Terrestrial Biodiversity in Arid Environments: One Global Component of Climate Crisis Resilience

Abstract

The biological wealth of hyper-arid environments has traditionally been underestimated. However, with recent advancements in technology and understanding, desert biodiversity has become an important component of climate change resilience and will become increasingly important. Extreme weather events, such as drought and heat events, are becoming more common and the salinization of soils is increasing. The genetic and metabolic components of desert and saline-adapted organisms from microbes to plants to animals can be used to ensure agricultural resiliency, improve human health through unique bioactive components, and serve as the blueprint for biomimetic designs.