HUMAN IMPACT SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
 
Human Activity:​ ​ Off-roading carves tracks into the soil that will
scar the land for many years. This kills vegetation in the desert Mutualism:​ a symbiotic relationship between individuals of different

 
which hurts the animals who rely on it.
species in which both individuals benefit from the association.
Example: Bees pollinate cactus flowers
Owls nest in cacti

Parasitism:​ a form of symbiosis in which one organism (parasite)  

benefits at the expense of another organism of different species.  
Example: fleas benefit from drinking the blood of kangaroo rats;
kangaroo rats do not benefit from this and may die if they lose too much  
blood.  
 
Water Deprivation:​ Irrigation from rivers and wells is the main
source of water for desert plants since there is little water that
 
moves through the desert. In removing fossil water from  
reservoirs, humans deplete the desert water supply. Burning and
overgrazing the land on the desert may irreversibly damage  

DESERT 
plants as well.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Running Pipes:​ Trenching associated with underground  
pipelines for gas, oil, water, etc. makes soil crusts and rock  
surfaces unstable, concentrating erosion and water runoff.  
BIBLIOGRAPHY  
 
 
“Desert.” NASA, NASA,  
earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biodesert.php.  
“Desert Biome.” DESERT BIOME,  
archive.bio.ed.ac.uk/jdeacon/desbiome/biome.htm.
The Desert Biome​.
 
​www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/deserts.php​.  
The Desert Biome(s)​. w3.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/desert.htm. Isabel Sondey 
Smith, Jeremy M.B. “Desert.” ​Encyclopædia Britannica​, AP Biology 
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Apr. 2018,
​www.britannica.com/science/desert/Population-and-community-
April 2018 
 
​development-and-structure​.  

 
 
 

LANDFORMS FLORA LOCATION

Sand Dunes;​ ​Dunes are generally oriented in a direction
parallel to the wind or in a direction in which have been the
result of two or more winds blowing at acute angles to each
other. These sand dunes are mostly found in open deserts and
rest on a base of a sand sheet. Sand dunes are a result of
deposition processes.
Most desert species have developed remarkable ways to survive by
evading drought. Desert succulents, such as cacti or rock plants
(Lithops), survive dry spells by accumulating moisture in their fleshy
tissues. They have an extensive system of shallow roots to capture soil
water only a few hours after it has rained. Additionally, many cacti and
other stem-succulent plants of hot deserts present columnar growth, with
leafless, vertically-erect, green trunks that maximize light interception
during the early and late hours of the day, but avoid the midday sun,
when excessive heat may damage plant tissues.
Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth’s surface and occur
where rainfall is less than 50 cm/year.
Most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the
deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia,
occur at low altitudes. They are typically found away from
the coasts with the exception of those located on the west
coasts of continents, such as the Namib in Africa, or the
Atacama in Chile, which form coastal fog-deserts whose
aridity is the result of cold oceanic currents.

Oasis:​ ​Underground water sometimes rises to the surface,

forming ​spring​s or seeps. A ​fertile​ green area called an ​oasis​,
or ​cienega​, may exist near such a water source. These oases
are supported by some of the world’s largest supplies of
underground water. People, animals, and plants all surround
these oases, which provide stable access to water, food, and
FAUNA
shelter.
Birds and large mammals can escape critical dry spells by migrating along CLIMATE
the desert plains or up into the mountains. Smaller animals cannot migrate
but regulate their environment by seeking out cool or shady places. In The rainfall in desert areas is less than 250 mm (10 inches)
addition to flying to other habitats during the dry season, birds can reduce per year, and some years may experience no rainfall at all.
heat by soaring. Many rodents, invertebrates, and snakes avoid heat by They are found in the subtropical ​climate zone​ where there is
spending the day in caves and burrows searching out food during the night. unbroken sunshine for the whole year. Maximum
Animals active in the day reduce their activities by resting in the shade temperatures of 40 to 45 degrees C are common, although
during the hotter hours. during colder periods of the year, night-time temperatures can
drop to freezing or below.

Rock Pedestals:​ ​Rock pedestals are landforms created by

 
abrasion in which grains cut away the base of rock structures
 
but leaves their tips intact. This is due to wind-borne sand
 
grains following bouncing trajectories that carry sand as high
 
as 1m above the ground.