THE GENTLE DESERT: Exploring an Ecosystem

In his latest ecosystem study, Pringle defends the desert from the charge of barrenness and boredom perpetuated by people who see it only ""at sixty miles per hour,"" and he worries about the threat from polluted Los Angeles air and from motorcycles and dune buggies whose drivers ""view the Mohave as their playground."" Confining himself to the North American desert, Pringle describes several types of ecosystems contained there: the arroyo, or stream bed, which periodically floods; the sand dune, which contains a ""surprising variety and abundance of life""; the dry lakes or playas; and the saguaro cactus forests which fairly teem with birds and other creatures. An abundance of photos, crisp and clear as usual, features characteristic animals and plants, and Pringle briefly surveys how some of them conserve water and deal with heat. A satisfactory overview, in a handy series.