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Dictionary

de•sert•i•fi•ca•tion

Pronunciation: (di-zûr"tu-fi-kā'shun), [key]
—n. Ecol.
1. the processes by which an area becomes a desert.
2. the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usually caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people. Also,des•ert•i•za•tionPronunciation: (dez"ur-tu-zā'shun). [key]Cf. aridification.

Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.

deserticolous

desert iguana

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