The Desert Ecosystem
Created By Joseph Abad, Sevag
Boursalian, Camryn Gallardo, and
Davis Lahm
Desert Areas
Desert Ecosystems
Physical Features in Deserts
• Sand dunes
• Cacti
• Oasis
Desert Food Web
Animals that eat insects and plants get
eaten by carnivores, and domesticated
animals like camels, get fed oats by
humans.
Human Activity in Deserts
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“Human activity causes deserts to expand.”
“Rapid loss of fertile land causes deserts to expand.”
“Too much grazing causes plant life to be destroyed.”
“Mining, improper farming methods, and tree
destruction causes desert expansion.”
A Desert Animal
• The Thorny Devil.
• The Thorny Devil can change its color to
catch prey or hide from enemies.
• It is a consumer.
• It is an endangered animal.
• Its many spines make it one of the oddest
lizards in the world.
Extension of Desert animals
• The Banded Gila Monster
• Its color can be pink, orange, or red with 4 or 5
black bands.
• They can be very shy but can strike back very
fast.
• The Banded Gila Monster is a consumer.
• It is an endangered animal.
• It is a unique animal because one of the two
venomous lizards in the world.
Another Desert Animal
• Desert Kangaroo Rat
• The Desert Kangaroo Rat looks like a mini
kangaroo.
• It has a cheek pouch to hold more food.
• It is a consumer.
• They survive well in the desert.
• This animal is unique because of it looks like a
kangaroo and a mouse mixed together.
Last Two Desert Animals
• Bobcat
• The Bobcat weighs 1520lbs.
• Its color is a mixture of
white, black, brown, and
orange.
• This animal has a great
hunting ability.
• It is a consumer.
• This animal is unique
because it likes rocky
terrain.
• Armadillo Lizard.
• This animal has a small,
scaly body.
• It feeds on a wide variety
of insects.
• It is an endangered
animal.
• It is a consumer.
• This animal is unique
because of its ability to
roll up into a ball.
Three Very Interesting, Unusual
Desert Plants
• Saguaro Cactus: Its thick
stem and branches help it
hold water. Lives for
about 200 years. Animals
can’t create pollination
without this tree.
• Joshua Tree: Can live for
about 200 years. If we
didn’t have this tree,
people who live where it
grows would not survive.
• Soaptree Yucca: The
plant has been introduced
to eastern soil, thanks to
its exotic look. It can be
found in climates not so
hot as the desert. This
kind of plant has been
used as emergency food
for ranchers’ cattle.
• By Botanist Joseph.
Temperature
50
40
30
temp.
20
10
0
-10
day 1
night 1
day 2
night 2
How the desert is unique and
precipitation
• The desert is unique
because most deserts
are found next to
rainforests and it
covers one third of
the WORLD.
30
25
percipita
tion
20
15
10
5
0
yr 1 yr 2 yr 3 yr 4
Bibliography
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http://www.geocities.com
http://www.enchantedlearning.com
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org
http://www.mbgnet.net
Google
• And our
Brains