This document discusses the different types of biomes including hot and dry deserts, semi-arid deserts, and coastal deserts. It provides details on the climate, temperature, soil, rainfall, vegetation, and animals commonly found in each desert type. Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface and occur where annual rainfall is less than 50 cm. They experience daily temperature extremes, low humidity, shallow rocky soils with good drainage, and specialized plants and animals adapted to the harsh conditions.

1. Divine Word College of Calapan
Education Department
Biological Science
Earth and Environmental Sci
World Biomes
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3. • Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's
surface and occur where rainfall is less than
50 cm/year. Although most deserts, such as
the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of
the south-western U.S., Mexico, and
Australia, occur at low latitudes, another
kind of desert, cold deserts, occur in the
basin and range area of Utah and Nevada and
in parts of western Asia.

4. Most deserts have a considerable amount
of specialized vegetation, as well as
specialized vertebrate animals.
Disturbances are common in the form of
occasional fires or cold weather, and
sudden, infrequent, but intense rains that
cause flooding.

5. • There are major types of deserts:
• Hot and dry
• Semiarid
• Coastal

6. HOT AND DRY DESERT
Temperatures exhibit daily extremes because the atmosphere
contains little humidity to block the Sun's rays.
Rainfall is usually very low and/or concentrated in short
bursts between long rainless periods
Soils are course-textured, shallow, rocky or gravely with good
drainage and have no subsurface water. They are coarse
because there is less chemical weathering.
Canopy in most deserts is very rare. Plants are mainly ground-
hugging shrubs and short woody trees.
The animals include small nocturnal (active at night)
carnivores. The dominant animals are burrowers and kangaroo
rats. There are also insects, arachnids, reptiles and birds. The
animals stay inactive in protected hideaways during the hot
day and come out to forage at dusk, dawn or at night, when
the desert is cooler.

7. SEMI ARID DESERT
The summers are moderately long and dry, and like hot
deserts, the winters normally bring low concentrations of
rainfall. Summer temperatures usually average between 21-
27° C. It normally does not go above 38° C and evening
temperatures are cool, at around 10° C.
The soil can range from sandy and fine-textured to loose
rock fragments, gravel or sand.
The spiny nature of many plants in semiarid deserts
provides protection in a hazardous environment. The large
numbers of spines shade the surface enough to significantly
reduce transpiration.
Naturally, many animals find protection in underground
burrows where they are insulated from both heat and
aridity.

8. COASTAL DESERT
 The cool winters of coastal deserts are followed by
moderately long, warm summers.
 The average rainfall measures 8-13 cm in many areas.
 The soil is fine-textured with a moderate salt content. It
is fairly porous with good drainage. Some plants have
extensive root systems close to the surface where they
can take advantage of any rain showers.
 The plants are widely scattered.
 Some animals have specialized adaptations for dealing
with the desert heat and lack of water. Some toads seal
themselves in burrows with gelatinous secretions and
remain inactive for eight or nine months until a heavy
rain occurs. Amphibians that pass through larval stages
have accelerated life cycles, which improves their chances
of reaching maturity before the waters evaporate

9. CLIMATE
 Too Dry
 Disturbances are common in the
form of occasional fires or cold
weather, and sudden, infrequent,
but intense rains that cause
flooding.

10. TEMPERATURE
Hot desert climates feature hot, typically
exceptionally hot, periods of the year. In
many locations featuring a hot desert
climate, maximum temperatures of over
40 °C (104 °F) aren't uncommon in
summer and can even soar to over 45 °C
(113 °F) in the hottest regions.

11. SOIL
 Soils often have abundant
nutrients because they need
only water to become very
productive and have little or no
organic matter.
 Little to no topsoil due to high
winds mineral not deep in soil.

12. RAINFALL
 rainfall is less than 50 cm/year.
VEGETATION
 Most deserts have a considerable
amount of specialized vegetation

13. Animals
Meerkat
(Suricata suricatta)
Texas Horned Lizard
(Phrynosoma cornutum)
Greater Roadrunner
(Geococcyx californianus)
Hyenas
Camels
Western Desert Tarantula

14. Plants
Cactuses
Cactuses Joshua Tree Ocotollio

15. Adaptation
Animal Adaptation
• Get water from food
• Thick outer coat
• Burrow during day
• Large ears
• Small animals less surface area
Plant Adaptation
• Spines
• Succulents
• Thick waxy cuticle
• Shallow broad roots

16. Samples
Sand dunes in Death Valley National
Monument, California.
Sahara Desert, North Africa
Gobi Desert, Mongolia / N.E China Chihuahuan Desert, Mexico

17. The Master Minds:
Braza,John Arbel
Carandan, Archibald
Medrano, Mary Rosalynd
Mendoza, Jhinzen Khallil
Roxas, Anna Marie

18. Medrano, Mary RosalynRoxas, Anna Marie

19. Braza,JohnArbelM.
Carandan,Archibald
Mendoza,JhinzenKhallil