Interactions mediated by extrafloral nectary (EFN)-bearing plants that reward ants with a sweet liquid secretion are well documented in temperate and tropical habitats. However, their distribution and abundance in deserts are poorly known. In this study, we test the predictions that biotic interactions between EFN plants and ants are abundant and common also in arid communities and that EFNs ar...

Globalisation presents particular challenges for deserts given that their sparse populations, which are amongst the world’s poorest in an absolute economic sense, tend to be remote from major markets and have only a distant, marginal voice in political and policy decision making. Here we are defining deserts as the arid and semi-arid drylands that encompass 70% of Australia and 25% of the world...

We present a participatory sensing system, which collects food availability information in communities via individual food consumption information, for fighting food deserts. Users leverage the NutriSmart Android app developed to record food purchases and consumption choices. This information can then be aggregated and mapped across users. The results of the system can be used to lobby for chan...

Over the last two decades, using simple radiation models has been an interesting task to estimate daily solar radiation in arid and semiarid deserts such as those in Iran, where the number of solar observation sites is poor. In Iran, most of the models used so far, have been validated for a few specific locations based on short-term solar observations. In this work, three different radiation mo...

BACKGROUND Many people lack access to food stores that provide healthful food. Neighborhoods with poor supermarket access have been characterized as "food deserts" (as contrast with "food oases"). This study explored factors influencing food buying practices among residents of food deserts versus food oases in the city of Boston, USA. METHODS We used the mixed-methods approach of concept mapp...