Teach me Geography

[GuardianLurker]

Alright, I have enough common sense and introductory biology to make the obvious guesses, but I want to bounce these questions off of someone who knows what they're talking about.

In a hot climate, how does elevation change biome?
--- > Can a forest exist on the mountains when the nearby lowlands are desert?

Yep. In addition to the obvious rainfall-lacking deserts, there are also nutrient-deprived deserts - areas that can't support most plantlife even if rain *does* fall. And its not unusual for mountains to be moist on one side and desert-like on another. Idaho/Wyoming for instance.

--- > Thus, is there any way a desert can exist in an area of medium to high rainfall?

Yep. Overfarming and poor land management could induce something like the DustBowl of the 1930's American mid-west.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Here are some links that also may help and give you thoughts:

http://horizon.nmsu.edu/ddl/wqdesertworlds_k.html

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0778851.html

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/desert/ofworld.htm

 

[Tonguez]

Makea - uplifted coral reefs (cliffs) - are low nutirent areas that can produce deserts even in high rainfall and make sense for islands

 

[Abstraction]

How's this: The desert area is the land of the god of the sun and the people there worship the sun. This has had an effect on the region. However, the mountain is the stronghold of a powerful clerical order that worships the goddess of the living waters, which has had a dramatic effect on the mountain.

Dude, this is D&D. If you want to do something that doesn't make sense, that's what gods and magic is for.