Desert biomes
J Cho
Alex M.
Max the Man Meehan
Hot and Dry (Temp.)
• The temperatures in the hot and dry
deserts are extreme because of the
lack of humidity
• Humidity- air which contains high
amounts of water vapor
• Without humidity there is a lack of
protection from the suns ray
• Average temp. ranges from 20-25
degrees Celsius
• Extreme high temp. ranges from 43.549 degrees Celsius
• Min. Temp. can drop to 18 degrees
below zero Celsius
Hot and Dry (Rainfall)
• Rainfall is usually limited and only in
short bursts in between long periods of
time
• Rainfall depends on regional location
• Ex. Rainfall in Chile is less than 1.5 cm,
while deserts in the US it averages up
to 28 cm
Hot and Dry (Rainfall Cont.)
• Evaporation rates often exceed rainfall rates
• Fun Fact: once in a while rainfall can
sometimes evaporate before reaching the
ground
Yuma desert valley
Hot and Dry (Vegetation)
• Plants are mainly ground-hugging
shrubs and short woody trees.
• Leaves have water-conserving
characteristics. They tend to be
small, thick and covered with a
thick cuticle (outer layer).
• These plants include: yuccas,
ocotillo, turpentine bush, prickly
pears, false mesquite, sotol,
ephedras, agaves and brittlebush.
Hot and Dry (Organisms)
• The animals include small
nocturnal (active at night)
carnivores.
• The dominant animals are
burrowers and kangaroo rats.
• There are also insects,
arachnids, reptiles and birds.
• The animals stay inactive in
protected hideaways during
the hot day and come out to
hunt at dusk, dawn or at
night, when the desert is
cooler.
Hot and Dry (Food Chains)
• Hawk
• Rattlesnake
• Jack Rabbit
• Ground Hugging Shrubs
Semi- Arid (Temp/ Rainfall)
• Avg. Temp. 21- 27 degrees
Celsius
• The temp. rarely gets
above 38 degrees Celsius
and rarely gets below 10
degrees Celsius
• This helps with the
condensation of dew in
the night, which can
exceed the moisture
some deserts get from
rainfall
• Average Rainfall 2-4 cm
annually
Semi- Arid (Vegetation)
• Spiny nature
plants in order
to reduce
transpiration:
Silvery Glossy
leaves
• Ex. Creosote Bush, Bur Sage, white Thorn, Cat Claw,
Mesquite, Brittle bush, Lyceums, and jujube
Semi-Arid( Animals)
• Protection in
underground burrows
where they are
insulated from heat and
aridity
• Ex. Kangaroo rates,
rabbits, skunks,
grasshoppers, ants,
lizards, snakes,
burrowing owls,
California thrasher
Semi- Arid(Food Chains
• Snakes
• Kangaroo rat
• Grasshopper
• Forbs
Coastal desert (Temp/ Rainfall)
• Avg. Temp: 13- 24 degrees
Celsius
• Winter: 5 degrees Celsius or
below
• Max: 35 degrees Celsius
• Min: -4 degrees Celsius
• Rainfall: 8- 13 cm
• Max: 37 cm
• Min: 5 cm
Coastal Desert (Vegetation)
• They grow in fine textured
soil with moderate salt
content
• Extensive root systems
sloe to the surface
• Have thickly fleshy leaves
or stems to take in
available water
• Ex: salt bush, buckwheat
bush, black bush, rice
grass, and black sage
Coastal Desert (Animals)
• Specialized adaptations for
dealing with heat and lack
of rain
• Ex: Coyote, badger, toads,
great horned owl, golden
eagle, bald eagle, lizards,
snakes
Coastal Desert (Food Chains)
• Eagles
• Snakes
• Lizards
• Insects
• Black sage
Cold Desert (Temp/ Rainfall)
Temperature
• Cold winters with high
snowfall and high overall
rainfall
• Short moist and moderately
warm summers with fairly
long and cold winters
• Winter: -2 to 4 degrees
Celsius
• Summer: 21- 26 degrees
Celsius
Rainfall
• Avg. annual precipitation is
15- 26 cm
• Max: 46 cm
• Min: 9 cm
Cold Deserts (Vegetation)
• Widely scattered
• 10 percent of the
ground is covered with
plants
• The areas of sage bush
goes up to 85 percent
• Heights vary between
15- 122 cm
• Most are deciduous
Cold Deserts (Animals)
• Widely distributed
• Ex: jackrabbits,
kangaroo rats, kangaroo
mice, pocket mice,
grasshopper mice,
antelope, and ground
squirrels
Cold Deserts (Food Chains)
• Killer Whale
• Seals
• Small fishes
• phytoplankton
Chaparral Biome
• Chaparrals exist in a mid latitude climate
and lie in a belt of prevailing westerly winds
Chaparral Biomes ( Temp/ Rainfall)
Temperature
• Hot and dry
• Winter- mild 10 degrees
Celsius
• Summer- hot and dry up to
40 degrees Celsius (fires and
droughts are common)
Rainfall
• 10- 17 inches annually
• Because of the hot and dry
summer only hard leaved
plants survive and many
have adapted to have hairy
leaves to collect moisture
Chaparral (Vegetation)
• Have adapted to the fires by
allowing their seeds to
remain dormant until a fire
occurs to crack the outer
shell so that the plant may
begin sprouting
• Ex. Blue Oak, Coyote Brush,
Common Sagebrush, Fairy
duster, French boom, King
protea, Lebanon, Cedar,
Manzanita, Mountain
Mahogany, Salt marsh Bird’s
Beak, Olive tree, Torrey Pine
Chaparral (Animals)
• Ex: Aardwolf, Black
tailed Jackrabbit,
Cactus Wren,
Golden Jackal, Grey
fox, Island Grey fox,
Puma, San Joachim
kit fox, Spotted
skunk, wild goat
Chaparral (Food Web)
• Pumas
• Aardwolf
• Termites
• Cacti