DESERT

SNEHA JOSEPH
S5 B
MCAP
•The desert biome is one that is very hot and dry. They are found at the lower latitudes,
between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

•Light winds occur often which evaporates any type of moisture that is typically going to
develop in them. The heat is very dry and that makes it hard for too many types of plants or
animals to be able to survive in such biomes.

•Approximately 20% of the Earth falls into this category.

•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.

SAHARA DESERT- AFRICA ATACAMA DESERT- CHILE

Climate From 32 °F at
night and 113 °F
at day.
Plants Cactus, shrubs,
Cardón, Camel
Thorn Tree,
Prickly pear,
Saguaro.
Animals Snakes, lizards,
tarantulas,
dingo,
porcupines,
coyotes.
Location North and South
America, Africa,
Asia and
Australia.
•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
•DESERT BIOME CHARACTERISTICS
•A desert biome is one that receives less than 10 inches of annual precipitation. What some
people don’t realize is that a desert can be extremely hot during the day but then very cool
at night. The extreme changes in temperature from day to night can make it very hard for
living things to successfully thrive in such an environment.
•DESERT BIOME FAUNA
There is very limited types of plant and animal life that are able to live in the desert biome.
Those that do live in the desert biome have learned to adapt to the temperatures. They have
also learned to survive with very little water and very little food. The majority of the animals
living in the desert biome are nocturnal. This means they sleep during the heat of the day
and they are active at night when the sun goes down.
•One of the living creatures in the desert biome that thrives with these harsh conditions is
the Gila Monster. It is a very aggressive type of retile. It feeds on eggs and on small
mammals. This creature needs the heat for its body to stay regulated. It can be active both
during the day and the night. They are very dangerous to humans due to the toxic venom
that is produced when they bite.

GILA MONSTER
•DESERT BIOME FLORA
In order for any plants to survive in the desert biome, they have to be able to collect and
store what water is present. They also have to be able to reduce the water evaporating
from them. The cactus is the number one plant you will find living in a desert biome. The
design of this plant makes it possible for them to hold onto the moisture they have.
•In the Canary Islands you will find the Dragon Tree living. That is the only desert biome
where it grows. It has a long truck and then wide leaves that are very hard. It can create a
sap that is very dark red in color. The aloe plant is also found in the desert biome. Aloe has
always been a very important type of natural healing medicine. It helps to soothe burns and
to promote healing.
GLOBAL WARMING
•The future for the desert biome is one that many worry about. Issues including global
warming continue to cause changes to the natural pattern of weather behaviors. The desert
is already extremely dry and hot. Should those temperatures continue to increase then there
could be problems for the plants and animals that live there.

•When you combine that with the possibility of additional heat is going to reduce the already
low amount of rainfall, it could spell out disaster. These plants and animals are already
surviving with so little. It would be next to impossible for them to be able to continue to
thrive in such an environment with even less. There are all ready projections that claim the
diversity of plants and animals in the desert biome will decrease by at least 15% over the
next 50 years.