SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTS: AGRICULTURE, WATER SUPPLY AND VEGETATION -- SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTS: AGRICULTURE, WATER SUPPLY AND VEGETATION -- LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- Chapter 1 THE SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENT OF THE EL MELAH LAGOON (NE TUNISIA) - CLOSING EVOLUTION TO A FUTURE SABKHA -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. THE EL MELAH LAGOON AREA -- 3. ENVIRONMENTAL ZONES OF THE EL MELAH LAGOON AREA -- Waters and Nutrients -- Sediments -- Ecology -- Zonation of the Lagoon: The Environmental Scenario (2003) -- 4. PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF THE EL MELAH LAGOON -- 5. SEDIMENTS -- Grain Size Distribution, Trace Elements Contents and Enrichment Factors -- Statistical Analysis -- 6. SOILS -- Mineralogical Composition of the Soils - Whole Sample and <2 µm Fraction -- Core and Oued El Bey Sediment- Mineralogical Composition and Micro-paleontology -- Mössbauer Spectrometry -- Chemical Composition of Soils -- Trace and Major Elements Distribution in Soils - In-Depth Variation (S/D) -- Rare Earth Elements Patterns of Soils -- Trace, Minor and Major Elements Distribution in the Core and the Oued El Bey -- REE Patterns of the Core and the Oued El Bey -- Compositional Variability in Surface Samples of the El Melah Lagoon Area -- 7. CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 2 LIMITING FACTORS AND STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING REPRODUCTIVE OUTPUTS OF SMALL RUMINANTS REARED IN SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- BREED DIVERSITY AND FEATURES OF PRODUCTION SYSTEMS AND MANAGEMENT -- MODULATION OF REPRODUCTIVE ACTIVITY BY ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS -- ROLE OF THERMOPERIOD IN MODULATING REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION -- ROLE OF PHOTOPERIOD IN MODULATING REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION -- MANAGEMENT OF PHOTOPERIOD AND SEASONALITY BY THE "MALE EFFECT" -- NUTRITION AS MAIN FACTOR MODULATING PRODUCTIVE YIELDS.

ROLE OF NUTRITION IN MODULATING REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION -- IMPROVEMENT OF REPRODUCTIVE FEATURES BY FOCUS-FEEDING -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 3 CROP RESIDUE CONTRIBUTION TO N FERTILIZATION UNDER LONG TERM NO-TILL SYSTEMS IN THE CENTRAL SEMI-ARID REGION OF ARGENTINA -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- MATERIALS AND METHODS -- RESULTS -- Total Residue Biomass and Fractions Biomass -- Residue Total and Soluble N -- Soil Nitrate Content -- N2 Fixation Parameters -- CONCLUSION -- Residue Biomass Dynamics -- Residue N Dynamics -- Soil Nitrate Dynamics -- Biological N2 Fixation in Crop Residues -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 4 CYANOBACTERIAL SOIL CRUSTS: ANALYSING RESILIENCE IN KALAHARI SAND SOILS -- ABSTRACT -- 1. DRYLAND ECOSYSTEMS -- 2. THE KALAHARI ENVIRONMENT -- 3. BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS IN THE KALAHARI -- 4. BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING -- 5. BIOLOGICAL SOIL CRUSTS AND SOIL MOISTURE DYNAMICS -- 6. IMPLICATIONS OF DESERTIFICATION AND FUTURE CLIMATE CHANGE IN KALAHARI SAND SOILS -- 7. CONCLUSIONS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 5 SEMI-ARID VEGETATION IN BRAZIL: BIODIVERSITY, IMPACTS AND MANAGEMENT -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- NATURAL VEGETATIONAL TYPES IN THE NR OF BRAZIL -- MONOCULTURES, AGROFORESTRY AND WOOD USES IN NR -- SOIL MICROFLORA IN THE NR OF BRAZIL -- IMPACTS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR CONSERVATION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 6 SMALL HILL DAMS' PRACTICE IN TUNISIA: DESIGN AND PLANNING -- ABSTRACT -- I. INTRODUCTION -- II. OPPORTUNITY OF SMALL HILL DAMS IN MOUNTAINOUS LANDSCAPES -- III. GUIDELINES FOR DESIGN OF SMALL HILL DAMS AND PLANNING -- III.1. Topographic Survey -- III.2. Hydrologic Estimations -- III.3. Geologic Criteria -- III.4. Socio-Economic Considerations -- IV. RESERVOIR DESIGN AND CHARACTERISTICS -- IV.1. Dam Capacity -- IV.2. Earthen Compacted Fill -- IV.3. Seepage Control.

IV.4. Flood Spillway Design -- IV.5. Freeboard -- IV.6. Drop Inlet and Outlet Pipe -- 5. CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 7 INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON DAMAGES TO FRUIT TREES PRODUCED BY FROST TEMPERATURES AT SPANISH SEMI-ARID REGION OF MURCIA -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS -- 2.1. Location -- 2.2. Events Studied and Analysis of Existing Historical Temperature Series -- 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION -- 3.1. March 2004. Registered Freezing Temperatures -- 3.2. Freezing Temperatures in the Month of March in the Region of Murcia between 1935 and 2004 -- 3.3. Probability of Frost Events in March in Murcia -- 4. CONCLUSIONS -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 8 FRAGMENTS OF CAATINGA IN THE SUB-BASIN OF RIO BODOCONGÓ: A CONSERVATION STUDY IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMI-ARID TROPICS -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- METHODS -- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION -- FLORISTIC DIVERSITY -- CONCLUSION -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 9 EFFECTS OF SMALL HILL DAMS ON FARMING SYSTEMS: BIZERTE REGION - TUNISIA -- ABSTRACT -- 1. INTRODUCTION -- 2. SMALL HILL DAMS AS WATER MOBILIZATION PROGRAM COMPONENT IN TUNISIA -- 3. STUDY AREA AND METHODS -- 3.1. Characteristics of Small Hill Dams in Bizerte Region -- 3.2. Sampled Small Hill Dams -- 3.3. Sampled Farmers and Survey -- 4. SMALL HILL DAM IMPACTS -- 4.1. Farm Size -- 4.2. Irrigation Practice and Water Resources -- 4.3. Cropping System -- 4.4. Herd Characteristics and Evolution -- 4.5. Income Evolution -- 5. CONCLUSION -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- REFERENCES -- Chapter 10 SEMI-ARID ZONE AFFORESTATION IN NORTHERN ISRAEL: A REVIEW -- ABSTRACT -- INTRODUCTION -- BIOPHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF NORTHERN ISRAEL -- AFFORESTATION -- 1910's-1930's: Initial Plantings -- 1920's-1980's: The Tiberias Forest Case Study -- 1970's: Zeev Naveh's Introduction Plots -- 1980's: New Plantings.

1990's-Present: New Concepts and Challenges -- A. Acclimatization plots -- B. Apicultural forestry -- C. Silvopastoral agroforestry systems -- D. Drought effects on species selection -- TREE SPECIES COMPARISON -- CULTURAL TREATMENTS -- Supplementary Irrigation (1910's - Present) -- Terracing and Micro-Catchments (1920's - Present) -- Chemical Vegetation Management (1950's - Present) -- Mulching (1980's - Present) -- Tree Shelters (1990's - Present) -- DISCUSSION -- REFERENCES -- INDEX.