Transcript Deserts

Deserts
JERICA RODE AND TARA BANFIELD
What is a desert?
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Less than 50 cm/year
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Occupies 20% of the land surface of the Earth
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Four types
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Hot and dry
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Semiarid
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Coastal
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Cold
Where are they located?
Deserts
General Characteristics:
Soil
Lithosols
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Stone or mineral soil
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Evaporated water leaves deposits
of salt
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Shrubbery and animals add
nutrients
General Characteristics:
Plants
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Plant hair helps to reduce evaporation
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Produce small leaves in response to rainfall
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Some remain as seeds and only germinate
during wet periods
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Ephemerals
Hot and Dry Desert
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Annual temperature: 20-25°C
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Annual rainfall: 1.5 – 28 cm/year
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Plants
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Small, thick, and covered in cuticles
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Open their stomata at night
Animals include species that are able to burrow
Semiarid Desert
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Summer Temperature: 21-27°C
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Annual rainfall: 2 - 4 cm/year
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Plants
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Spiny for protection
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Some are glossy to reflect radiation
Animals
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Avoid direct sunlight
Coastal Desert
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Average temperature: 13-24°C
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Average rainfall: 8-13 cm/year
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Plants
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Some plants form ridges/grooves to hold water
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Thick fleshy leaves/stems to store water
Animals
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Some are able to speed up their life cycle in ideal conditions
Cold Desert
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Long, cold winters and warmer summers
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Annual temperature: -2 - 4°C
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Annual precipitation: 15- 26cm
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Plants are scattered
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Animals burrow