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#desert

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

ECOSYSTEM TYPES

Which ecosystem receives

Deserts are commonly defined by chronic water limitation, and many receive less than about 250 millimetres of precipitation per year. Low rainfall, often combined with high evaporation, prevents continuous tree cover and limits primary productivity. Desert organisms show water-conserving adaptations: plants may use CAM photosynthesis, reduced leaves, succulent tissues, deep or widespread roots, and rapid life cycles after rain; animals may be nocturnal, burrowing, or produce concentrated urine. Not all deserts are hot. Polar and high-altitude deserts can be cold, demonstrating that aridity rat

Ref: Ecology: Concepts and Applications, Molles, 9th Ed., Ch. 2-3

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Terristial Biomes

What is the average precipitation in deserts?

“Less than 30 cm” for what is the average precipitation in deserts. This relationship follows from the ecological mechanism represented by the terms in the item, not merely from an association between their names. Terrestrial biomes are distinguished primarily by long-term temperature and precipitation regimes, their seasonality, and the vegetation physiognomy those conditions support. Latitude is informative only because it often covaries with climate. The remaining alternatives—“10-20 cm”, “20-30 cm”, “More than 50 cm”—refer to different states, processes, or scales and therefore do not expr

Ref: Campbell Biology, Urry et al., 12th Ed., Ch. 52

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