DESERT BIOME

By: Tori Ahr, Amanda Dirr, Kelli James, Romisha Law, Sarah Mossman and Sara

Moster

NORTH AMERICAN:

LOCATION• They are in the Rain

Shadow of the Rocky Mountains.

• LOWER Oregon and Idaho: Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico

• The size of the mountains block any precipitation coming from the coast.

CLIMATIC CONDITIONS• Annual

Precipitation:– 9.84-11.02 in. a year– May and June are the driest

months– November to August are the

wettest months

• Annual Temperature:– Temps. Range from -.4°F to

120°F– Average temperature is around

75°F

• The temperature tends to range and it is not always extremely hot.

• The temperature drops at night, and plants and animals have to adjust.

Desert Plants• Mostly ground-hugging shrubs and short wood trees

with wide roots because of the lack of water • Dominant Plants include: Cacti, Brittlebush,

Pancake Prickly Pears, Desert Ironwood, Joshua Tree, Palo Verde & Triangle-Leaf Bursage.

• Vegetation is not yet layered to maximize moisture consumption

Palo Verde

Cacti Adaptations

• The leaves adapt into needles because they don’t have enough water & energy. The spiny needle is actually the Midrib of the well-known leaf (the line that goes through the leaf).

• Chloroplasts are in the stem and the cacti must grow slow because there is not a lot of water.

• All cacti flower but only after rain comes, during this time the cacti plant also grows.

more plant adaptations…

• The pores (in plants) during the day close to prevent water loss

• Complicated root systems extend many miles and may be located towards the top of the surface to directly collect rain

• Silver and glossy leaves reflect more energy that is radiant and affects the taste

SOiL

• Dry and poor– Thin– With little nutrients

• Composed of Sand and Gravel– Does not hold water

ANiMALS

• Fossorial-which means ‘to borrow’ which they do to escape the heat– Rabbits– Skunks– Burrowing Owls

• They take over burrows because they are not able to dig their own. They escape predation and they make noises similar to rattle snakes to scare off predators.

More animals…

• Nocturnal– Animals come out during the night to escape

the heat

• Crepuscular– They come out at dusk and dawn; to escape

the heat

Animal Adaptations

• Their bodies are equip to store amounts of water and cope with food shortages

• Most animals are small and only get water from the food that they eat

Other Biome..

• Phoenix

• Tusan

• Las Vegas

• Many people are flooding into these places.