Tropical Desert

By Gianna Famolare

Other Common Names

• Desert

• Hot Desert

• BWh (Koppen Climate Classification)

• Hot and Dry Desert

Where are Tropical Deserts?

Climate

• 20°-25° C – Highest temperatures: 43.5°- 49° C

• Rain– Short periods of rain between longer dry

periods – <15 cm of rain per year

• Extremely hot summers, moderately hot spring, fall and winters

Tropical Desert Plants

• Examples:– Prickly Pears– Brittle Bush– Yuccas– Ocotillo– False Mesquite– Sotol– Ephedras– Agaves

• Adaptations– Low to ground– Short– Store/Use water

efficiently• Longer roots• Conserving water

• Few plants in this biome

Plant Images

Prickly Pears

Agave

Yuccas

Tropical Desert Animals

• Examples– Kangaroo Rats– Mourning Wheatears– Horned Vipers– Camel– Desert Foxes– Hawks– Insects– Lizards

• Adaptations– Small– Mechanisms to keep

cool– Store/Use water

efficiently – Burrowers

Animal Images

Hawk Horned Viper Kangaroo Rat

Human Impacts

• Global warming - drought, dries up water sources

• Grazing animals can destory the few plants• Waste from oil, gas, nuclear power plants

disrupts desert• Reduction in diversity (esp. mammals)

Bibliography

• "Deserts: Arid But Full of Life." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

• "The Desert Biome." The Desert Biome. University of California Museum of Paleontology, n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.

• Bardo, Matt. "Desert Diversity Cut by 'human Activities'" BBC News. BBC, 09 July 2012. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

• "Desert Threats." National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2014.

• Images– http://science.jrank.org/kids/pages/63/FITTING-ALL-TOGETHER.html– http://www.saguaro-juniper.com/i_and_i/agavesNyuccas/agavesNyuccas.htm– http://www.herrinhs.org/Teachers/EricJohns/CHA07/Noah%20Quinton/Prickly%20Pear/Prickly%20Pear%20site.htm– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangaroo_rat– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_shawii– http://www.flickr.com/photos/sam2cents/3016205567/– http://www.mojavedesertlandtrust.org/know.php– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Koppen_World_Map_BWh.png