It seems that it would almost be identical in a desert enviroment, the key differences being heat and moisture availibility. It might just be eaisier to sy this area didn't seem to get much water, and seems to be hotter, so it's a hot desert. I'm far from an expert however.
Viewing post in In Time, A Forest Wakes comments
I did a little poking around, but I'm no expert (my son is). The early stages look the same. In stage 3, we start seeing hardy grasses and annuals along with small lizards and birds. Stage 4, small bushes and succulents. Stage 5: larger bushes and small cacti with birds and snakes. Stage 6: Trees, larger cacti and predators like coyotes and hawks.