DESERTS

By: Mishell Miranda Tito and María Latorre Alcázar

WHAT IS A DESERT?

• A desert can be the hottest habitat on Earth.(Warm deserts) They usually are extended regions filled with sand. There are no rain.

• But they also can be one of the coldest places with no sand but snow is abundant.

The Sahara is located in North-Africa. This is a warmer desert of sand.

The Gobi desert is located between China and Mongolia . It is surrounded by mountains and steppes. This is a cold desert.

-This is the position of the warm (in red) and cold deserts (in blue) .

FLORA

• Plants of deserts are adapted to its dry, hot extremes by using both physical and behavioral mechanisms.

• Plants get their moisture deep within the soil.

• Annuals germinate after heavy rain. They bloom for a few weeks in spring. Their seeds remain dormant in the soil until the next year’s rain.

Barrel cactus

Palm trees

Desert marigold

FAUNA

• Animals have evolved to handle heat and lack of water.

• Most can survive on small amounts of water and many get all the needed water from food.

• Large animals seek shade during the hottest part. Some animals dig a hollow into the ground and lie in the cooler soil .

• In cold desert animals are used to living in low temperatures, protected by its thick skin

Camel

Collard lizard

Scorpion

WARM DESERT FAUNA: