Global Lehigh Strategic Initiatives (without descriptions)
Biome Research Project
1. Deserts
Deserts
By: Luis, Chris, Danielle, and
Gianna
Period:3
By: Luis Ramirez
2. What is a Desert?
• A region that is dry, lacks precipitation and has little or
no plants or animals.
• Deserts cover about 1/5 of the Earth’s surface.
• Most deserts have specific types of plants and animals
that have adapted to the environment.
• The soils in deserts have a lot of nutrients because they
only need water.
• There are few large mammals in deserts because most
are not able to live in those conditions.
3. Types of Deserts
There are:
• Hot Deserts
• Cold Deserts
• Coastal Deserts
• Semiarid Deserts
4. Hot Deserts
• Seasons are warm throughout year and get very hot
during the summer.
• Average temps. Range from 20-25 C
• When it gets really hot it ranges from about 43-49 C
• Minimum temps. can drop as low as -18C
• Sometimes rain evaporates before touching the
ground.
• Average precip. per year is about 1.5 cm.
• The soil is shallow, rocky and has good drainage.
5. Cold Deserts
• Have long cold winters with snow and some rain and
sometimes in the summer.
• Average temperatures are from -2-4 C in the winter
• Average temperatures are from 21-26 C in the summer
• The soil is heavy, salty and has good drainage so that
most of the salt is leached out.
• Average precipitation is about 15-26 cm. per year
6. Coastal Deserts
• Have cool winters and long warm summers.
• Temperatures range from 13-24 C in the summer
• Temperatures drop as low as -5 C in the winter
• The soil is some what salty and has good drainage.
• Precipitation is about 8-13 cm. per year
7. Semiarid Desert
• The winters are cool and the summers are long and dry.
• Average temperatures range from 21-27 C
• Evening temperatures are around 10 C
• Cool nights help the plants and animal by lowering
moisture that is lost by sweating and breathing during
the day.
• Average precipitation is about 2-4 cm. per year
• The soil is sandy, has pebbles, gravel is low in salt and
has good drainage.
8. Global Locations Map
Places with deserts:
North America
South America
Africa
Asia
Australia
Key:
Places with yellow are desert areas.
10. Plants & Animals of Hot Deserts
• Most plants only make gas exchanges at night when
less evaporation occurs.
• There are cacti, yuccas, ocotillo and others.
• Animals stay protected and hidden during the day when
it’s hot and come out at night to hunt when it’s much
more cooler.
• There are insects, spiders, reptiles and birds.
11. Plants & Animals of Cold Deserts
• Plants are mostly deciduous and have spiny leaves.
• There are sagebrushes, shrubs and aloe.
• Animals stay protected in underground tunnels to keep
in the warmth.
• There are rabbits, kangaroo mice, antelopes, squirrels,
deer, foxes and coyotes.
12. Plants & Animals of Coastal Deserts
• The plants have long roots that are close to the surface
where they can take advantage of the rainfall.
• All plants that have thick stems can take in a lot of
water when it is there so that they can store it for future
use.
• There are salt bushes, black bushes, buck wheat bushes
and little leaf horse brush.
• Some animals have adapted to the conditions to deal
with the desert heat and lack of water.
• There are coyotes, toads, owls, eagles, lizards and
snakes.
13. Plants & Animals of Semiarid Deserts
• The plants are spiny and have shiny or slippery leaves
so that they can reflect radiant energy.
• There are white thorns, brittle bushes, creosote bush
and bur sags.
• The animals protection in underground tunnels where
they are protected from heat.
• There are rabbits, skunks, lizards, snakes and owls.
18. “Deserts”. Deserted Land. O’Hanlon, Larry. Sep. 10, 2008.
Discovery Channel. Nov. 6, 2009.
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/guide/deserts.html
“Deserts”. The World’s Biomes. UCMP Community. Sep. 4, 2008.
University of California Museum of Paleontology. Nov. 6, 2009.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/deserts.php
“Deserts”. Earth Floor. ETE team. April 28, 2005.
Classroom of the Future. Nov. 6, 2009.
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/desert.html
“Deserts”. The World’s Biomes. Schaffner, B. and Robinson, K. Nov. 7, 2006.
Blue Planet Biomes. Nov. 6, 2009.
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm
