noun
- regions with characteristics intermediate between deserts and more humid areas, having sparse vegetation and limited rainfall
Usage: geography; ecology
Examples
- The semideserts of the American Southwest support unique plant communities.
- Many animals have adapted to survive in semideserts with limited water sources.
- Semideserts receive more rainfall than true deserts but less than grasslands.
- The transition zone between forest and desert often consists of semideserts.
- Climate change may expand semideserts into previously fertile areas.
- Cacti and drought-resistant shrubs thrive in semideserts.