Biome Presentation:Desert

Leo and Jonathan

Animals from the Desert

• Road Runner: The roadrunner is a

large, slender, black-brown and white streaked ground bird with a distinctive head crest.

Animals from the Desert

• Texas HornedThe popular names come

from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which give it a decidedly toad- or frog-like appearance.

Animals from the desert

• LizardMany lizards can detach

their tails to escape from predators, an act called autotomy, but this ability is not shared by all lizards

Animals from the Desert

• CaracalYoung caracals bear reddish

spots on the underside; adults do not have markings except for black spots above the eyes and small white patches around the eyes and nose. Underparts of chin and body are white, and a narrow black line runs from the corner of the eye to the nose

Animals in the desert

• Black Widow• Notorious for their

bloodthirsty courtship, black widow spiders are identified by the colored markings on their black bodies.

Plants in the Desert

• Barrel Cactus• The Barrel cactus can be

easily distinguished from other cacti because of it cylinder-shaped body.

Plants In the desert

• Brittle bush It is a small deciduous

shrub which grows as a low, roundish mound 2 to 5 feet high.

Plants in the desert

• Chainfruit chollaThe chain fruit cholla

looks as much like a tree in the desert as a cactus possibly can. It has a central trunk from which sprout many spiny "branches".

Plants in the desert

• Creosote bush The bush's leaves were

made into antiseptics and emetics by desert Native American desert tribes.

Plants in the desert

Crimson hedgehog cactus There are many different kinds of hedgehog cacti.

Facts about the Desert Biome

Keystone Species• The Kangaroo Rat is the

keystone species in the desert. It is very adaptable to the extreme temperatures.

Climate & Characteristics• Low precipitation;

variable temperatures; soils rich in minerals but poor in organic material.

Attractions• Nestled amid the red buttes of

Papago Park in Phoenix, Desert Botanical Garden showcases 50 acres of beautiful outdoor exhibits in the Sonoran Desert. Walk garden trails to see 139 rare, endangered and threatened desert plants from around the world. Follow the brick path on the Desert Discovery Trail to see colorful plant displays, exhibits and the garden’s oldest desert plants

Deserts Locations• Geographic distribution:

Africa Asia the middle east United States Mexico ,south America and Australia.

Humans and the Desert• ExploitationThere are many ways human

activities can impact the desert biome, at least where there is an existing ecosystem. Development by mining or residential use is one way, as would be diverting the limited water supplies for agricultural use elsewhere. Humans can damage the desert ecosystem if they use the areas for recreation in an unwise fashion

• ConservationBy conserving water; if you

conserve water where you live, there will be more water for the dry deserts

Volunteer in a desert by pulling out nonnative desert plants