Transcript deserts
Deserts Ms. Garcia Thursday,March 30, 2006 What is a desert? ◊ A desert is a landscape form of region that receives little precipitation- less than 250 mm (10 inches) per year. Deserts have a reputation for supporting little life. Life in the Desert ◊ Animals ◊ Plants What are some desert animals? ◊ Sidewinder snakes ◊ Diamondback snakes ◊ Striped Whipsnake ◊ Turkey Vulture ◊ Gopher ◊ Mexican Gray Wolf What are some desert plants? ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Apache Plume Desert Lily Fairy Duster Barrel Cactus Mojave Yucca ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ Crucifixion Thorn California Fan Palm Joshua Tree Showy Milkweed How do desert animals survive? ◊ Most of the desert animals are nocturnalbeing most active during the night. ◊ Most of these animals avoid the heat of the desert by feeding & hunting at night when the temperature has dropped. ◊ Some animals dig burrows & stay underground. Animals that are large stay under shade. How do desert plants survive? ◊ Xerophytes are plants that have adapted by altering their physical structure. ◊ Xerophytes such as cacti, usually have special means of storing and conserving water. They have few or no leaves, which reduces transpiration. ◊ Phreatophytes are plants that have adapted to arid environments by growing extremely long roots, allowing them to acquire moisture at or near the water table. Quiz on desert life: ◊ What are some animals that inhibit the desert life? ◊ What are some plants that inhibit the desert life? ◊ What are two ways that desert animals survive? ◊ What are two ways that desert plants survive? California deserts to visit: ◊ Salt Ridges, Mojave Desert ◊ Death Valley National Park ◊ San Jacinto Mountains ◊ Forty-nine Palms Oasis, Joshua Tree National Park ◊ Tufa Towers, Trona Pinnacles ◊ Resting Springs Pass