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Eastern Mojave Basins

Ecoregion in CA, NV, AZ, UT

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The creosotebush-dominated Eastern Mojave Basins ecoregion includes the valleys lying between the scattered mountain ranges of the Mojave Desert at elevations ranging from 1800 to 4500 feet. Elevations are lower, soils are warmer, and evapotranspiration is higher than in the Central Basin and Range (13) to the north. Limestone- and gypsum-influenced soils occur, but precipitation amount has a greater ecological significance than geology. Toward the south and east, as summer rainfall increases, the Sonoran influence grows, and woody leguminous species, such as mesquite, acacia, and smoke tree, become more common. Creosotebush, white bursage, and galleta grass are typical in Ecoregion 14a. Pocket mice, kangaroo rats, and desert tortoise are faunal indicators of the desert environment. Desert willow, coyote willow, and mesquite grow in riparian areas, although the exotic tamarisk is rapidly replacing native desert riparian vegetation.

— EPA

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