Desert

Symbiotic Relationships

• Mutualism: When a bird eats a mistletoe berry, a few seeds stick to their bills, eventually scattering on the ground. This benefits the bird by giving it something to eat and also benefits the plant by dispersing its seeds.

• Commensalism: A cactus wren, a type of bird, assembles its nest inside of a cactus to protect its offspring from predators such as ravens, snakes, and other birds. The cactus is not harmed in the act, while it benefits the wren.

• Parasitism: Fleas drink the blood of kangaroo rats to appease their thirst, benefiting them. On the other hand, the loss of excessive blood can lead to the rat's death.

Competition

Emilio VF and Philipp RK

• The hawk and the fox compete for food such as lizards or snakes. When they spot their targeted prey, the two competitors attempt to scare each other off, in hopes that they will catch the prey for themselves.

Sources

Desert

Energy Pyramid

• "Desert Habitats" Biomes of the Earth: Deserts. Revised Ed. 2006. Print.
• "Desert Homepage." BiomesFirst09. 2014. Web. 22 September 2014.
• "Desert Kit Fox." National Park Service. 4 September 2014.Web. 25 September 2014.
• Feller, Walter. "Insectivores." Digital Desert. Web. 25 September 2014.
• "Fun Desert Facts For Kids" Science Kids. 14 July 2014. Web. 22 September 2014.
• Michelsen Charis. "Solar Energy from the Sahara Desert could Power the World- but will it?" 4 December 2011. Web. 22 September 2014.
• "Mutualism, Commensalism, Parasitism, and Predator/Prey." The Desert Biome. Web. 22 September 2014.
• "What is an Herbivore?" Citadel. Web. 25 September 2014.

To knows:

• Desert: (An arid area of land where rainfall is uncommon)
• Climate: Hot during the day, cold during the night. Less than 10 inches per year, causing little to no vegetation.
• Location: Found mostly in Africa, Asia, and Australia
• Weather patterns: Dust storms, sand storms, dust devils, and whirl winds
• Topography: Dunes
• Roughly one third of the world's surface is covered in deserts

Abiotic Factors? Top Carnivore?

• Abiotic Factors: Rainfall, sunlight, temperature, humidity, moisture, wind, water, and sand

Biotic Factors:

Desert population

Food Web Key

Yellow: Top Carnivore

World Map

BLACK-TAILED JACKRABBIT

KANGAROO RAT

Blue: Secondary Consumers (eats herbivores)

EMPEROR PENGUIN

MOUNTAIN LION

Purple: Primary Consumers (producers)

Yellow: Top Carnivore

Blue: Secondary Consumers

Green: Producers (plants)

Food Web

Green: Producers

Purple: Primary Consumers

Desert Importance

Hawks/Owls

snakes

How is the desert threatened?

Foxes

Thrush bird

(Insectivorous)

Mice

• Deserts provide sand which protects coastal areas from erosion
• Deserts sometimes provide oil, located underneath the ground.
• Without deserts' ecosystems, all ecosystems around the world will be affected, causing many animals to die.
• Desert solar power is an important energy source.
• A physicist named Gerhard Knies stated that the desert absorbed enough solar energy in a week to "power the world" for a whole year.

Toads

Spiders

• Water waste
• Use of deserts for recreational purposes
• Off road bike riding
• Killing wildlife
• Littering

Ground squirrel

Jackrabbit (rabbits)

Secondary Consumer

(Predaceous Insects)

Cactus Wren

(seed eating birds)

Grasshopper

(Herbivorous Insects)

seeds

Plants (shrubs, cacti, grass)