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Discover the unique characteristics and diverse types of deserts that cover 20% of Earth's land surface. Learn about the plants, animals, and soil in hot, semi-arid, coastal, and cold deserts. Find out where these fascinating landscapes are located and how they thrive in extreme conditions.
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Deserts Jerica Rode and Tara Banfield
What is a desert? • Less than 50 cm/year • Occupies 20% of the land surface of the Earth • Four types • Hot and dry • Semiarid • Coastal • Cold
Where are they located? Deserts
General Characteristics: Soil Lithosols • Stone or mineral soil • Evaporated water leaves deposits of salt • Shrubbery and animals add nutrients
General Characteristics: Plants • Plant hair helps to reduce evaporation • Produce small leaves in response to rainfall • Some remain as seeds and only germinate during wet periods • Ephemerals
Hot and Dry Desert • Annual temperature: 20-25°C • Annual rainfall: 1.5 – 28 cm/year • Plants • Small, thick, and covered in cuticles • Open their stomata at night • Animals include species that are able to burrow
Semiarid Desert • Summer Temperature: 21-27°C • Annual rainfall: 2 - 4 cm/year • Plants • Spiny for protection • Some are glossy to reflect radiation • Animals • Avoid direct sunlight
Coastal Desert • Average temperature: 13-24°C • Average rainfall: 8-13 cm/year • Plants • Some plants form ridges/grooves to hold water • Thick fleshy leaves/stems to store water • Animals • Some are able to speed up their life cycle in ideal conditions
Cold Desert • Long, cold winters and warmer summers • Annual temperature: -2 - 4°C • Annual precipitation: 15- 26cm • Plants are scattered • Animalsburrow