Hot deserts

Question 1

Climate?

Answer 1

Very little rainfall - less tan 250mm per year

extreme temperatures - 45degrees in day and 5degrees at night

Question 2

soil?

Answer 2

Hardly any leaf fall - so soil isn’t very fertile

lack of rainfall means soil is dry

Question 3

Plants?

Answer 3

Very sparse due to lack of rainfall
cacti can grow
most plants have a very short life cycle, only appearing when it rains

Question 4

Animals?

Answer 4

Consists of: lizards, snakes, insects, scorpions

Question 5

People?

Answer 5

people usually settle where there is a water supply - usually in desert fringes

Question 6

Three examples of plant adaptations?

Answer 6

1. Plant roots are very long to reach deep water
2. Cacti have large fleshy stems for storing water
3. plants have small leaves or spines to reduce transpiration

Question 7

Four examples of animal adaptations?

Answer 7

1. Nocturnal means they can stay cool
2. Lizards and snakes are adapted to withstand high temperatures
3. animals store large amounts of fat which they can convert into water e.g. camels
4. camels also have long eyelashes to protect their eyes from sand

Question 8

Development opportunity in deserts?

Answer 8

Solar energy - e.g. Tunisia is planned to produce enough electricity to meet the needs of 2mil homes by 2018

Question 9

What does desertification mean?

Answer 9

The process by which land becomes drier as a result of climate change or human activities or both