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Many animals obtain energy by eating the surrounding vegetation, however, desert plants are much more difficult for organisms to consume. [10] To avoid intense temperatures, the majority of small desert mammals are nocturnal, living in burrows to avoid the intense desert sun during the daytime.
Many desert animals (and plants) show especially clear evolutionary adaptations for water conservation or heat tolerance and so are often studied in comparative physiology, ecophysiology, and evolutionary physiology. One well-studied example is the specializations of mammalian kidneys shown by desert-inhabiting species. [81]
It is important to account for factors such as the geographical location of the area, amount of annual precipitation, average temperature, soil quality, nutrient availability, native plant and animal life, along with the human impact when aiming to restore a degraded or disrupted desert biome. [9]
The Nama Karoo of Namibia has the world's richest desert fauna. [8] The Chihuahuan desert and Central Mexican matorral are the richest deserts in the Neotropics. [9] The Carnarvon xeric shrublands of Australia are a regional center for endemism. [1] The Sonoran and Baja deserts of Mexico are unusual desert communities dominated by giant ...
The desert oasis city of Jubbah in Saudi Arabia as photographed from space. In ecology, an oasis (/ oʊ ˈ eɪ s ɪ s /; pl.: oases / oʊ ˈ eɪ s iː z /) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment [1] that sustains plant life and provides habitat for animals. Surface water may be present, or water may only be accessible from ...
Increasingly frequent and severe heat waves in the Southwest are damaging some desert plants known for thriving in harsh conditions. Saguaro cacti and agave have both suffered in sweltering ...
The desert contains a variety of unique endemic plants and animals, notably, the saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) and organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi). The Sonoran Desert is clearly distinct from nearby deserts (e.g., the Great Basin , Mojave , and Chihuahuan deserts ) because it provides subtropical warmth in winter and two seasons of ...
The flowering desert involves more than 200 species of flower, [7] most of them endemic to the Atacama region. The different species germinate at different times through the flowering desert period. Some of the most common species include: [8] Garra de león (Bomarea ovallei) Pata de guanaco (Cistanthe grandiflora) Añañuca (Rhodolirium montanum)