 Few organisms can withstand the freezing, dry climate of

DESERTS (Group 3)
Antarctica
 having less than 10 inches (25 cm) of rainfall per year  receive snow during the winter and high overall rainfall
 experience extreme temperature fluctuations (day: 70 degrees celcius; throughout the winter (15 – 26 cm a year)
night: -45 deg c)  Because of the landscape, the soil is incredibly heavy and
 absence of the influence of vegetation leads to a drastic drop of has lots of pores so that it can take in every bit of water that
temperature at night it can
 about 1/5th of the world is covered in deserts  Animals: mostly mammals, due to the fact that the winters
 measured by rain gauge get cold. Other animals would likely die if they tried to live
 many of the desert animals tend to be nocturnal. they sleep during the there. Many of these mammals are burrowers who live
day when the temperature is high and come out at night when it is a underground and hibernate for at least part of the winter
little cooler months
 there are few large mammals in the desert biome as most of them are  Plants: spiny deciduous plants, along with some mosses and
not capable of storing enough water and the vegetation does not grow fungi
very tall. so, you can see small animals, rodents and reptiles as they  ARCTIC POLAR DESERT
can escape the heat of the sun by hiding themselves under small  IMPORTANCE
scrubs  Animals and Plants
 SUBTROPICAL  many of these plants and animals benefit humans
 found near the equator (Tropic of Cancer, between 15 and 30  (Domesticated camels in the deserts of Asia and
degrees north of the Equator, or along the Tropic of North Africa)
Capricorn, between 15 and 30 degrees south of the Equator  (Dates:  North Africa and the Middle East, oldest
 receive slightly more rainfall and have warmer temperatures. cultivated food during biblical times)
(12 in of rain per annum)  Mineral Wealth
 central and northern Africa, central Australia and parts of  dry condition of deserts helps promote the formation
North and South America and concentration of important minerals
 world’s largest hot desert, the Sahara, is a subtropical desert  Gypsum, borates, nitrates, potassium and other salts
in northern Africa (almost the size of entire USA)  Bio-prospecting
 RED SEA NUBO-SINDIAN TROPICAL DESERT  Desert plants have adapted special properties to help
 251,000-square mile area on the Arabian Peninsula them survive in harsh desert climates
 home to the sand cat, Ruppell's fox, sand gazelle and  Scientists believe that certain chemically based
Arabian white oryx adaptations can have medical applications in humans
 wild date palms, almonds and tulips also thrive in this  Israel’s Negev desert: plant found to fight malaria
region PROBLEM : GLOBAL WARMING/ HUMAN
 COASTAL ACTIVITIES
 North and South America
 Air blowing toward shore, chilled by contact with cold water, EFFECTS:
produces a layer of fog. This heavy fog drifts onto land.  Produce more wildfires that alter landscapes
Although humidity is high, the atmospheric changes that  Desert bird species could also be in danger from
normally cause rainfall are not present climate change, as heat waves lead to lethal
 receive slightly more rainfall and have warmer temperatures dehydration
(3-5 inches of rainfall)  Joshua tree—the oldest found was 1,000
-summer: 13-24 deg C; winter: -3 – 6 deg C years old—may not survive a hotter climate;
 ATACAMA DESERT affect species such as the yucca moth, 
 Pacific shore of Chile which lays its eggs inside the Joshua tree
 often covered by fog, but can go decades without rainfall flower.
 most of the plants that are in the coastal desert are also
  land use changes also threaten to degrade desert
shrubs and bushes, with some grasses
habitats
 Raptors, reptiles, insects, and mammals are all common
in coastal deserts due to the more desirable conditions
 SEMI-ARID
 North America, Northern Europe, and Northern Asia
 Summer: 23- 38 deg C (night: 10 deg C); winter: -2 – 4
deg C
 Little to no rainfall during the summer months, with spots
of precipitation during the winter (2-4 cm of rain
annually)
 Soil is shallow, sandy, and fine compared to other types
 Plants have spikes or hairs that make them difficult to
touch or even go near. This is to prevent animals and
people from going near them and causing them to lose
their grip (their roots are too shallow to have a solid grip)
 Mammals, small birds, reptiles, and insects reside in the
area. Animals are both diurnal and nocturnal, and use the
shade of the plants to be able to function during the
daylight hours.
 THE GREAT BASIN DESERT
 The high elevation and the mountains protect and cool the
desert
 Sagebrush and wildflowers make up the majority of the
flora
 One of the biggest problems in this area is overgrazing.
 POLAR
 aka cold-wind deserts
 found in the polar regions
 Summer: 21-26 deg C; winter: -28 deg C
 Almost the entire continent of Antarctica is a polar desert,
experiencing little precipitation