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Desert Biome: 10 Fascination Features that Define This Harsh Landscape

The desert biome is quite a dry territorial biome which affects the vegetation in arid areas. The landscape of deserts is often characterized as having little on precipitation and is often inhabited by hostile plants and animal. Research has shown that deserts cover one-fifth of the earth surface. They often experience a variation of temperatures depending on the location and type of desert.

Plants and animals inhabiting such areas tend to posses’ specific adaptation mechanisms to aid in their survival in the harsh environment. The low precipitation of such areas poses challenges for both flora and fauna survival.

Although such areas posses harsh living condition, they tend to have substantial mineral resources. A major oilfield is the Ghawar in Saudi Arabia. Here are Desert Biome: 10 Fascination Features that Define This Harsh Landscape.

1.Desert Biome covers approximately one-fifth of the earth’s surface

Research has shown that desert Biome accounts for roughly one-fifth of the Earth’s surface. Dessert’s landscapes are often characterized with a specific type of vegetation, a variation of temperatures and adaptive creatures. Desert Biome has a distinctive characteristic of a layer of soil that might be sandy, gravelly, or stony.

Creatures and plants in such deserts often possess adaptative means to the harsh climate condition in the desert. Deserts often receive no more than 50 centimeters of rainfall per year, and desert organisms are evolved to this extremely dry climate.

2.Desert plants often have adaptation mechanism

Since deserts often receive up to 50 centimeters of rainfall per year, desert vegetation has water-saving adaptations. Any vegetation in an arid or semi-arid environment has adaptation mechanism to survive the harsh climate.

The cactus plant which is commonly known for growing in semi-arid areas possess an adaptation mechanism with its large stems that retains water, and the spines serve as a to guard these reserves from thirsty animals.

Others, such as creosote bushes, have little or no leaves at all to reduce water loss through transpiration. The low precipitation of such areas can lead to challenges for both flora and fauna.

Some deserts, like the Atacama Desert in Chile, are considered the driest places on Earth, with years passing without any significant rainfall. The plant and animal adaptation mechanism help them thrive in the harsh desert conditions.

3.Deset biomes are often characterized as being hot and dry

Deserts are often classified as being hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts. Hot and dry temperatures are often experienced in arid deserts. The Sahara Desert, which covers much of the African continent, and the Mojave Desert, which is located in the southwest of the United States, are two well-known arid deserts.

Summers in semi-arid deserts are lengthy and dry, followed by rainy winters. North America, Greenland, Europe, and Asia all have semi-arid deserts. Coastal deserts are slightly more humid than other desert kinds. Desert Biome falls under the dry desert category and is generally warm all through the years and extremely hot in the summer

4.The temperatures at desert biomes is only suitable for small creatures

Because the vegetation does not grow very tall, the desert biome is only suitable for small creatures, rodents, and reptiles. Like the vegetation in the area, the creatures also possess adaptation mechanisms to the harsh climate conditions.

Often these creatures avoid the scorching sun that by sheltering themselves in burrows or under tiny shrubs. Another distinctive adaptation mechanism is that such creatures store water on their bodies or get the water they need from the food they eat.

The few creatures in surviving in the desert are forced to possess such characteristics since there is hardly any standing water in the desert Biome. The black-tailed jackrabbit has adapted to desert living by having extra-long ears that help to remove surplus heat from their bodies into the air.

5.Desert biomes are often characterized as having temperature variations

Temperature variation is one of the distinctive characteristics of the different types of deserts. Desert Biome often exhibits extreme temperatures since the surrounding environments contains little humidity to block sun rays. Deserts often receive more than twice the solar radiation as compared to humid regions.

Due to this, the days are often characterized by having bright sunshine while the nights are startlingly cold due to a lack of moisture to hold heat. Desert Biome temperatures range from 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius. Any vegetation or creatures living in the desert therefore must possess some unique characteristics that aids in their survival.

6.Dust storms are often experienced in Desert Biomes

Dust storms often occur when the wind picks up dust from the surface. Desert Biome has a distinctive characteristic of a layer of soil that might be sandy, gravelly, or stony. Dust storms can be up to 1 mile high and travel over a hundred miles.

Such storms often occurs when strong winds lift large amounts of sand in the air, the soil is bare and dry.  Some of the health risks that come with such storms include eye and skin irritation, conjunctivitis and even infections. Dust storms also pose a negative impact on agricultural activities by reducing the yields.

7.Land dunes are iconic features of many deserts’ landscapes

Sand dunes are iconic features of many desert landscapes. Such landscapes are common in desert environments where there is little or no vegetation that interferes with the development of dunes. It is important to note that dunes are not restricted to deserts only, they are also found along the seashores, along streams, and other arears with loose sand.

These mounds of sand are formed by the wind’s continuous movement of loose particles. They often vary in size, shape, and composition, and they play an important role in stabilizing desert ecosystems. In major dust storm, dunes tend to move tens of meters through such sheets flows.

8.Coastal deserts

These types of deserts are often found in moderately cool to warm areas. Unlike the biome of other deserts, coastal deserts tend to experience cool winters and followed by long warm summer seasons. Its summer temperatures range at 13 to 24 degrees Celsius and its winter temperatures fall as low as 5 degrees Celsius.

Sone of the vegetation in such areas have extensive root systems that are quite close to the surface to absorb as much water as possible. This adaptation mechanism is because of the fine-textures soil which has a good drainage system. Some of the vegetation in such area include salt bush, buckwheat bush, black bush, and black sage.

9.Cold deserts

Cold deserts are often characterized by cold winters that experience snowfall and high rainfall throughout the winter season.  Unlike all other deserts, cold deserts often experience short, moist, and moderately warm summers and fairly long and cold summers. The winter temperatures fall between -2 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius.

Some of its heaviest rainfall is experienced in the spring between April and May every year. This has caused it to have few and widely scattered vegetation. Some of the vegetation that inhabits this area are deciduous with mostly spiny leaves. Some of the animals found in deserts include the kangaroo rats, the kangaroo mice, and antelope ground squirrels.

10.Hot and dry deserts

Often the climate and temperature of hot and dry desert remains warm all through the year. This however does not mean that the area does not receive any rainfall, its rainfall varies depending on the location of the desert. A good example is the difference in rainfall of deserts in North America and Africa.

Deserts in North America experience a higher amount of rainfall of up to 28 centimeters which is significantly higher that what is experienced in Africa. African deserts receive less than 1.5 centimeters per year. The hot and dry temperatures experienced in deserts make it quite difficult for organisms to survive.

The landscape of deserts is often characterized as having little on precipitation and is often inhabited by hostile plants and animal. The desert biome covers approximately one-fifth of the earth surface and is known for having little or no vegetation.