Deserts

Cathy O’BrienPeriod 2

Ms. O’Brien

What is a Desert?

• Deserts occur where rainfall is less than 25 cm/year, that is only 10 inches!

• Deserts can be hot or cold.

Where are Deserts?

• Deserts cover about one fifth of Earth's surface.

• Deserts make up a part of every continent except Europe.

Different Types of Deserts

• Hot and Dry

• Semiarid

• Coastal

• Cold

Types of Vegetation in a Desert

• Plants are mainly ground-hugging shrubs and short woody trees.

• Yuccas, cactus, sage bush, agave

Special Adaptations of Vegetation• Leaves are replete

• Plants grow far apart

• Plant roots are near the surface of Earth

• Spiny nature of plants provides protection

• Plant’s spiny nature allows for less transpiration

• Leaves are silvery or glossy to reflect light

• Thick and fleshy leaves and stems

Types of Animals in a Desert

• Small nocturnal (active at night) carnivores.

• Dominant animals are burrowers and kangaroo rats.

• There are also insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds.

©007www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/desert/ans.ht

Animal Adaptations to the Desert

• Nocturnal

• Burrowers

• Life Cycles

• Dormant Eggs

Human Impact on Deserts

• Recreational Playgrounds

• Land Development

• Grazing

• Military Grazing

Fun Facts• Deserts are a land of temperature extremes.

• Tarantula Hawks, which is an impressive enormous insect that lives in the desert, hunt tarantula spiders.

• Camels, a common desert animal, can drink 30 gallons of water in 10 minutes.

• Deserts are taking over the Earth through a process called desertification.

©2007www.californiagardens.com

Tarantula_Hawk.jpg

©2007www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/desert/animals.htm

Work Cited• http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/world_biomes.htm

• http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/index.php

• http://library.thinkquest.org/11922/habitats/habitats.htm

• http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/index1.html

• http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/biomes/dclimate.html

• http://www.inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/desert/animals.htm

• http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/facts.htm