land degradation is a major threat to many countries such as china and uzbekistan. the major impacts include the loss of soil productivity and stability, as well as the loss of biodiversity due to reduced vegetation consumed by animals. in arid regions where water is scarce and temperatures are high, mesophytes will not be able to survive, due to the many stresses. xerophytic plants are used widely to prevent desertification and for fixation of sand dunes. in fact, in northwest china, the seeds of three shrub species namely "caragana korshinskii, artemisia sphaerocephala, and" "hedysarum scoparium" are dispersed across the region. these shrubs have the additional property of being palatable to grazing animals such as sheep and camels. "h. scoparium" is under protection in china due to it being a major endangered species. "haloxylon ammodendron" and "zygophyllum xanthoxylum" are also plants that form fixed dunes.