runoff from small watersheds in the semi-arid regions of India.

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Land-Use and Legislation-Based Methodology for the Implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12020661 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 661 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Priscila Barros Ramalho Alves ◽

Iana Alexandra Alves Rufino ◽

Patrícia Hermínio Cunha Feitosa ◽

Slobodan Djordjević ◽

Akbar Javadi

Keyword(s):

Land Use ◽

Arid Region ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Flood Mitigation ◽

Urban Drainage ◽

Great Resistance ◽

Drainage Systems ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Sustainable Drainage Systems ◽

Semi Arid

In developing countries, the urbanisation process occurs with empirical urban management, a high increase of impermeable areas, and a lack of connection between water resource management and planning. In Brazil, concentrated rainfall and ineffective urban drainage systems add to this context and may impact the population with flash floods. Although sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) are widely used for flood mitigation, it is still not very well known how those strategies behave in semi-arid regions, where most of the time the weather is very dry. In Brazil, flood mitigation still mostly involves structural measures such as larger pipes or channels, with limited guidance for SuDS use due to the great resistance to change by citizens and managers. This study sought to analyse the efficacy of SuDS in Campina Grande, a semi-arid region of Brazil. A land-use and legislation-based methodology was developed with physical, climate, hydrological and governance data for three catchments and 312 sub-catchments in 30 applications and simulations. Simulations suggest that these strategies would be appropriate for semi-arid regions, with reductions in the flooded area, flooding volume, and impacts. This study is of relevance for cities with a similar climate to reach a sustainable level of urban drainage services, supporting the integration of urban planning and water resources management.

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Utilitarian and cognitive aspects in the ethnotaxonomy of plants from the Caatinga in two rural communities in Northeastern Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Gestão Ambiental e Sustentabilidade ◽

10.21438/rbgas(2021)082013 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (20) ◽

pp. 1459-1488

Author(s):

Reinaldo Farias Paiva de Lucena ◽

Patrícia Muniz de Medeiros ◽

Elcida de Lima Araújo ◽

Ângelo G. Chaves Alves ◽

Kallyne Machado Bonifácio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Arid Region ◽

Life Forms ◽

Classification Criteria ◽

Northeastern Brazil ◽

Consensus Model ◽

Plant Names ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

First Time ◽

Semi Arid

This research sought to contribute to plant ethnotaxonomic studies and aimed to describe cognitive and utilitarian aspects used in communities in the semi-arid region of Brazil. The question asked in the interview was: "What plants do you know?" The interviews were conducted with local specialists, using plant names written on cards randomly placed on a table. The informants were asked to organize the cards according to their understanding. Two hundred and one folk generics were recorded in Cachoeira and 185 in Barrocas, both communities located in the Municipality of Soledade (Paraíba). These generics were divided into 65 trees/shrubs, 138 herbs, 10 lianas/creepers, 7 cacti, and 4 bromeliads. A total of 146 monotypic and 24 polytypic folk generic were identified. The life forms were abundant; some of them had already been recorded in the literature but others were recorded for the first time. The morphological and utilitarian aspects were the most used classification criteria. The informants followed no consensus model to organize their classification.

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Identification of Suitable Sites for Artificial Groundwater Recharge Structures in Semi-arid region of Anantapur District: AHP Approach

10.21523/gcj3.19030101 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 1-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Rajasekhar M. ◽

Sudarsana Raju G. ◽

Imran Basha U. ◽

Siddi Raju R. ◽

Pradeep Kumar B. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Groundwater Recharge ◽

Arid Region ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Groundwater Potential ◽

Geographical Information ◽

Artificial Groundwater Recharge ◽

Prediction Ability ◽

Thematic Layers ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

The conservation and sustainable advancement of soil and water assets is one of the fundamental standards for improvement of arid and semi-arid regions of India. The present study is underway to evaluate the Artificial Groundwater Recharge Zones (AGRZ) in the semi-arid region of Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, India using Remote Sensing (RS), Geographical Information System (GIS) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The comparative weights were assigned to different thematic layers with the help of the decision making tool of AHP. A set of eight thematic layers influence groundwater potential (GWP) is determined based on their corresponding weights, which depend on a Saaty’s 9 points scale. These weights are normalized using AHP technique to identify the AGRZs. Five AGRZs were recognized as very low, low, moderate, good and very good, depending on its suitability to identify the sites for groundwater recharge. About 4.29 % (8.96km2) and 17.70 % (36.95km2) area in the region show very good and good potentials of artificial groundwater recharge, respectively. On the other hand 61.59% (128.60km2), 11.94% (24.94km2) and 4.48 % (9.35km2) area showed moderate, poor and very poor potentials. Overall accuracy of AGRZ map is 82.05%. 92 check dams, 19 percolation tanks and 7 check walls were found suitable in the region. The effectiveness and prediction ability of the method depends on integrity of the criterion used. AHP based methodology can be useful for precise and reliable analysis and predictions of groundwater in semi-arid regions of India.

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Analysis of a possible impact of preference for plant species in a rural community in the semi-arid region of Brazil

Revista Brasileira de Gestão Ambiental e Sustentabilidade ◽

10.21438/rbgas(2020)071706 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 7 (17) ◽

pp. 1127-1138

Author(s):

Eduardo Uchôa Guerra Barbosa ◽

José Ribamar Farias Lima ◽

Camilla Marques de Lucena Lucena ◽

Thamires Kelly Nunes Carvalho ◽

João Alberto Lins Filho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Rural Community ◽

Arid Region ◽

Arid Regions ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

High Potential ◽

Native Plant ◽

Traditional Use ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

The climate change expected for the coming decades it is expected an increase in the number of semi-arid regions worldwide and the frequency of climatic extremes. When climatic changes such as those expected for semi-arid regions occur in a conflict environment with no resilience structure, they can influence how factors that affect the environmental structure may also affect the social structure. To identify how the traditional use of native plant species can be influenced by a change in their availability in a certain area, 26 residents in the semi-arid region, were interviewed. Then, a Use Preference Pressure Index (UPPI) was applied to identify the most used species in the rural community of Santa Rita, located in the semi-arid region of Paraíba, Brazil. Sixteen species, classified into nine categories of use, were identified. The species with the highest use preference were sampling through damage analysis, identifying the types of extraction related to the categories used to determine the most worrying issues. The used species also had high potential for other medicinal purposes. The current uses recorded in Santa Rita showed a high potential for adaptation to landscape changes toward the reduction of vegetation loss impacts, as a response to climatic variability.

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Aerosol iron solubility in a semi-arid region: temporal trend and impact of anthropogenic sources

Tellus B ◽

10.3402/tellusb.v62i2.16519 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 62 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Ashwini Kumar ◽

M. M. Sarin

Keyword(s):

Arid Region ◽

Temporal Trend ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Iron Solubility ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

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The Molecular Characterization and Biological Assessment of the Leaves Extracts of Loofah Reveal their Nutraceutical Potential

Recent Patents on Food Nutrition & Agriculturee ◽

10.2174/2212798411999201110211931 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Takoua Ben Hlel ◽

Feten Belhadj ◽

Fatih Gül ◽

Muhammed Altun ◽

Ayşe Şahin Yağlıoğlu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Phenolic Compounds ◽

Hela Cell ◽

Arid Region ◽

Biological Properties ◽

Biological Assessment ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Hela Cell Lines ◽

Semi Arid Region ◽

Semi Arid

Background:: Luffa cylindrica is a plant that is widely distributed in Africa and Asia and it can be grown in regions with tropical or subtropical climates. Few patents dealt with Loofah biological properties, including some functional foods formulated from its leaves. Objective:: This study aimed to structurally and functionally characterize the bioactive compounds of L. cylindrica leaves grown in two different environments. Methods:: The extracts of L. cylindrica leaves collected from two Tunisian locations: Essouasi (LE), a semi-arid region and Medenine (LM) an arid region, were investigated for their phenolic compounds and fatty acids using HPLC/TOF-MS and GCMS techniques respectively. Furthermore, the antioxidant capacity was evaluated with DPPH, Chelating effect, Hydroxyl radical and Superoxide anion scavenging activities while the anticancer activity against HeLa cell lines was assessed using xCELLigence real time cell analyzer and lactate dehydrogenase cytotoxicity assay. Results:: The antiproliferative capacity of both extracts was time and dose-dependent with LE presenting the lowest HeLa cell index (CI = 0.035 ± 0.018, 250 μg/ml). LE also showed the best cytotoxic capacity (56.49 ± 0.8%) and antioxidant potential (IC50 = 54.41 ± 1.12 μg/ml for DPPH and 12.12 ± 0.07 μg/ml for chelating effet). 14 phenolic compounds were detected in LE with ferulic acid being the major compound (5128.5 ± 4.09 μg Phenols/g) while LM had only 6 phenolics. GCMS analysis showed the presence of omega-3 fatty acids in LE. Conclusions:: Our findings suggest that L. cylindrica leaves, especially when collected from semi-arid regions, are promising for formulating nutraceuticals of interest.

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