Transcript Animal Life in the Desert

THE DESERT
Bina Ramesh, Hamza Hasan, Louis Masson,
Alyssa Elicone, and Kathleen Zhou
A Desert in Baja, Mexico
DESERT CLIMATE TYPE
TEMPERATURE
During the day, the temperature is high
because the humidity is low and the sun’s rays
don’t get blocked.
 During the nighttime, heat is lost because the
low humidity can’t maintain the temperature.
 The average annual temperature exceeds 30
degrees Celsius.
 Temperatures can exceed 50 degrees Celsius
during the summer.

TEMPERATURE
Temperatures can go lower than freezing during
the winter.
 The temperatures during the fall and spring are
pretty much constant.
 Deserts are typically windy, which make the
temperatures feel even more extreme.

TEMPERATURE
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
During the Day:
23.4 – 33.5
degrees
Celsius.
19.4 – 22.4
degrees
Celsius.
26.7 – 34.1
degrees
Celsius.
36.4 – 37.1
degrees
Celsius.
During the
Night:
9.0 – 19.0
degrees
Celsius.
4.9 – 6.9
degrees
Celsius.
10.4 – 18.4
degrees
Celsius.
21.2 – 22.3
degrees
Celsius.
PRECIPITATION
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
0-30mm per
month
30-60 mm per
month
0-15 mm per
month
0-1mm per
month
A desert is defined as having 250mm
of precipitation per year or less
Desert in Australia’s Simpson Desert
DESERT SOIL TYPE
SOIL
Deserts contain rocks, sand, gravel, clay, and
silt.
 Desert soil contains high amounts of minerals
but low amounts of organic matter. Having low
amounts of organic matter causes the soil to
have a low water holding capacity, which makes
water evaporate faster and makes the soil rich
in sodium and calcium ions. This leads to
saltpans, where little to no plants can grow.

SOIL
The top layer of the desert contains
sand, small rocks and gravel, and
little organic mater.
 The second layer contains nutrientpoor soil.
 The third layer is a layer of salt which
leaches nutrients. This layer is rock
fragments.
 Dried up riverbeds in the desert
contain sand, salt, clay, and silt.

Taken in the Sand dunes in Death Valley National Monument,
California.
DESERT VEGETATION
DESERT VEGETATION

Because of hot, dry weather, the desert biome
does not have many plants

The plants present in the desert have learned
to adapt

Desert biome contains xerophytes
XEROPHYTES
Plants which have adapted to survive in
an environment that lacks water.
Some characteristics are…
1. Preserving moisture
2. Storing water
3. Nocturnal activity
SOME EXAMPLES OF XEROPHYTES
Most cacti are considered Xerophytes
 Barrel cactus…

Cylinder shaped body- holds
water
-Waxy skin (seal in moisture)
- 3-4 inch spines (shade and
moisture)
-
- Sonoran Desert plant
SOME EXAMPLES OF XEROPHYTES

Pancake prickly pear cactus…
- Sonoran/ Mojave Desert
- Small leaves (preserve
water)
- Roots adapted to dry
weather
- “Pancakes” can store water
SOME EXAMPLES OF XEROPHYTES

Joshua Tree…
-Mojave Desert
- Produces fruit
- Roots store water and
keeps nutrients
- Leaves grow upwards
to catch water
SOME EXAMPLES OF XEROPHYTES

Brittle Bush…
- Mojave Desert and
Colorado Desert
- Leaves provide
insulation
-Traps moisture in the
air
Taken in the Gobi desert which occupies Northern and
Northwestern China in Asia.
ANIMAL LIFE IN THE DESERT
ANIMAL LIFE IN THE DESERT
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Rodents
Lizards
Camels
Snakes
Insects
Owls
Hawks
Small birds
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Hawks
Owls
Pelicans
Storks
Lion
Red Kangaroo
Hyena
Zebra
ADAPTATIONS IN THE DESERT
Animals that live in the desert adapt their
bodies and behaviors to the desert’s climate.
 These adaptations allow them to
survive in the desert’s extreme
temperatures(both hot and cold).

ADAPTATIONS IN THE DESERT

Animals learn to do the following things:
 Survive
on minimal amounts of water
 Find shade for hottest parts of the day
 Dig holes in the ground to find cooler soil
 Be nocturnal
 Spend time in burrows
THE COLORADO DESERT LIZARD


Has toes that are fringed with elongated, pointed scales so
they can run across steep dunes and then stop suddenly
and wriggle out of sight into the cooler layers of sand.
Its special eyelids and countersunk lower jaw keep out sand
grains.
SIDEWINDER

uses a “sidewinding”
motion to move across
the hot sand so that
only a small portion of
its body touches the
hot sand at one time.
KANGAROO RATS

Survive almost entirely on
water metabolized from
seeds they eat. They neither
sweat nor pant like other
animals to keep cool
CAMEL

can drink an excessive
amount of water in one day
(around 30 gallons!) or
survive for a relatively long
time without drinking any
water.
Taken in Takartibah, Libya
HUMAN FACTORS
HOW HUMANS HAVE ADAPTED

Often lived as nomads
 Followed

infrequent rains
Loose fitting clothing & head cloths
 Maximize
air circulation and minimize exposure to
sun

Had some sort of shelter
 Nomads
such as Bedouin tribes had tents
 Pueblo Indians had adobe huts
HOW MODERN CIVILIZATION HAS ADAPTED

Desert farming
 Techniques used to allow humans to harvest crops
in a normally inhospitable environment
 Irrigation enables crops meant for areas of higher
precipitation to grow
Canals often used for irrigation
Drip irrigation uses less water than traditional
methods
 Alternatively or additionally, can use plants
acclimated to desert (jojoba, date palms, etc)
HOW MODERN CIVILIZATION HAS ADAPTED
 Pipelines
Lack
of drinking
water no longer a
problem
 Buildings and air
conditioning
Protect humans from
excessive heat
THE PROS AND CONS OF THE DESERT
Advantages
Disadvantages
Low humidity
Mild winters
Lots of sun
More undeveloped space
Less crowded
Potential jobs in salt mining industry
Different types of animals and plants
Excessive heat
Risk of dehydration / heatstroke
Sandstorms
Less lush landscape
Potential negative impact on environment
WORKS CITED
“How is human life possible in a desert? - Curiosity.”
Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
<http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/humanlife-possible-in-desert>
Lozinsky, Georgia. "Animals of the Desert." Habitat
Awareness Desert Page. N.p., 2002. Web. 12
Nov 2011.
<http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/desert/
desert.htm
“People of the Desert.” Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
<http://www.ahsd25.k12.il.us/curriculum/africa/d
esertpeople.htm>