a biome is a major ecological community of organisms adapted

a biome is a major ecological community of organisms adapted to a particular climate or enviromental condition. please include the details of each characteristic about the desert terrestial biome. please be spesific about the details about the temperture and plant and animal life please include all spesifications that define the desert. also cite any refrences used. thank you

Solution

A desert terrestrial biome is an ecosystem that is formed due to the low level of rainfall. About 20% of the earth is covered by deserts. The desert biome ecosystem consists of four types of biomes, namely- hot and dry, semi-arid, cold, and coastal. All the four types inhabit the different kinds of plants and animals which can survive in the available climatic conditions. The temperatures in the desert biome ranges from 38-degree celsius during the day to below 0-degree celsius during the night in the hot deserts while in cold desert temperature ranges from -2 to 4-degree celsius in winters and about 20-25 degree celsius in summers. Most of the hot and dry deserts are found in the in the tropics of cancer and Capricorn. In terms of the wind patterns, most of the desert biomes are located in the southeastern and northwestern trade of wind belts. Due to the direction of winds, these areas receive dry air as the moisture gets removed before it enters the region. Normally the temperature is regulated by the moisture in the air which retains the heat and regulates the temperature. But as the air in the desert biome has less moisture, the heat that is created during the day is not retained during the night. This is because the temperature falls during night.

The desert biomes are a house of a varied number of plants, that includes desert, holly, prickly pears, yuccas, agaves, mesquites, cacti plants, and the brittlebush are the few to name among many others. These plants have adapted themselves to live in the dry and arid climate, and have developed long roots that penetrate deep into the soil to absorb water. The deserts plants are devoid of leaves and have spines instead to retain the moisture content. The hot and dry desert comprises of short woody trees and ground-hugging shrubs. The most interesting plant that has adapted itself in the desert condition is Giant saguaro cactus. it can grow up to 20 feet and live for more than 200 years. these have shallow roots which are able to soak up rain before it evaporates and holds more water.

The desert biome is the house to burrowing animals, that includes rats, rabbits, toads, lizards, kangaroo rats, snakes, and badgers. These animals burrow under the soil to protect themselves from the extreme temperature of the desert and come out in the night to feed themselves i.e they are nocturnal in nature. The desert fauna has a developed feature of csmouflage, which allows to protect themselves from attacks of predators and remain hidden during the hunting. The deserts do not house large animals, as they can\'t protect themselves from the adverse climatic conditions and are not capable of storing sufficient amount of water for the survival.

References used:

http://www.softschools.com/facts/biomes/desert_biome_facts/167/

http://study.com/academy/lesson/desert-biomes-facts-climate-locations.html

http://www.actforlibraries.org/terrestrial-biomes-deserts/