Plants in the Deserts of the Middle East (Adaptations of Desert Organisms)

Usually authors write introductions for their books, although they know that not many readers will read it. Despite this, authors insist on writing an introduction and no publisher will publish a book without one. I would like to inform my dear readers that I have spent almost all of the first quarter of my life in a village in the Nile Delta, 65 km north of Cairo. The everyday scenery there was the beautiful green landscape dissected with canals full of running water. All of these were bordered with the huge sycamore, mulberry and acacia trees. The desert was something unknown to me at that time, except for the very basic information given in geography books, which explained that the desert is a place without water or cultiva­ tion. Some of my ideas about the desert came to me from the stories in the history of Islam and the desert lands where Islam originated. My real attraction to the desert developed in the last year of my under­ graduate studies. This was during the field courses in Ecology (Prof. A.M.

Water is a paramount factor in determining the distribution of species on a global basis. The responses and adaptations of a species to water stress are critical for its success in any environmental niche. The deserts of the Middle East provide an excellent example of the harsh conditions to which plants are subjected.
This volume elucidates the adaptations of these plants in order to sustain their life and reproduce to continue their survival. Topics covered include climate aridity and topographic influence on plant life in the deserts, the role of plants in the lives of the Bedouins, the concept of adaptation, its purposes and causes, adaptations that promote increased water uptake and reduction of water output, as well as those which help the plants to tolerate and/or resist the drought, escaping drought and adaptation to desiccation, and the mechanisms by which halophytes can tolerate and/or resist salinity.

Front Matter....Pages I-XII Introduction....Pages 1-3 Deserts of the Middle East....Pages 5-10 Climatic Aridity in the Deserts of the Middle East....Pages 11-24 Topography and Plant Life....Pages 25-29 Plants in the Arabic Heritage....Pages 31-37 Adaptation of Desert Plants....Pages 39-44 Adaptations That Increase Water Absorption....Pages 45-63 Adaptations That Reduce Water Loss....Pages 65-101 Adaptational Traits That Resist and/orTolerate Drought....Pages 103-126 Adaptations That Engender Escape from Drought....Pages 127-133 Adaptation to Desiccation....Pages 135-143 Adaptation of Plants to Saline Conditions in Arid Regions....Pages 145-166 Back Matter....Pages 167-193 "This volume elucidates the adaptations of these plants in order to sustain their life and reproduce to continue their survival. Topics covered include climate aridity and topographic influence on plant life in the deserts, the role of plants in the lives of the Bedouins, the concept of adaptation, its purpose and causes, adaptations that promote increased water uptake and reduction of water output, as well as those which help the plants to tolerate and/or resist the drought, escaping drought and adaptation to desiccation, and the mechanisms by which halophytes can tolerate and/or resist salinity."--Jacket