Deserts

1. Deserts By Hina Javed Trish Tieu and Melody Cruz

2. Temperature Hot Deserts-43.5 to 49° C (summer) 20 to 25° C (winter) Cold Deserts- -2 to 4° C (winter) 21 to 26° C (summer) • Rainfall- less than 30 percent per year

3. Characteristics • Adaption's to low rainfall Plants: • Water-storing leaves and stems • Thick epidermal layers to reduce water loss • Salt tolerance • Plants are mainly ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees

4. Adaptions to low rainfall Animals • Nocturnal (avoid sun’s heat) • Rodents have highly concentrated urine and feces

5. Soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with good drainage • Clouds are scarce

6. Types of Organisms • Plants • Low growing shrubs • Water storing plants • Insects and arachnids • Reptiles • Mammals • Birds

7. Sahara Desert: Food Web • Producers • Cacti • Rabbit Brush/Sage Brush

8. Sahara Desert • Primary Consumers • Desert insects [locust, yucca moth, ants] • Rodents [Kangaroo Rats] • Reptiles [Lizards]

9. Sahara Desert:Top Carnivores • Small Carnivores • Tarantulas • Scorpions • Lizards • Snakes • Large predators • Knit Foxes • Hawks

10. Cold Deserts • The deserts that occur in Greenland, Antarctic and the Nearctic areas are called cold deserts • characterized by cold winters with snowfall and high overall temperatures throughout the winter and sometimes the summer too • The main plants in this area are deciduous

11. ATACAMA DESERTFood Web • Primary Producers • Low growing shrubs • Low growing bushes

12. ATACAMA DESERT • Primary consumers • Rabbits • Squirrels • Rats • Seed-eating birds

13. ATACAMA DESERT • Top Consumers • Spiders • Foxes • Owls • Hawks

14. Human Impact • Slow-growing vegetation is quickly damaged by off-road vehicles.

15. Live stock are destroying much of the plant cover in deserts.