Desert

1. Desert By: Chelsea Sidebottom and Amber Curtsinger

2. Zoology Background Information • The processes of animal tissue can function only within a relatively temperature range, when this range is exceeded the animal dies. • Fortunately, most desert animals have evolved both behavioral and physiological mechanisms to solve the heat and water problems the desert environment creates. • Some retain water by burrowing into moist soil during the dry daylight hours. • Some predatory and scavenging animals can obtain their entire moisture needs from the food they eat. • Some insects tap plant fluids such as nectar or sap from stems, while others extract water from the plant parts they eat, such as leaves and fruit.

3. Zoology Pictures Rabbit, Lizard, Camel are all desert animals.

4. Zoology Question & Answers • How do some desert animals retain water? Some retain water by burrowing into moist soil during the dry daylight hours. • What 2 ways do insects get fluid? Tap plant fluids such as nectar or sap from stems, while others extract water from the plant parts they eat, such as leaves and fruit.

5. Geography Background Information • Hot and dry deserts In the hot and dry desert soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage and have no subsurface water. They are coarse because there is less chemical weathering. The finer dust and sand particles are blown elsewhere, leaving heavier pieces behind. • Semi arid desertsDeserts that are marked by stark temperature differences from season to season, ranging from 100° F in the summer to 10° F in the winter. In the semi-arid deserts the soil can range from sandy and fine-textured to loose rock fragments, gravel or sand.

6. Geography Background Information • Polar regions are also considered to be deserts because nearly all moisture in these areas is locked up in the form of ice. • Most large deserts are found away from the coasts, in areas where moisture from the oceans rarely reaches. Some deserts are located on the west coasts of continents, such as the Namib in Africa, or the Atacama in Chile, forming coastal fog-deserts whose aridity is the result of cold oceanic currents.

7. Geography Pictures

8. Geography Questions & Answers • What is the texture of the soil in hot and dry deserts? In the hot and dry desert soils are course-textured. • What is the texture of the soil in semi-arid deserts? In the semi-arid deserts the soil can range from sandy and fine-textured to loose rock fragments, gravel or sand.

9. Botany Background Information • Plant life in the desert is scarce, but there are more plants living here than you would expect. • Plants in the desert are forced to make many adaptations in order to survive in this dry, hot land. Some adaptations are when rain falls they sprout at that moment, bloom quickly, ripen their seed in a few days, then whither and die. Other plants depend on underground water. • Most plants have developed roots that grow up to 80 ft. long. The Cactus also survives because it has a thick waxy layer on the outside of its stems and leaves. This helps to retain water and protect tissues from intense sunlight. Other plants store water in their fleshy stems or leaves and are called succulents.

10. Botany Pictures

11. Botany Questions & Answers • What does this help do? This helps to retain water and protect tissues from intense sunlight. • Why does the cactus survive? because it has a thick waxy layer on the outside of its stems and leaves.

12. Meteorology Background Information Violent rainstorms can cause flash floods in the desert. After a storm, the desert may not see any rain for weeks or months. Rain averages out to under 15 cm a year. Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have rain around spring. This averages out to 15 - 26 cm a year. It can be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day but below 32 degrees at night. This change is because deserts are bare. There is little protection to keep them from heating up in the sun and cooling off when the sun disappears at night. The amount of rainfall also varies. Though there is little rain in a desert, and when it does rain, it pours.

13. Meteorology Pictures

14. Meteorology Questions and Answers • How hot can it get during the day? • It can be over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day • What is the rain average? • Rain averages out to under 15 cm a year.