A biome mainly referred to an ecosystem where places share similar climates. It comprises all plants, animals, and other organisms, as well as the physical environment in a specific area. A biome is distinguished by its atmosphere, and area. Biome mainly consists of tundra, forest, desert, grassland, and aquatic. A desert is one of the five main biomes on Earth. The main geographic features of the deserts are only sand or rocks. deserts are very hot with less humidity. It remains hot during the daytime and becomes cold during the nighttime. Vegetation is very rare and does not grow tall because of less rain. It is mostly found in the tropics of cancer and Capricorn.
The climate of deserts is quite different from other biomes formed by high-pressure zones in which cold air becomes warm. The average amount of rainfall every year is less than 1 inch. The temperature depends on their location like cold climate is found in temperate zones because mountains block the rain from the western side. For example, the Patagonian Desert in Argentina and the dry part of the Great Basin Desert whereas hot climates in the desert are found in tropical zones in the lower middle latitudes. The climate in Tropical zones is usually hot and sunny. For example, the Sahara Desert of Africa, and the Sonoran Desert of South America. The Arctic Desert is also extremely cold. In winter, the temperature falls up to -500 Celsius whereas, in summer, the temperature rises up to 100 C. climate of the deserts affects living organisms in a number of ways.
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A Desert might seem like a place where plants don’t exist. But there are thousands of plants that are grown in deserts like ocotillo, Encelia Farinosa, and Saguaro Cactus. Ocotillo is able to bear desert temperatures. The roots of Ocotillo are used to slow bleeding and over fresh wounds. It is also used to get rid of coughing, hurting limbs, and urinary infections. Encelia Farinosa stays protected from the heat and cold in the desert because of its hair. It can be used to treat toothache, alleviate chest pain, and as glue. The saguaro cactus also grows in deserts. When it rains, its trunk expands to hold water. Not only plants but there are also some animals that have the ability to survive there.
Because of the hot climate, only small animals like chameleons, nocturnal, tortoises, dromedaries, etc. are found. Nocturnal are also found in deserts as they hide in their burrows during the day and come out during the night time. Tortoises hibernate during summer to avoid heat. Tortoises are also used by humans for medicinal purposes like treating all types of plain, swelling, and pimples. The Namaqua chameleon digs burrows in the sand to make its home in the desert. It uses its long, sticky tongue to nab insects and scorpions and excrete salt from nasal glands to preserve water. Dromedaries are one-humped camels. They can travel 100 miles without water and handle temperatures of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Dromedaries have been very useful to humans for their wool, milk, meat, leather, and dung to make fuel. Although they have the ability to survive in the desert, they are not quite safe. there are some threats in the desert that need to be prevented.
One of the major threats to deserts is global warming. It led to a rise in temperature which affects the animals and plants living there. Human activities, such as driving also threaten the desert. When a vehicle ran over the soil, the soil gets disturbed and takes longer to recover which also vegetation and plants living there. Some animals like feral cats prey on plants and other organisms living in the desert. Currently, a lot of action is being taken to protect deserts like a chicken wire has been built to protect organisms from the animals living in the desert. Vehicles are banned in the areas where plants and animals live underground. In deserts, soils have started to absorb much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to prevent global vehicles.
In conclusion, a desert is basically a wasteland. It is one of the driest and most arid places in the world. However, despite harsh conditions in the desert, a diversity of species is found in the desert. The desert biome is being affected by a number of human activities and there are many things being done to protect the deserts of the world. It is very important to protect deserts. It is very important to protect deserts as it is home to millions of organisms and covers one-fifth part of the world. Humans also rely on the resources we get from desert plants and animals.
Bibliography
- Sciencing. (2019). Why Are Deserts Important?. [online] Available at: https://sciencing.com/why-are-deserts-important-12322785.html
- Animals, P. (2019). Protecting Desert Animals. [online] BTN. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/btn/classroom/protecting-desert-animals/10522828
- Knoji. (2019). Turtle and Tortoise Medicinal Facts. [online] Available at: https://herbalremedies.knoji.com/turtle-and-tortoise-medicinal-facts/
- The Independent. (2019). Desert life is threatened by climate change and human exploitation. [online] Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/desert-life-threatened-by-climate-change-and-human-exploitation-481116.html
- Nationalgeographic.com. (2019). Desert Information and Facts. [online] Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/deserts/
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