Corinne N Bryant
May 2, 2013
University of Phoenix

The lives of the organisms in the desert require a substantial amount of survival skills. The temperature in a desert biome is always very high and it does not rain very often so it is also extremely dry. Any organisms that live in the desert must be able to adapt to these conditions in order to live. For example, one organism that can be found in the desert is cacti. Cacti roots are closer to the surface than other plants so it is able to drink the rain water. They also have think skins which are a protection from the heat along with the fact that its stems grow upward instead of outward protecting it from the sun (Big Site of Amazing Facts, 2013). The cactus is also an expert
Diagram: The plants in the desert survive off of the sunlight and rainwater. Plants are producers and depend on the sun for their energy. The three major producers in the desert are cacti, yuccas, and creosote bushes. Consumers in the desert are the organisms that depend on plants for their source of energy. The major consumers in the desert are lizards, birds, locusts, kangaroo rats, and beetles. Decomposers of the desert biome are organisms that break down dead animals and plants. The two major decomposers in the desert are bacteria and insects. All of the things in this diagram are biotic, or living, factors in the desert. The abiotic, or non-living, factors in the desert are sand, sunlight, water, air, and temperature. (Information for diagram from Schraer & Stoltze, 1993)

References

Schraer & Stoltze (1993). Ecology. Retrieved from http://www.chs.k12.nf.ca/science/b3201/WebCT-Copy/units/unit1-05.htm
Big Site of Amazing Facts (2013). How does the cactus survive in the desert?. Retrieved from http://www.bigsiteofamazingfacts.com/how-does-the-cactus-survive-in-the-desert
Ling, J (2012). The flow of energy in the desert. Retrieved from http://science4jengling.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/lesson-9-the-flow-of-energy-in-a-desert/
Bailey, E (1999). How plants and animals rely on each other in the desert. Retrieved from