THE DESERT BIOME

This map shows the many areas around the world that deserts can be found.

Climate
Most deserts are warmer during the day and colder at night. Temperatures reach to an average 100 degrees, however, at night temperatures drop to the average of 25 degrees. The reason for such a drastic temperature drop is due to the fact that there is little moisture in the desert air, and since moisture retains and regulates the temperature there is nothing to keep the heat that was created during the day after the sun goes down.

Rainfall
Annual rainfall in the desert is less than 10 inches. Sometimes deserts do not recieve rainfall all year.

INTERESTING FACTS

• Some deserts are so hot that when it rains the water evaporates in the air before ever hitting the ground.
• The driest desert on Earth receives and average 1 cm of rainfall every 5 to 20 years
• Dust storms in the desert have been up to a mile high and they can travel over a hundred miles
• Because body fat retains heat, most desert animals have an adaptation that allows them to store all their body fat in one area of their body

The Thorny Devil
The thorny devil has developed skin that can absorb water like blotter paper. The way the scales on the body are structured, it collects dew and channels it down to the corners of the mouth.

Chuckwalla
When facing a predator, this large lizard will scurry under a rock crevice and inflate the loose folds of skin along its body, making it difficult to pull from its hiding place. This is a perfect escape plan in the rocky deserts of the U.S. and northern Mexico that the chuckwalla calls home.

The Fennec Fox
The fennec fox of North Africa has large ears which Schwartz points out serve a dual purpose: they are great for listening for bugs to eat that may be moving around underground, but they are also loaded with blood vessels, allowing the animals to dissipate excess body heat. Schwartz points out that while big ears are wonderful radiators during hot days, the fox’s thick fur coat also acts as insulation during cold desert nights.

Scorpions
Scorpions are able to go up to a year without eating due to their metabolisms. Unlike other animals that experience hibernation, the scorpion is able to react to the presence of prey.

Cacti
Water is further conserved by reduced surface areas, and this is why the cacti has no leaves. The cacti has a waxy cuticles that keep the moisture inside their body

Aloe
Aloes are covered by tiny pores called stomates, which allow plants to take in gasses for photosynthesis. Aloes are also covered in a wax coating that help them keep in moisture. Aloes adapt to the desert by using their tissue to store large volumes of water. Aloe vera has thick and fleshy leaves, which are enlarged to accommodate the aqueous tissue.

Agaves
The agaves store water in the leaves they have and in their roots. It usually flowers after 20-30 years of storing food reserves in its leaves and the dies.

Barrel Cactuses
Barrel Cactuses may be small but they can consume an amazing amount of water. Even though they are small in size they can pack a big punch.

We get many benefits from different deserts around the world. For instance, the desert provides us with oil as well as many different types of minerals. It provides a land where certain animals can survive.In the desert many archaeological discoveries have been made because arid conditions are ideal for preserving human artifacts and remains.

benefits of the Desert

• The desert is an important home for all cold-blooded animals. No other place is hot enough to keep those animals alive. Without the deserts many species would become extinct.
• The desert is a popular place for tourism and recreation. Some people go to the desert because of the rock climbing, hiking, and dirt biking.
• The desert is also a popular place because of all the beautiful sand colors and rock formations.

Threats to the Biome

• Global warming is threatening the desert. As the temperature rises the water holes in the desert are drying up. Higher temperatures may also produce an increasing number of wildfires that alter desert landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with fast-growing grasses.
• Irrigation used for agriculture may in the long term lead to salt levels in the soil that become too high to support plants.
• Off road vehicles, when used irresponsibly, can cause irreparable damage to the habitats in the desert.