Desert Biome by Charlie Foss

Biotic Factors

0036622 — 2021-02-18 12:46:02 UTC

Due to the lack of rainfall, desert biomes only have certain types of vegetation like shrubs or herbaceous plants and short woody trees. They are usually small, thick and covered with a thick cuticle. Some reptiles have modified appendages for burrowing or to be able to run on, dive into, swim in or sidewind across loose sand. The birds use rodent burrows to hide from the heat of the day and they have a slower metabolism cutaneous water loss. The mammals have no sweat glands and urine concentration. They also keep fat in humps or tails to reduce heat. One of the most endangered specials of animal in the desert is a desert tortoise because of the illegal pet trade and there is an increase in the number of predators. The main threats to the desert biome are rising global temperature which is drying up already scarce waterholes and starting more wildfires and an increase in dust-storms.

Abiotic Factors

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Physiographic & Economic factors

158273 — 2021-02-18 18:17:03 UTC

The Kalahari occupies almost all of Botswana, the eastern third of Namibia, and northernmost part of Northern Cape province in South Africa. Even though the Kalahari is mostly dessert it is filled with beautiful destinations such as:

Askham, Hotazel, Kathu, Kgalagadi, Kuruman, McCarthys Rest, Mier, wild life game reserve.

It has national parks such as the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Khaudum National Park, West Coast National Park.The Kalahari Desert is a featureless, gently undulating, sand-covered plain, which everywhere is 3,000 feet (900 metres) or more above sea level. Bedrock is exposed only in the low but vertical-walled hills, called kopjes, that rarely but conspicuously rise above the general surface.The sands of the desert are an important and forgotten storehouse of carbon dioxide taken from the world's atmosphere. Sands like those in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana are full of cyanobacteria.

References:

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464319 — 2021-02-21 20:22:38 UTC

Most of the deserts in the South Africa have a altitude of 1000m to 1600m. Climate of South African deserts in the winters are between -2and 4 degrees and in the summer average temperature is between 21 and 26 degrees. min and max temperatures are -3 degrees and 40 degrees. In the desert there is not normally frost but there's a possibility during the night when it hits -3 so there's a possibility. Most experts agree that a desert is an area of that receives no more than 25 centimeters of precipitation a year. The average annual rainfall is around 14.3 inches per year. in the desert people will not get the needed amount per day but they will live but most plants will die very quick because they are not getting the amount they really need. The soil found in a South African desert is Aridisols ( dry soil ). The pH is ( pH 5.5-8.2 ) and a low salinity( < 1mS/cm ).