Desert biomes

Deserts are arid (dry) environments where

there is less than 250mm of rainfall
 Desert types
Subtropical
The climate is  warm or hot and dry year-
round. Temperatures during summer
may  rise to 40°C. E.g. Sahara
Cold deserts
These deserts have long, dry summers
and low rainfall in winter. E.g. Gobi
desert
Coastal
These  have cool winters and warm
summers. A coastal desert, the Atacama
of South America, is the Earth's driest
desert
Polar deserts
Climate is  cold year-round. In polar
deserts, snow dunes occur commonly
in areas where precipitation is more
abundant.
E.g. Antarctica
 Location of hot desert biomes

Deserts are found at the lower latitudes, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Some
of the desert biomes are extremely large. For example the Sahara desert in Africa is more than 3.5
million square miles in size. Others are extremely dry. For example the Atacama desert in Chile is a place
that gets about ½ an inch of precipitation annually. It never rains there – the precipitation comes from the
fog. One of the famous desert biomes out there is called Death Valley. It is located in the Mojave Desert
which is in the United States. It spans through three states – Arizona, Nevada, and California. It is
25,000 square miles of sand as far as the eyes can see.

Describe and explain the location of hot desert biomes

Climate – what causes deserts?
Why is it so hot? (and cold?!)

Latitude
Hot deserts are hot because of their position
on the earth’s surface – the suns rays are
concentrated nearer the tropics

During the summer months

temperature ranges are between 30- Can you link the
49°C. Very little or no precipitation location of the
Sahara desert to
the global
atmospheric
circulation
model?
During the winter months
temperatures are lower around
10-20°C. Most of the annual
precipitation occurs during these
months.
 The Rain Shadow

1
2
8
7
5
3

9
4
6

B A

1.CLOUDS FORM 2. CONDENSATION 3.COOLER TEMPERATURES

4. DESERTS FORM 5. LITTLE MOISTURE LEFT
6. WINDS BLOWING FROM THE OCEAN7. RAIN FALLS
8. WINDS DESCEND 9. WINDS FORCED TO RISE
 The climate of the desert – recap
The hot desert biome has two extremes that make it difficult for anything to survive. Firstly, it is
extremely hot and second, it is extremely dry
Temperatures are high all year round
Deserts are often found in the ‘rainshadow’ where air is sinking, warming up and more able to hold onto
moisture. Categorise the following
Deserts are hot because they are a long way from the cooling influence of the sea. information into either:
IF the prevailing wind is blowing over the warm land it will make the desert warm.
Temperatures can reach 50 degrees centigrade
IF the prevailing wind is blowing over the land and not the ocean it will be dry and will not pick up any
moisture.
• Named examples of
The sun is over head all year round. hot deserts and
Less than 50cm of rain falls each year where they are found
It is cold at night because there are rarely any clouds so the sun can heat up the ground very easily
during the day but it escapes just as easily at night! Also because there are very few trees or other things
there to store the heat.
• A description of the
the Atacama desert is in Chile
weather and climate
There are rarely any clouds of a hot desert biome
The Atacama desert is in Chile is a place that gets about ½ an inch of precipitation annually. It never rains
there • Reasons why it is hot
Deserts are found between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in a desert biome
Deserts are hot because they are near the equator and get so much of the suns energy (heat). It has less
distance to travel and a smaller area to heat up here.
The Sahara is the world’s largest hot desert.
With few rivers and little vegetation the amount of water available for evaporation is limited – this also
Remember a key.
limits rainfall.
The Sahara desert in Africa is more than 3.5 million square miles in size
Deserts are found in the centre or on the west coast of continents
Rainfall is small and unreliable.
it can be come cold as the sun goes down in the desert
Low precipitation levels obviously have a huge
impact on the soil and therefore the organic make
up of the area.

Little
coarse
moisture

dry

alkaline Little
humus

Occasionally when a lot of rainfall occurs in a short space of time

very little of the water is infiltrated into the soil as it is very hard
and dry. Therefore there is high surface runoff.
 Choose 10 features that would be most important for a
plant to survive the desert conditions – why?
Drought Loves water Stores water Survives Dies back Waxy
resistant under water seasonally leaves

Wide root Pointed Deciduous Evergreen Broadleaves Needle

system leaves leaves

Deep root Thick bark Rough bark Wind-blown Heavy- Climber

system seeds weight seeds

Lives on Salt tolerant Flowering Fragments Drab Pollinating

other plants take roots

Likes strong Bears fruit Eats insects Pleasant Flexible Tall

sun smell roots

Sticks to Branching Colourful Awful smell Changes Wind-blown

rocks colour seeds
Plant adaptations
Xerophytes
Are plants that have adapted to arid
environments by storing as much of the
little water made available and
reducing evapotranspiration rates.
e.g. Cacti

Phreatophytes
Are plants that have adapted to arid
environments by growing extremely long
roots, allowing them to acquire moisture at
or near the water table.
e.g. Ocotillo bush
 Other common adaptations
Reduction of leaves, often into spines
for protection against animals
trying to consume the stored
water.
Development of the stem as a major
photosynthetic structure. With
leaves reduced, photosynthesis
has to occur somewhere.
Water storage in the stem  
Coating the plant with a thick waxy
cuticle – this helps reduce water loss.
A dense coating of hairs (trichomes). 
This slows air moving over the surface
of the plant; any air movement tends to
increase evaporation. 
Extensive underground root systems. 
These roots can either grow straight
down to groundwater, if it is available,
or spread out extensively under the
surface of the desert. 
Many desert plants inject toxic
chemicals into the soil to kill their
competitors roots.
 Barrel Cactus
Thick waxy coating on the stem reduces
water loss Reduced leaf
size to minimise
the amount of
water lost
Swollen through
stem TRANSPIRATIO
stores N
water Leaves have
developed
into spikes
which shade
the cactus
AND help
defend it from
animals
Most Cacti have shallow,
spread out roots
 Joshua Tree
- Deep roots that are very
efficient at absorbing a lot of
water in a short amount of
time
- The fat, fleshy, spongy leaves
absorb water quickly and hold
water longer.
- Thorns.
- The leaves are waxy to keep
water inside.
- The leaves are shiny and
smooth to reflect the sun and
keep the plant cooler.
Using the link below, fill in the table with animal adaptations and
their function-
https://vimeo.com/26417422 (watch from 9mins-18mins)

Animal adaptation Function

 Animal adaptations – Camels
Adaptation Function
Two rows of long Protect against blowing sand
eyelashes and the sun

Nostrils can be closed Keep out blowing sand

Provide warmth during cold desert nights

Thick fur and under wool
and insulation against daytime heat

Fat stored in hump(s) Help it to survive long periods

without food and water

Broad, flat, leathery pads Pads spread out when the camel places
at the bottom of their hooves its feet on the ground thus creating
a "snowshoe effect" and preventing
the camel from sinking into the sand
 Animal adaptations – Fennec fox
Adaptation Function
burrowing and nocturnal lifestyle
Cooler temperatures at
night mean less water loss
while carrying out
activities.

large ears (about 15cm) help dissipate excess

body heat on hot days in the desert.

helps insulate them from the cold desert

Thick, sandy fur nights but also reflects heat,
As well as providing excellent camouflage.
 Other common animal adaptations
• Panting to reduce body heat
• Secreting highly concentrated urine (contains less
water)
• Seasonal migration
• Long-term dormancy that ends only when triggered
by moisture and temperature conditions