When I was researching keystone species, I learned that saguaro cacti store water and support the lives of desert creatures. I used to think of the desert as a dead area with no living things, but it seems that there are quite a few creatures living in the desert, including cacti. There are trees called nurse plants that provide the shade and moisture that cacti need immediately after they sprout, and they help each other survive in harsh environments.
https://natgeo.nikkeibp.co.jp/nng/feature/0609/index5.shtml
Water is a matter of life and death in the desert, so I imagine there are many creatures with excellent functions for detecting, acquiring, and retaining water. There are camels that store water, elephants that share how to find water sources, plants that obtain water from the air, and insects that receive water on their backs and drink it. There also seem to be many creatures that are excellent at resistant to heat and dryness. The ability to adapt to the environment is incredible.
https://www.alrc.tottori-u.ac.jp/japanese/sabaku_hakase/sabaku03.html
It seems like it would be a problem if the desert area expanded too much, but it’s not like it would be good if there was no desert at all. Deserts have their own ecosystems.
It seems that desert sand also fertilizes the ocean and the rainforests. It is said that desert sand is carried by the wind and provides minerals. Sand containing phosphorus is carried from the Sahara Desert to the Amazon, and sand containing iron is carried to the Atlantic Ocean. 75% of the iron in the Atlantic Ocean comes from the sand of the Sahara Desert. The desert is amazing.
https://book.asahi.com/jinbun/article/13860422
Yellow sand, which is a hot topic in Japan, also seems to play a role in providing minerals and nutrients to the ocean. Also, on ocean islands, when too much soil and sand flows into the ocean from rain and rivers, the island’s soil is reduced, so there is a theory that yellow sand and other materials are carried by the wind and accumulate on the islands to make up for the loss. It is also said that sand contains alkaline components, which neutralize them in the air and reduce acid rain. Sand is amazing.
https://shizen-hatch.net/2021/09/02/yellow-sand
It seems that deserts existed before the spread of desertification, so there may be a suitable balance of size for them to fulfill their role. Balance is very important, but deserts support a variety of ecosystems. Deserts are amazing. The Earth’s circulation is amazing.
