The preceding sections have been directed toward the development of the operational concepts: the generation of ecological and geographical definition of the Chihuahuan Desert (culminating in the base map), the enumeration of the geographical Chihuahuan herpetofauna (i.e., the Checklist), and finally the refinement of the geographical herpetofauna into a participant Chihuahuan Desert herpetofauna by the use of ecological criteria (see previous chapter). The concept of a participant fauna as applied here may be defined as that faunal assemblage which actually participates in the dominant ecosystem of a particular geographical unit. For example, the 57 species of the Chihuahuan Desert Scrub Association constitute the participant herpetofauna of the Chihuahuan Desert. The importance of making this distinction is illustrated by the fact that only one-third of the 160 geographically present species contribute to the herpetofauna participating in the dominant ecosystem which occupies over 90% of the surface area of the geographical desert.

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© 1977 Dr. W. Junk bv, Publishers, The Hague

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