Subtropical belts

Hot Deserts

Where water is currency. Every animal here is a water-budgeting machine.

Species

8,500

Plant species

2,400

Endangered

12%

Pressure

Deserts expanding ~12 million ha yearly

Surprise of the day

The Namib desert beetle harvests fog by tilting bumps on its back. Engineers copied the design for water-collection meshes.

Who eats who

Apex predators on top. Energy flows down.

Loading ecosystem…