Desert Biome
Desert Plants
The amounts and kinds of plants vary according to where the desert is located. Short grasses can be found in nearly all deserts. Desert plants include sagebrush, creosote bushes and cacti. The saguaro cactus is found only in the Sonoran desert of North America and spinifex is found in the Australian desert.

Plant adaptations
Plants have had to develop different ways of capturing water in order to survive in the dry climate. A common adaptation is to store water in the roots, stems, leaves or fruit . Plants that store water in this way are called succulents, one of which is the cactus. Some plants have developed very long roots that go deep into the ground to reach underground water. Others have developed spreading root systems lying just below the surface and stretching widely. This gives the plant many tiny roots that capture water when it rains.

The Australian mulga tree has a unique way of collecting water. Its tiny leaves grow upward, forming a series of funnels that send rain water along the branches and down the trunk to the ground, where the roots are concentrated close to the base of the tree.

Desert plants limit water loss through their leaf surface by adapting the size, sheen, or texture of their leaves. Small or spiny leaves limit the surface area exposed to the drying heat. Glossy leaves reflect the sun's rays, reducing leaf temperatures and evaporation rates. Waxy leaves prevent moisture from escaping. Some plants only open their leaf pores at night when it is cool and water loss from leaves is low.

Go here to read about the Boab tree
http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/boab_tree.html

Desert Animals
Deserts are home to many reptiles, insects, birds, and small mammals. Few large animals have adapted to desert life because their size makes it difficult to find shelter from the heat and they are not able to store water. Australia's bilby and the kangaroo mice of North America are just a few examples of small mammals that live in the desert.

Animal adaptations
In order to survive, desert animals have developed a number of ways of adapting to the desert. The most common adaptation in behaviour is staying in shade of plants or rocks or by burrowing underground in the heat of the day. Many are nocturnal: they stay inactive during the day and hunt at night when it is cool.

Some animals get all of the moisture they need from the insects, plants and seeds they eat, and do not need to drink water. Most pass little moisture out of their bodies. They do not have sweat glands and pass only small amounts of concentrated urine.

Fat increases body heat, so some desert animals have concentrated the body's fat in one place, such as a hump or tail, rather than having it all through the body.

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Go here to read about the Simpson Desert, Australia

Find out about other biomes:
water .. rainforest .. tundra .. taiga .. deciduous forests ..grassland

If you use any part of this in your work, acknowledge it in your bibliography like this:
Desert Biome (2006). [Online], Available: www.kidcyber.com.au

updated July 2006