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- Atacama Desert (Chile) Nestled between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the Atacama Desert is renowned as the driest desert on Earth. Its unique geography, characterized by high-altitude plateaus and salt flats, contributes to the scarcity of rainfall.
- Antarctic Desert. Encompassing the frozen continent of Antarctica, this polar desert is the driest and windiest desert on the planet. Its geology is dominated by ice sheets, glaciers, and mountain ranges.
- Namib Desert (Namibia) Stretching along the Atlantic coast of Namibia, the Namib Desert is renowned for its towering red sand dunes, including the iconic Dune 45.
- Salar de Uyuni (Bolivia) This otherworldly landscape is the world’s largest salt flat, located in southwest Bolivia. The Salar de Uyuni was formed as a result of prehistoric lakes evaporating, leaving behind a vast expanse of salt.
- What Is The Desert Biome?
- The Desert Biome Facts: Page Index
- Other Desert Pages
- Desert Characteristics
- Types of Deserts and Their Locations
- Desert Animals & Plants
- Desert Biome Plants
- Desert Biome Animals
- Threats to The Desert Biome
- Further Reading & References
The desert biome is the characteristic community of animals and plants found in the world's deserts. Deserts are found on every continent and make up around 30 percent of the earth’s surface. The main characteristic of deserts is a shortage (or complete lack of) precipitation; some desert regions go for years on end without rain. Other characterist...
1. Low precipitation
Deserts experience extreme shortages of water due to lack of precipitation. The primary characteristic of deserts is that they are dry. Deserts are commonly defined as areas that receive less than 10 in (250 mm) of rain annually. There are records of deserts going without rain for hundreds of years, for example, the Atacama Desert in Chile. However, most deserts do receive rain, even if only for a few days each year. Desert rainfall is usually unpredictable. As a result desert animals and pla...
2. Clear Skies / Extremes of temperature
The air is dry in deserts, and clouds do not form; therefore, clear skies are also a characteristic of deserts. The cloudless skies allow much of the sun’s radiation to reach the ground, leading to very high daytime temperatures. Similarly, once the sun sets in a desert, the warmth is quickly radiated away into the atmosphere as there are no clouds to trap it. This causes very low temperatures at night. Desert plants and animals must be able to tolerate extremes of both heat and cold.
3. Slow-growing Plants
Deserts are also characterized by having plants that grow very slowly. The process of photosynthesis (in which plants use the sun’s energy to make food for growth) requires water. Because water is in short supply, plant production in deserts is the lowest of any biome on earth.
Deserts have formed all over the world where moisture is scarce and unpredictable. The extent and cause of the aridity varies, and this means that no single definition fully describes the conditions in all deserts. Instead, ecologists recognise different major types of deserts:
The organisms living in deserts are mostly evolved from species that occurred in those regions long ago, when there was more water available. This means that each desert has its own set of plants and animals. However, all desert species–wherever they are found–must be able to survive with very little water, and also to tolerate extreme temperatures...
Desert plants must obtain moisture and store it for times when no rain falls. Some have a network of shallow roots that enables them to absorb moisture that falls onto the soil, including drops of dew or condensed fog. Others have deep tap roots that can reach water far below the surface. Familiar desert plants include cacti, euphorbias and succule...
More than half of desert animal species spend the majority of their time underground, either sleeping or hibernating. In this way, they escape the extreme temperatures and can conserve water. This includes a variety of insects, arachnids, snakes, lizards and small mammals. In addition, many desert animals are nocturnal, searching for their food dur...
Changes in climate, brought about by global warming, will have potentially devastating effects on those species that cling to existence in the rigorous desert conditions. In addition, human activity brings changes to desert processes directly. Mining for minerals, oil and gas disturbs the sands and brings construction and vehicles to remote areas. ...
You can find out more about the desert biome and life in deserts on the following pages: 1. Desert Animals List with Pictures & Facts 2. Desert Plants List with Pictures & Facts 3. Sahara Desert Facts For Kids & Students With Pictures, Information & Video 4. Is Antarctica A Desert?
A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi-arid.
Deserts cover more than one-fifth of the Earth's land area, and they are found on every continent. A place that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain per year is considered a ...
- Christina Nunez
- 4 min
Jun 27, 2024 · What are the unique features of the desert biome? The desert biome has several unique features. It is characterized by a layer of soil that can be sandy, gravelly, or stony, depending on the specific type of desert. Deserts usually receive no more than 50 centimeters (20 inches) of rainfall per year, making them extremely arid.
Oct 14, 2024 · desert, any large, extremely dry area of land with sparse vegetation. It is one of Earth’s major types of ecosystems, supporting a community of distinctive plants and animals specially adapted to the harsh environment. For a list of selected deserts of the world, see below. Simpson Desert Simpson Desert, central Australia.
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Life in the Desert Plants and animals adapt to desert habitats in many ways. Desert plants grow far apart, allowing them to obtain as much water around them as possible. This spacing gives some desert regions a desolate appearance. In some deserts, plants have unique leaves to capture sunlight for photosynthesis, the process
