1. Desert

2. Birds- Roadrunner, Ostrich, Vulture Reptiles- Sidewinder Rattlesnake, Texas Banded Gecko, Texas Horned Lizard Arthropods- Arizona Bark Scorpion, Black Widow Spider (western) Mammals- Kangaroo, Meerkat, Pronghorn, Black- Tailed Jackrabbit, and Many other Foxes And Rabbits.

3. A desert is defined simply by the amount of rainfall that falls in an area in conjunction with the amount of evaporation. In essence, its any area that receives on average less than 10 inches of rainfall per year, and where the yearly evaporation is more than 10 inches of rain a year.

4. Deserts are found around the globe, generally around a belt of 30 degrees north and south latitude where global wind patterns carry down dry air from the upper atmosphere.

5. Arid climates are those which average less than 10 inches of precipitation a year. Potential evaporation exceeds precipitation in the annual water budget. Furthermore, rainfall is highly localized and relatively unpredictable in terms of when it will occur, although usually there are seasons of highest probability for precipitation. Annual variation in total precipitation may also be great. Temperatures are also variable. They may exceed 100° F on summer afternoons, but dip by 20-30 degrees or more at night. Winters are cool to cold: "hot deserts" rarely experience frost; "cold deserts" may have prolonged periods of below freezing temperatures and snowfall.

6. Deserts are hot primarily because of the lack of water. When the sun shines on the ground, all of the absorbed sunlight goes into raising the ground's temperature. If there was moisture in the soil, much of this heat would go into evaporation of some of the water, pumping water vapor in the air, and keeping the soil cooler that it would otherwise be. This cooling is from the "latent" heat of evaporation that is required to change liquid water into water vapor.

7. Deserts are cold at night: Because of the lack of water in the ground, and little water vapor in the air, most deserts can get quite cool at night. Dry ground does not retain as much heat as moist ground, and water vapor is the most important greenhouse gas, so dry air allows the surface to cool rapidly at night through loss of infrared radiation to outer space. It has been estimated that the Sahara Desert actually loses more infrared radiation than it gains solar radiation from the sun.

8. Human Destruction!

9.  Many plants can only live in the desert because they are designed to hold in water for long periods of time.  Great example is the cactus.  Hollow on the inside to hold water.

10.  More plants than people would think.  Highly adapted to the dry heat.  Great importance to the animals, providing most of the food and water.

11.  Not as many animals as other biomes.  More plants than people usually think.  Few mammals, more reptiles and birds.

12.  1. Name 3 animals that live in the desert biome.  2. Where are deserts found around the world?  3. What are 3 characteristics of a desert?  4. What’s the average amount of rainfall for deserts around the globe?  5. Why are deserts cold at night?

13.  www.bing.com www.bing.com  www.google.com www.google.com  www.newton.k12.ma.us www.newton.k12.ma.us  www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm www.blueplanetbiomes.org/desert.htm