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1E1_2012 Group 3 - Desert

Page history last edited by 1E1_2012 Group 3 12 years ago

 

Team members

 

 

Names / Roles:

 

(Leader)

 

 (Wiki Writer)

 

 

  (Researcher)

 

 

 (Researcher)

 

Credits to CoolLogo for the fonts.


 

 

 

 


 

        Overview

 

 

 A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than 400 millimetres (16 in).[1] A common definition distinguishes between true deserts, which receive less than 250 millimetres (10 in) of average annual precipitation, and semideserts or steppes, which receive between 250 millimetres (10 in) and 400 to 500 millimetres (16 to 20 in). It has less plants and there is mustly sand dunes and cactus found. But people do not know what lays deeper in the desert...

 

                              File:Rub al Khali 002.JPG                

 

[Infomation Extracted from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert ]

 

 

 

 

There are different types of deserts in different countries such as: 

      Africa :

 

 

      Asia :

 

     Australia

 

   Europe :

 

     North America :

 

     South America :

 

     Polar Regions :

 

   Oceania :

 

[Extracted from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_deserts ]

 

 


               Physical Factors

 

-Light-

The availability of light in deserts are high. The light which comes from the sun is useful to the plant as they can photosynthesis to make food.

In the night, the availability of light is low and the temperature drops faster as there is no light.

     

 

-Temperature-

 

 

 

 

In the day when the sun is up, the temperature is very high as the heat from the sun is being shine down to Earth and reflects back to outer space.

In the night, the temperature drops very fast to a low temperature. this is because that there is no more sun to give off heat onto Earth and the heat that is trapped in the ground is released to the surroundings.

 

[Picture from Earth Floor : Biomes : Desert : http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/desert.html ]

                

There are two types of deserts : Hot and Dry Deserts and Cold Desert.

 


 

Hot and Dry Deserts temperature ranges from 20 to 25° C.The extreme maximum temperature for Hot Desert ranges from 43.5 to 49° C  Most Hot and Dry Deserts are near the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. The precipitation in Hot and Dry Deserts and the precipitation in Cold Deserts is different. Hot and Dry Deserts usually have very little rainfall or concentrated rainfall in short periods between long rainless periods. This means that there is an average of 15 cm rain a year. Hot and Dry Deserts are warm throughout the fall and spring seasons and very hot during the summer. The winter usually have very little rain if there is any.

 

 

 

A cold desert is a desert that has snow in the winter instead of just dropping a few degrees in temperature like they would in Hot and Dry Deserts. Cold Deserts are found near the Arctic part of the world. Cold Deserts temperature in winter ranges from -2 to 4° C and in the summer 21 to 26° C a year.  Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have rain around spring. This means that it has an average of 15 - 26 cm of rain a year. Cold Deserts have quite a bit of snow during winter. The summer and the beginning of the spring are barely warm enough for a few lichens, grasses and mosses to grow. 

 

[Extracted from Blue Planet Biomes : http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htmhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm ] 

 

 

   -Water-

 

  In the Hot and Dry deserts, there is very little water found there. Hot and Dry Deserts usually have very little rainfall and/or concentrated rainfall in short periods between long rainless periods. This averages out to under 15 cm a year.

 

     Cold Deserts usually have lots of snow. They also have rain around spring. This averages out to 15 - 26 cm a year.

 

   -Air-

    

     The air in Hot and Dry desert is heavy as there is low humidity in the air. As for in Cold deserts, the air is cold because of the temperature of the environment. The quality of air depends on the temperature of the environment.

 

 

 

 


Classification of Living Organisms

 

 

  Producers:

 

Pipe Cactus Organ

 

     This cactus species has several narrow stems that rise vertically, growing from a single short trunk just above the ground level. These stems are about 15 cm thick and grow to a height of 5 m, however it has been known to reach 7 to 8 m.

 

  Popcorn Flower

 

These are small herbaceous plants which bear tiny white or yellow flowers and their fruits are nutlets.

 

Barrel Cactus

 

The plant can be  found in the Southwest Desert of North America. Its skin can be easily removed but it is not suitable for eating. It can also grow a metre in height.

 

 

Fairy Duster

 

The flowers which appear between late winter and late spring, have dense clusters of pale to deep pink stamens and are about 5 cm wide.

The shrub is usually between 20 and 50 cm high and has bipinnate leaves.

 

 

 

     Primary Consumers

 

Pika

 

Pika is a small mammal with short limbs, rounded ears and short tail. It is also known as the "whistling hare" for its high-pitched call when diving into its burrow.

 

 

 

Red-breasted nuthatch

 


It is a small songbird. The adult bird has blue-grey upperparts with cinnamon underparts, a white throat and face with a black stripe through the eyes, a straight grey bill and a black crown. Its call, has been likened to a high-pitched and nasal call.

 

 

Pacific tree frog

 


They live 10,000 feet above sea level in many types of habitats, reproducing in aquatic settings. They are the only frogs that go 'ribbit' They come in shades of greens or browns . They can also change colours over within hours and weeks.

 

 

Mule deer

 


It is a deer originated to western North America, named for its large mule-like ears. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped. Mule deer antlers are bifurcated; in other words, they "fork" as they grow, rather than branching from a single main beam. Each spring, after mating season, a buck's antlers start to regrow almost immediately after the old antlers are shed. Shedding typically takes place in mid February, with variations occurring by locale. Although capable of running, mule deer often prefer to stot, with all four feet coming down together. the height average is 100-110 cm at the shoulders and nose-to-tail length at about 200 cm.

 

 

Douglas's Squirrel

 

 


It is a pine squirrel found in the Pacific coastal states in North America. It is small, lively, bushy-tailed squirrel which is enchanting to watch. Adults are about 33cm in length and weighing between 150 and 300 grams. In the summer, they are most likely grayish or almost greenish brown on their backs and pale orange on the chest and belly, while legs and feet is brown in colour. In the winter, the coat is browner and the underside is grayer; also, the ears appear even tuftier than they do in summer. Like many squirrels, Douglas Squirrels have white eye rings.

 

 

Edith's checkerspot

 

It is a medium sized butterfly with a wing span of slightly 51mm long. It's forewings are marked with black bands along the veins of the wing's upper surface. The pattern contrast sharply with colours bright red, yellow and white spots.

 

 

 

     Secondary Consumers

 

Black-Tailed Jackrabbit

\

It is also known as the American dessert hare. this rabbit can be found 3,000 m above sea level. It is known as the third largest North American hare as a length of 61 cm and weight of 1.4 to 2.7 kg. The young are borne fully furred with eyes open and they are well camouflaged. The average litter size is around four but may be as low as two and as high as seven in warm regions.

 

 

 

Raven

 


They have black plumage and large beaks. They are small-bodied species and they are also known as jackdaws, crows and rook. Most ravens eat some sort of fruit such as dates or berries. Most of them are omnivorous.

 

 

 

 

Ringtail

 


It is a mammal of the raccoon family. It is buff to dark brown in color with white underparts and a flashy black and white striped tail that has 14-16 white and black stripes in total. The eyes are large and purple in colour.  Its length measuring 30-42cm, with its tail measuring 31-44 cm long and weighing 0.8-1.5kg.

 

 

 

Western Whiptail

 


It is a lizard with an average length of 25 to 35cm long and it lives widely in areas of open dry forest, sparse vegetation and woodlands.

 

 

 

Pine marten

 


It is an animal native Northern  Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which includes badgers, otter, wolverine, mink and weasel and it is almost the size of a domestic cat. Its length is 53 cm long, its bushy tail could be 25cm  and an average marten weighs around 1.5 kg. Their fur is usually light to dark brown and it grows longer and silkier in the winter seasons. They have a cream to yellow-coloured bib to mark its throat.

 

 

     

     Tertiary Consumer

 

Coyote

It is also known as  the American jackal. Coyotes usually grows up to 76–86 cm in length, not counting a tail of 30–41 cm, stand about 58–66 cm at the shoulder and, on average, weigh from 6.8–21 kg.

 

 

 

 

Bobcat

 

Its size is twice as large as a domestic cat. It has distinctive black bars on its forelegs and a black-tipped, stubby tail. It also has a gray to brown coat, whiskered face, and black-tufted ears

 

 

Mountain Lion  [Cougar]

 

 

It is known as the second heaviest cat, after the jaguar. They are the fourth largest cats and the adults stand is about 60 to 90 cm tall at the shoulders. Adult males are around 2.4 m long from the nose to tail and females average is around 2.05 m, with overall ranges between 1.5 to 2.75 m , from nose to tail.

 

     Decomposers

 

in Hot and Dry Deserts;

 

Bacteria

 

Bacteria are present in most habitats on Earth such like growing in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste water, and deep in the Earth's crust. There are about 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a millilitre of fresh water. There are approximately five nonillion bacteria on Earth, forming a biomass that exceeds that of all plants and animals

 

 

Milipedes

 

 

 

 

Eartworms

 

 

Beetles

 

 

 

 

in Cold Deserts:

 

Bacteria in the air

 

 

 

Raven

 

 

Mushroom

 

 

It is fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, produced above ground on soil or on its food source. It takes its food from mostly rotting logs and dead animals, and it also breathes through the spore underneath the cap of the mushroom.


Food Web

[In the Desert]

 


 

 

[Extracted from Google Images :   http://www.google.com.sg/imgres?hl=en&biw=1024&bih=636&tbm=isch&tbnid=rS7qNmqd6JrEHM:&imgrefurl=http://biomes743.wikispaces.com/desert1&docid=9dLh76yVicMwaM&imgurl=http://biomes743.wikispaces.com/file/view/Food_web_2.jpg&w=1055&h=770&ei=jSFfT4K5AsL4rQeEkrSkBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=290&sig=104654896164734474981&page=2&tbnh=126&tbnw=173&start=16&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:16&tx=54&ty=83  ]

 


Interrelationship in Ecosystem

 

 

   Predator-prey relationship

      - A Bobcat hunting a ringtail for food.

 

Parasitism

       - 

  - A flea is a parasite on a coyote. The flea benefits by drinking the coyote's blood, but the coyote, by losing blood and acquiring discomfort and potential disease, is harmed.

 

 [Extracted from mojavedesert.net/glossary/parasitism.html ]

 

 

  • Mutualism

 

 

 

   -An owl making its nest on a cactus, and at the same time, it is protecting the plant from being destroyed as it will destroy its home too.

 


Useful Links

Plagiarism is a strongly discouraged.

 

Include the links of all websites you obtained information from to complete your ecology wiki.

For example:

Wild World @ nationalgeographic.com ( http://www.nationalgeographic.com/wildworld/terrestrial.html )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments (5)

1E1_2012 Group 3 said

at 10:12 pm on Mar 13, 2012

Nurhidayah, like this can?

1E1_2012 Group 3 said

at 3:31 pm on Mar 14, 2012

Umm,.. when i check,.. there is no pictures but I have put them up.

Mr Justin Thong said

at 4:17 pm on Mar 14, 2012

Dear group 3,a gentle reminder that deadline is this Friday. Do remember to paraphrase your sentences and not copy and paste wholesale as plagiarism is strongly discouraged. Progressing well so far hence keep it up - Mr. Thong

1E1_2012 Group 3 said

at 10:03 pm on Mar 14, 2012

hidayah, i hav put pictures on the link. after u put again, it has double picture now

1E1_2012 Group 3 said

at 7:05 pm on Mar 15, 2012

All done! I have edited some of it and pictures are upload successfully.

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