Lichen Endocarpon pusillum is a highly desiccation-tolerant and dominant species in biological soil crusts in arid and semi-arid regions. We report the draft genome sequence of a lichen-forming fungus, E. pusillum strain KoLRILF000583. The draft genome assembly has a size of 37,173,200 bp with a GC content of 49.71%, consisting of 40 scaffolds.

Coccidioidomycosis is caused by a dimorphic fungus species endemic to the arid and semi-arid regions of the Americas. The species have a terranean habitat producing a primary pulmonary infection by inhalation of arthroconidia. We describe a case of extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis presenting with extensive lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and florid cutaneous lesions. This case is intended to he...

In many semi-arid environments, vegetation is self-organised into spatial patterns. The most striking examples of this are on gentle slopes, where striped patterns are typical, running parallel to the contours. Previously, Klausmeier [1999. Regular and irregular patterns in semiarid vegetation. Science 284, 1826-1828.] has proposed a model for vegetation stripes based on competition for water. ...

The impact of ‘non-rainfall’ water on soil is important in arid zones. In that environment, the amount of dew can exceed that of rainfall, or even be the sole source of liquid water for plants. However, since plants cover only a small fraction of the desert surface, such assessments apply only to a small proportion of the area. In the absence of fog, dew formation and direct water vapor adsorpt...

In many semi-arid environments, vegetation cover is sparse, and is selforganized into large-scale spatial patterns. In particular, banded vegetation is typical on hillsides. Mathematical modelling is widely used to study these banded patterns, and many models are effectively extensions of a coupled reaction–diffusion–advection system proposed by Klausmeier (1999 Science 284 1826–8). However, th...

Surface water is the main source of fresh water supply in Ceará, lying in the semi-arid Northeast of Brazil.

Soil moisture is a key limiting resource in arid and semi-arid environments for woody shrub species. We assessed if three arid communities differed in their level of dry season soil moisture content and if the dominant species in these communities differed in their ability to use soil moisture. Water potential of all of the dominant woody plant species occurring in chaparral, coastal sage, and ...

The extent to which leaf water D-enrichment (transpiration) and soil water D-enrichment (evaporation) affect the D/H ratio of plant leaf waxes remains a contentious issue, with important implications for paleohydrologic reconstructions. In this study we measure dD values of precipitation (dDp), groundwater (dDgw), plant xylem water (dDxw) and leaf water (dDlw) to understand their impact on the ...