Desert Biomes

Climate InformationArid Deserts: Temperature ranges from 10 to 30 degrees C throughout the year. However, there tend to be large daily fluctuations in temperature – very hot during the day and very cold at night.

Cold Deserts: In some areas of the world, there are temperate climates that receive very little rainfall, such as coastal and mountain areas. Antarctica is also considered a cold desert.

In all deserts, rainfall is less than 25 cm (approx. 10 in.) per year.

Plants in the Arid DesertThe dominant plants in the desert are succulents, which have stems and leaves covered with a waxy coating, which helps them store water.

Joshua Tree Aster

Hedgehog Cactus

Barrel CactusSaguaro Cactus

Plants in the Cold Desert

Salt bush

Rice grass

Black sage

Animals in the Arid Desert

Addax

Cactus Wren

Dingo

Sand RatGila Monster

FennecFox

Thorny Devil

Many desert animals are nocturnal, or active at night, and burrow into the ground during day.

Animals in the Cold Desert

Brown skua

Antarctica: Gobi:

Snow leopard

Guanaco

Emperor penguinsOnagerPatagonia:

Tuco-tuco

Threats to the BiomeGlobal Warming

The polar ice caps that make up the cold deserts of Antarctica are slowly melting, changing ocean temperatures, salinity, and sea level.

Lack of Water

As cities along the west coast become more populated, they draw water away from their natural sources, including the desert Southwest.

Urbanization

In many places, the desert is being converted to housing developments and golf courses.

Sourceshttp://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_map.htmhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htmhttp://mbgnet.mobot.org/sets/index.htmhttp://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/www.abc.net.au/storm/exposure/seven.htm http://www.desert-rose-golf-course.com/desert-rose-photo-gallery.htmhttp://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4653027http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/creature_feature/0101/penguins.htmlhttp://www.serindigena.cl/territorios/recursos/biblioteca/glosario/fotos/guanaco.jpghttp://www.octopus.furg.br/nema/dunas/tucotuco.jpghttp://www.fotoreiseberichte.de/mallorca/mallorca_02_013gr.jpghttp://www.avim.parks.ca.gov/images/people/rice_grass-l.jpghttp://www.gardengates.info/Black%20Sage.JPG