Desert biomes

J ChoAlex M.

Max the Man Meehan

Hot and Dry (Temp.)• The temperatures in the hot and dry

deserts are extreme because of the lack of humidity

• Humidity- air which contains high amounts of water vapor

• Without humidity there is a lack of protection from the suns ray

• Average temp. ranges from 20-25 degrees Celsius

• Extreme high temp. ranges from 43.5- 49 degrees Celsius

• Min. Temp. can drop to 18 degrees below zero Celsius

Hot and Dry (Rainfall)• Rainfall is usually limited and only in

short bursts in between long periods of time

• Rainfall depends on regional location

• Ex. Rainfall in Chile is less than 1.5 cm, while deserts in the US it averages up to 28 cm

Hot and Dry (Rainfall Cont.)

• Evaporation rates often exceed rainfall rates• Fun Fact: once in a while rainfall can

sometimes evaporate before reaching the ground Yuma desert valley

Hot and Dry (Vegetation)

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

• Leaves have water-conserving characteristics. They tend to be small, thick and covered with a thick cuticle (outer layer).

• These plants include: yuccas, ocotillo, turpentine bush, prickly pears, false mesquite, sotol, ephedras, agaves and brittlebush.

Hot and Dry (Organisms)

• The animals include small nocturnal (active at night) carnivores.

• The dominant animals are burrowers and kangaroo rats.

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

• The animals stay inactive in protected hideaways during the hot day and come out to hunt at dusk, dawn or at night, when the desert is cooler.

Hot and Dry (Food Chains)

• Hawk

• Rattlesnake

• Jack Rabbit

• Ground Hugging Shrubs

Semi- Arid (Temp/ Rainfall)• This helps with the

condensation of dew in the night, which can exceed the moisture some deserts get from rainfall

• Average Rainfall 2-4 cm annually

• Avg. Temp. 21- 27 degrees Celsius

• The temp. rarely gets above 38 degrees Celsius and rarely gets below 10 degrees Celsius

Semi- Arid (Vegetation)

• Spiny nature plants in order to reduce transpiration: Silvery Glossy leaves

• Ex. Creosote Bush, Bur Sage, white Thorn, Cat Claw, Mesquite, Brittle bush, Lyceums, and jujube

Semi-Arid( Animals)

• Protection in underground burrows where they are insulated from heat and aridity

• Ex. Kangaroo rates, rabbits, skunks, grasshoppers, ants, lizards, snakes, burrowing owls, California thrasher

Semi- Arid(Food Chains

• Snakes

• Kangaroo rat

• Grasshopper

• Forbs

Coastal desert (Temp/ Rainfall)• Avg. Temp: 13- 24 degrees

Celsius

• Winter: 5 degrees Celsius or below

• Max: 35 degrees Celsius

• Min: -4 degrees Celsius

• Rainfall: 8- 13 cm

• Max: 37 cm

• Min: 5 cm

Coastal Desert (Vegetation)• They grow in fine textured

soil with moderate salt content

• Extensive root systems sloe to the surface

• Have thickly fleshy leaves or stems to take in available water

• Ex: salt bush, buckwheat bush, black bush, rice grass, and black sage

Coastal Desert (Animals)

• Specialized adaptations for dealing with heat and lack of rain

• Ex: Coyote, badger, toads, great horned owl, golden eagle, bald eagle, lizards, snakes

Coastal Desert (Food Chains)• Eagles

• Snakes

• Lizards

• Insects

• Black sage

Cold Desert (Temp/ Rainfall)

Temperature• Cold winters with high

snowfall and high overall rainfall

• Short moist and moderately warm summers with fairly long and cold winters

• Winter: -2 to 4 degrees Celsius

• Summer: 21- 26 degrees Celsius

Rainfall• Avg. annual precipitation is

15- 26 cm• Max: 46 cm• Min: 9 cm

Cold Deserts (Vegetation)

• Widely scattered• 10 percent of the

ground is covered with plants

• The areas of sage bush goes up to 85 percent

• Heights vary between 15- 122 cm

• Most are deciduous

Cold Deserts (Animals)

• Widely distributed

• Ex: jackrabbits, kangaroo rats, kangaroo mice, pocket mice, grasshopper mice, antelope, and ground squirrels

Cold Deserts (Food Chains)

• Killer Whale

• Seals

• Small fishes

• phytoplankton

Chaparral Biome

• Chaparrals exist in a mid latitude climate and lie in a belt of prevailing

westerly winds

Chaparral Biomes ( Temp/ Rainfall)

Temperature• Hot and dry • Winter- mild 10 degrees

Celsius• Summer- hot and dry up to

40 degrees Celsius (fires and droughts are common)

Rainfall• 10- 17 inches annually• Because of the hot and dry

summer only hard leaved plants survive and many have adapted to have hairy leaves to collect moisture

Chaparral (Vegetation)

• Have adapted to the fires by allowing their seeds to remain dormant until a fire occurs to crack the outer shell so that the plant may begin sprouting

• Ex. Blue Oak, Coyote Brush, Common Sagebrush, Fairy duster, French boom, King protea, Lebanon, Cedar, Manzanita, Mountain Mahogany, Salt marsh Bird’s Beak, Olive tree, Torrey Pine

Chaparral (Animals)• Ex: Aardwolf, Black

tailed Jackrabbit, Cactus Wren, Golden Jackal, Grey fox, Island Grey fox, Puma, San Joachim kit fox, Spotted skunk, wild goat

Chaparral (Food Web)• Pumas

• Aardwolf

• Termites

• Cacti