DESERT BIOME Desert Biome Location Located in the

DESERT BIOME Desert Biome

Location Located in the American Southwest (Arizona, California, New Mexico, California, Mexico, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Temperature n n The hot desert is a land of extremes: extreme heat and extreme dryness; sudden flash floods and cold nights. Because deserts are such a harsh environment, deserts often have names likes "Death Valley, " "the empty quarter, " and "the place from where there is no return. "

Temperature Everyone knows that during the day many deserts are hot, very hot. Temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon. Yet at night, the same deserts can have temperatures fall into the 40’s or 50’s.

Precipitation § Deserts are usually very, very dry. Even the wettest deserts get less than ten inches of precipitation a year. § Deserts receive the least amount of rainfall of all the other biomes.

Flora Many of the fascinating features of desert plants are adaptations -- traits that help the plant survive in its harsh environment. Desert plants have two main adaptations: 1. Ability to collect and store water 2. Features that reduce water loss like waxy leaves. 3. Examples: Ghost Flower, Barrel Cactus, Tumbleweed, Cottonwood Tree, Sand Verbena, Saugaro Cactus ►

Ghost Flower Sand Verbena

Barrel Cactus Saugaro cactus

Desert Food Chain (US)

Fauna (US) Fox, hawk, tarantula, lizard, king snakes, kangaroo rat, frogs, scorpions, mule deer, cottontail, wolves

Sahara Desert Africa As the world's biggest desert, the Sahara covers a third of the African continent-an area about the size of the United States. What makes the Sahara a desert? The Sahara is one of the hottest places on Earth. Even though temperatures there may rise to 136 F (57. 7 C), its dryness, not heat, that makes a place like the Sahara a desert. It receives less than 3 inches of rain per year!