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Deserts
A dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation
5,820 Questions
Why do the major deserts of the world occur around 25 degrees north or south of the equator?
Air in the tropics along the equator rises, carrying with it moisture that then falls in the tropics. The dry air then sinks at about 25 degrees north and south forming deserts.
Would there be trees in a desert plateau?
There can be trees in some desert plateaus, particularly those that rise slowly and retain their elevation for hundreds of kilometres (as in sections of Australia). However, generally a desert plateau contains only sparse, scrubby trees and bushes.
Where is the Kara Kum Desert located on a map of Russia?
The Karakum desert in is Central Asia, it covers about 70 percent of the area in Turkmenistan.
The Kara Kum desert in is Central Asia, it covers about 70 percent of the area in Turkmenistan.
What are all the plants in a desert?
First a definition; a desert is an area where the average evaporation rate is higher than the rate of precipitation (rainfall), this means that you have hot deserts (like the Sahara) and cold deserts (like Antarctica where no plant life exists and the Arctic Desert where limited plant life exists).
Normally people associate cacti with deserts, these are however just one group of desert dwelling plants.
Plants which are found in hot deserts vary, as do the specific environments of specific deserts - Example, plants found in the Sahara Desert are not the same as what you would find in the Australian Outback or in the Arizona Desert. They are on different continents and the indigenous plant species within those regions have adapted to allow them to grow in these regions.
Desert plants are grouped as:
Ephemeral Annuals - They are referred to as drought escaping plants or drought evaders e.g. cassia, Argemone etc.
Succulents - fleshy xerophytes which accumulate large amount of water. Common in desert or dry places and are known as drought avoiding plants e.g. Opuntia, Agave, Euphorbia, Asparagus etc.
Non-Succulents - These plants are true xerophytes and are drought resistant e.g. Capparis, Zyzyphus. A Xerophytic plant is one which lives with very little water, or in an area that has an arid climate.
Other examples of desert dwelling plants include (not specific to any location or desert):
Acacia species (mainly trees and small shrubs)
Agave species (fleshy succulents)
Atriplex species (the Salt bush, small hardy shrub)
Calligonum crinitum
Cornulaca arabica (saltbush)
Cyperus conglomeratus
Dipterygium glaucum
Larrea tridentata
Limeum arabicum
Parkinsonia aculeate (hardy shrub or small tree)
Prosopis cinera (Ghaf, hardy tree)
Prosopis juliflora (Mesquite, hardy tree)
Protoasparagus (hardy groundcover)
Sansevieria (fleshy groundcovers)
Welwitchia mirabillas (hardy slow growing shrub)
Yucca species
Ziziphus (hardy tree)
Zygophyllum mandavillei
Cacti (generic term)
Cereus peruvianus (spiny succulent)
Echinocactus (Barrel Cactus, spiny succulent)
Euphorbia species (spiny succulent)
Opuntia species (spiny succulent)
Palms (generic term)
Chamaerops humilis (hardy palm)
Phoenix dactylifera (Date Palm)
Sabal palmetto (hardy palm)
Washingtonia robusta
How long is sunlight in a hot desert?
The length of day in any desert depends upon its latitude and the season of the year. It has nothing at all to do with the fact that it is a desert. A desert would receive the same amount of daylight as a non desert region at the same latitude.
Where can the desert climates be found?
There are over 2 dozen major desert areas in the world. For a list along with the countries in which they can be found click on this link.
How many deserts are in South America?
The major deserts of North America are:
Great Basin Desert
Chihuahuan Desert
Sonoran Desert (includes the Colorado Desert)
Mojave Desert (includes Death Valley)
Colorado Plateau Desert (includes the Painted Desert)
What are the abiotic factors of a desert?
In any ecosystem, abiotic and biotic factors must always be present. In a desert, the abiotic factors include sunshine, minerals and air.
Are there vultures in the Mojave desert?
Yes. The Mojave is habitat to several species, amongst them the Great Horned Owl and the Western Screech Owl.
What are the names of the deserts in the Netherlands?
German black forest cake or Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte,Rote Grütze which is a red fruit pudding usually made with black and red currants, raspberries, strawberries and cherries. Also black forest Kirsch Torte, and German Lubkuchen.
What is the second largest desert in China?
The bigest desert located in China is the desert called Takelamagan Desert(塔克拉玛干大沙漠）, it's in Xinjiang, China（中国新疆）. The desert was once called "the death sea" by western explorers, and is the second bigest desert in the world. It's as big as half of the desert area in China. 85% of the desert are mocing dunes. It's the second largest desert in the world, and is as big as half of the desert area in China. The Takelamagan Desert was once called as " the death sea" by western exploeres, and 85% of the desert are mocing dunes.
What makes extreme weather in deserts?
Lack of humidity and clouds cause the temperature extremes. Humidity and clouds act as a blanket which prevents an area from heating up as much during the day and cooling down as much when the sun sets.
What are some desert tribes in the Sahara Desert?
Indigenous people are people who belong to somewhere. For example, I'm from London, so I am indigenous to London. Some people called the "Bedouin" tribe and the "Dansannach" tribe are also indigenous people of the Sahara. Hope this answered your question.
How do structures that are unique to plant cells help a cactus survive a harsh deserts climate?
Cacti have thick, waxy cuticles that stop water loss.
yes deserts really were once oceans.I did an experiment, I took some desert sand, sea water, plastic box and a ruler that measures inches and millimeters. I put some inches of sand in the plastic box. Then I put the same amount of water as I put for the sand, I measured it and left it out in the sun to evaporate. I checked it every single week and the amount of the water got lesser and lesser,I kept measuring it with a ruler and after several weeks the water disappeared and the sand dried up. And that is how deserts were oceans in the past.
What do rabbits do in deserts?
Nothing! Jackrabbits are from North America and not found in the Sahara.
How can beach erosion be stopped?
Coastal erosion can be minimised by adding 'groynes' that break up waves and stop them from reaching soft rock. Groynes can be made up of wooden slits in the sand that stop the waves slightly, or by rock walls either on the beach or out in the water. Massive wind breaks can also be constructed to stop the wind wearing the rock away.
What is the average rainfall for the Osoyoos Desert?
Osoyoos has semiarid climate and is not classified as a desert. It receives an average of 279.4 mm (11 inches) of rainfall annually.
Where is the Savannah Desert located?
There is no such thing as the Savanna Desert. The savanna is a semi-arid transitional biome between a desert and another biome such as a grassland. The largest is in Africa below the Sahara Desert.
What are the hot and cold deserts of India?
The Ladakh is a high cold desert in northern India near the Himalayas. The Thar Desert is a hot desert in northwest India on the Pakistani border.
