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Biotic factors are living things that shape an organisms environment.
Includes:
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Predators and prey
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Predators: Rattlesnakes, owls, hawks
Prey: jackrabbit, tarantula, lizzard

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Abiotic factors are nonliving things that shape an organisms environment.
In a desert biome this includes:
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Hot temperature
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Amount of sunlight
Little precipitation
Wind
Lack of humidity

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Desert’s climate is generally extremely hot and dry, due to the shortage in precipitation. The months of December to March is the period in which the desert receives the most rain, and in
May and June there is no precipitation what so ever. The temperatures differ during the day than they do at night. Once the sun goes down it gets cooler, which is why animals that live in the desert usually come out at night. Not many plants and animals can survive in this type of weather, but the ones that do have adapted to the weather conditions. Latitude controls climate for this region because they are positioned near the equator.
Another climate control is land and water.

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There are a lot more plants in the desert than you would think. These plants have adapted to desert conditions and are able to hold in water for long amounts of time in order to survive.
Three examples are a Barrel Cactus, a Joshua
Tree, a Brittle Bush, and the Ocotillo.

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Family: Cactaceae, Cactus
Description: The Barrel Cactus is easily distinguishable due to its cylinder shape. This is a man-sized cactus with lots of ridges running down the sides, which are covered in dangerously sharp 3-4 inch spines. This type of cactus is also a flowering plant, with rings of yellow or red blossoms at the top.
Dimension: 5-11 ft tall
Breeding:

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Habitat: desert washes and slopes, but can also be spotted growing along canyon walls.
Range: found in the Mojave, Sonora, and the
Chihuahua deserts. These deserts are in Baja,
Arizona, California, Texas, and Central Mexico.

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Family: Lily family
Description: The Joshua Tree sprouts yellow and green bell shaped flowers, with many 12 to 18 inch clusters on each branch.
There is a gross smell that comes with the flower. Some Joshua Trees do not flower annually. The fruit of the Joshua Tree is green and brown, and is 2.5 to 2 inches long. Soon after the Joshua Tree Tree's fruit matures in late spring, it will fry and fall off the branches.
When the fruit falls it lets off lots of seeds.

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Dimension: height of 15-40 ft, diameter of 1-3 ft
Breeding: The Joshua Tree has two sets of root systems, one stores any surplus water and it also develops bulbs. The bulbs are buried 10 to 30 feet under the soil. The other set is a shallow root system; the shallow roots only reach down to a couple of feet.
Habitat: only in the Mojave Desert, with elevations from 2,000 to 6,000 feet.
Range: grows in arid deserts
Discussion: The Joshua Tree got its name from the
Mormon pioneers who thought the tree reminded them of Joshua, from the old testament of the Bible

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Family: Sunflower family
Description: It is a small shrub that grows as a low, roundish mound. Brittle branches sprout from a wood trunk. The leaves are broader at the base than at the tip, and have a jagged edge. The leaves are covered with a thick mat of short hairs giving a gray-green appearance.
Dimension: 2-5 ft high, with leaves that are 1-4 in long

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Breeding: It can be easily transplanted and grows well from seeds
Habitat: Mojave and Sonoron deserts
Range: dry slopes and washes
Discussion: Brittlebush has had many uses. The stems release a clear substance which was used by
Native Americans from the Southwest as a glue and as a gum. Seri Indians ground it up and used it as toothpaste. They also sprinkled the paste on sores or spread it on their bodies to relieve pain.
The early Spanish missionaries burned it as an incense.

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Animals that live in the desert have to survive in a harsh conditions like intense heat, searing sun, and lack of water. In order to survive in the desert animals must adapt to these changes.

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Family: Cordylus cataphractus
Description: The head of the Armadillo Lizard is narrow in shape. The nostrils of the
Armadillo Lizard are formed into little tubes.
Its back legs are shorter than the front. The head, body, and tail are all flat, making it easier to wiggle into small areas
Dimension: body length: 15-17 inches, tail: 14-
16 inches, weight: 8-17 lbs
Breeding: has one or two babies in late summer

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Habitat: rock crevices
Range: found in deserts in the southern tip of africa
Discussion: fairly slow moving animal, but when the
Armadillo Lizard thinks or knows it's in danger, it runs as fast as it can go for cover.

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Family: rodent family
Description: looks like a mini kangaroo, yellow color above and white below, tail has white tip, big eyes stand out
Dimension: as big as a mouse. Grow about 14 in including tail
Breeding: 3 or more litters a year; jan-jun. pregnant for about 30 days, babies weaned 3-4 weeks
Habitat: burrow in large dens or in banks of wind drifted sand
Range: Mojave and Sonoran desert
Discussion: spends day sleeping, eats at night. Eats seeds, stems, leaves, and insects

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Family: dog family
Description: Tan, brown, and grey colored coat.
Large pointed ears and a bushy tail. Known for good eyesight, hearing, and sense of smell
Dimension: Adult coyotes: up to 4 ft long
(including tail which can be 11 - 16 inches).
They can be 2 feet tall and weigh up to 30 pounds.
Breeding: 3-12 pups are born in spring. Both parents feed and take care

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Habitat: desert, prairies, and mountains
Range: United States,
Canada, Mexico, and even Cape Cod
Discussion: Coyotes coloring helps them hide in order to capture their prey. They eat nearly anything available to them in their environment

LANDFORMS
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Deserts are mainly mountains, a basin surrounded by mountains, or a high plain
Lots of desert areas were at one time lakes, which helped shape it, along with wind.
ELEVATION
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Deserts are at different altitudes
Temp, plant, and animal life are all influenced by the elevation.

SOIL
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Some dust storms produce clouds thousands of feet high
Offer little help to plant life
Desert soils tend to be coarse, light colored, and high in mineral content
MINERAL RESOURCES
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Gold and iron are often found in desert regions

(omnivore)
(carnivores, includes humans)
(herbivores)

FOOD WEB

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 http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_plant_page.htm
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_plant_page.htm
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_plant_page.htm
http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/desert3/desert3.html#climate http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_animal_page.htm
http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_animal_page.htm
http://www.defenders.org/bobcat/basic-facts http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert_animal_page.htm
http://www.galeschools.com/environment/biomes/desert/geography.
htm http://ths.sps.lane.edu/biomes/desert3/desert3.html#climate http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/158992/desert/70819/Po pulation-and-community-development-and-structure