ABSTRACT

The concept of a desert can be viewed differently depending upon the perspective of the beholder. Shreve considers the complexity of the concepts and definitions of “desert” by geographers, biologists, and economists. He presents an in-depth biologist’s rationale for his definition of the boundaries of the North American Desert which he divides into the Great Basin, Mojave Desert, Sonoran Desert, and Chihuahuan Desert (Shreve 1936, 1942). Later, Shreve presented a detailed description of the Sonoran Desert and its subdivisions (Shreve 1951).