How are the Climate, Flora and Fauna in the Desert?

The desert it's a kind of biome characterized by presenting temperatures extreme and variable, low rainfall and dry soils. There are hot deserts, formed by large areas of sand or rock, and cold deserts, formed by large areas of ice. For example: the Sahara desert in North Africa or the Antarctic desert in Antarctica.

This type of ecosystem occupies a large portion of the earth's surface and is present in all continents. The climate, flora and fauna vary according to the type of desert, although in almost all cases the rainfall does not exceed 250 mm per year and the species of animals and vegetables are adapted to the climate and the characteristics of the terrain. Deserts are places with little or no human settlement.

Desert climate

The desert climate varies according to the type of desert:

Desert flora

The desert flora It is very scarce and dispersed, since there are large areas of the soil covered with sand, rocks or ice (in the case of the cold desert).

Due to extreme conditions and the low rainfall, the plants that grow in the hot desert are xerophytic and have deep roots that allow them to find fertile soil to feed on. In addition, some species have water storage systems that allow them to withstand low rainfall.

In the hot deserts isolated low grasses and shrubs can be found, which vary according to the geographic location of the desert. Some of them are: nopales, succulents, mesquite, water biznagas, tumbleweeds, California poppies, shrubs, deserti agaves, nopales, Jericho roses, hawthorn, Indian molt, goat horns, saltpeter herbs and Cactus.

Many deserts have zones of oasis, which are small places with water and vegetation in which plant species such as palm trees and other shrubs emerge.

In cold deserts there is a sparse flora due to low temperatures and soils lacking nutrients product of the little rainfall. Some species are: the Antarctic grass, the Antarctic pearl, the polar willow, mosses, ferns and lichens.

Desert fauna

The warm desert fauna It is made up of small animals that can take refuge from high temperatures under sand, rocks or earth.

Can be found reptiles like snakes, chameleons, desert tortoises, and lizards; and some little ones mammals such as foxes, gerbils, jackals, coyotes, mice, and desert meerkats. The large mammals that live in the desert are the camel and the dromedary.

In addition, there are insects such as ants, spiders, scorpions and birds such as hawks, vultures, the desert owl, the Sahara ostrich, the desert sparrow, among others.

In the cold desert, the ice-covered surfaces and the lack of food mean that the communities of animals that live do so in the areas close to the coasts. Such is the case with penguins and polar bears, which spend much of their time in the sea.

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