Write an Short Essay on Desert Biomes (953 Words)
Answers
The hot desert biome is exactly as it sounds, hot and dry. The desert biome consists of 1/5 of the world. Most hot deserts are found towards the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Most hot and dry deserts do not have many plants. The plants they do have are mostly low down plants. These plants include some shrub and cactus like plants. The desert climate is different from other biomes as well. The desert is a very unique biome and has many characteristics that other biomes do not possess.
The animals of a desert usually are nocturnal, meaning that they come out at night because the hot sun is too much to bear. Some animals have to live in caves for shelter from the sun as well as animals that must borough in the sand to stay cool. Some of these animals include the armadillo lizard, bobcat, rattle snakes, coyote, javelina, and the thorny devil.
The vegetation of a desert is unlike any of the other biomes. Some of this vegetation includes cacti. Cacti are different because the actual plant holds the water inside itself for a long period of time. It also has spikes surrounding it for protection from predators going after its water supply. These plants also have a thick waxy covering itself protecting itself from water loss. The desert usually has cryptobiotic soil meaning that the soil is poor. Other plants include desert ironwood, Joshua tree, barrel cactus, and the creosote bush.
The climate of a desert is also quite different from all other biomes. Dry desert climates are formed by high-pressure zones in which cold air descends. Then the descending air becomes warm but, instead of releasing rain, the heat from the ground evaporates the water before it can come down as rain. The ground is hot because the sun's rays beat down on it directly overhead. There is not a lot of atmosphere to protect it from radiant energy.