The Desert
The orange part of this map locates the areas with deserts.
The Sahara Desert is located in the northern part of Africa. The Sahara contains rocky plateaus, gravel covered plains, and shifting sand dunes. The desert has little vegetation.
During the summer the average temperature is between 120 and 130 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter the temperature drops rapidly into the night, causing the sand to develop frost due to the cold temperatures at night. The average rainfall in central Sahara is under one inch per year. The bordering area receives under five inches of rain per year.
Adaptation occurs regularly in the desert. Over evolutionary time cacti adapted to the dry climate. Their roots grew longer and made it easier for the plant to absorb water from deep in the sand. After large rain storms the cactus will absorb the water and flower. The cactus goes through this process once or twice a year.
The camels of the Sahara desert are adapted to their environment. The camel has long eye lashes which protect its eyes from the sand during sandstorms. Their nostrils are muscular so that they have the strength to keep them closed to keep the sand out. They have long necks and long legs because it is easier to give off heat.
Other than the camel and the cactus, other organisms that live in the Sahara Desert include the rattlesnake. Its classification is class Reptilia, order Squamata, suborder Serpentes, family Crotalidae, genus Crotalus . There are many species of rattlesnakes in the Sahara desert. The Camelus dromedarius and the Camelus bactrianus , or the one and two humped camel, and Fonquieria spelenden, or the Octillo. The scientific names for the cacti are Opuntia ficus-indica , the spineless Indian Fig, the Hylocereous undatus, or the Queen of the night, are organisms in Kingdom Plantae.
All over the world animals are in danger. In the desert there are a variety of endangered animals. The Kit Fox lives in the desert but does not act as a fox would. He is easily trapped, sometimes the Kit Fox eats poisonous animals by accident which causes conflicts with its health and usually leads to death. The Gila Monster, a lizard, is poisonous, and people thought they were benefiting other organisms by killing them. Unbeknownst to them, they were actually causing the extinction of the Gila lizard.
In the desert, symbiosis occurs regularly. Insects survive by the characteristics of other plants and animals. For example an insect that is a shade of yellow would blend in well with the vibrant yellow flowers on the many cacti. Other animals blend in with the large cacti which vary in color and texture. This is one aspect of symbiosis in the Sahara desert.
In conclusion, many people think the desert is a vast empty land, however, it is full of life which has adapted to the harshness over the years.
