The desert biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each year.
Description. Desert biomes are the driest of all the biomes. In fact, the most important characteristic of a desert is that it receives very little rainfall. Most deserts receive less than 300 mm a year compared to rainforests, which receive over 2,000 mm. Desert Biome Fauna. There is very limited types of plant and animal life that are able to live in the desert biome. Those that do live in the desert biome have learned to adapt to the temperatures. They have also learned to survive with very little water and very little food. The desert biome is a dry, terrestrial biome. It consists of habitats that receive very little rainfall each year, generally less than 50 centimeters. The desert biome covers about one-fifth of the Earth's surface and includes regions at a variety of latitudes and elevations. Desert Biome Facts. The desert biome is an ecosystem that forms due to the low level of rainfall it receives each year. Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth. There are four major types of desert in this biome-hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold. They are all able to inhabit plant and animal life that are able to survive there. LOCATION: Although few animals and plants are adapted to the extremely dry desert life, the desert is a vital biome. The desert is important because it covers about a fifth of the earth's surface! There are both hot and cold deserts. Although most deserts, such as the Sahara of North Africa and the deserts of the southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Australia, occur at low latitudes, another kind of desert, cold deserts, occur in the basin and range area of Utah and Nevada and in parts of western Asia. The desert biome is one that is very hot and dry. They are found at the lower latitudes, between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Light winds occur often which evaporates any type of moisture that is typically going to develop in them.
http://www.earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Experiments/Biome/biodesert.php http://www.bioexpedition.com/desert-biome/ http://animals.about.com/od/habitat-facts/fl/desert-biome.htm http://www.softschools.com/facts/biomes/desert_biome_facts/167/ http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/desert.html http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/deserts.php http://www.bioexpedition.com/desert-biome/
what is a desert biome