Desert ecology

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/desert-ecology

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the defining aridity threshold?Less than 250 mm (10 inches) of annual precipitation
2. What is the major desert types?Hot and dry, semi-arid, coastal, and cold deserts
3. What makes a desert a desert?Deserts are places where the weather is very dry. They get less than 250 millimeters (about 10 inches) of rain each year. This low water makes the land very hard for plants and animals to survive.
4. How do desert plants keep water?Desert plants keep water by storing it in thick, juicy parts called succulence. They also have tiny leaves or spines to reduce water loss and deep roots that reach underground water.

Xerophyte: A plant species that has adaptations to survive in an environment with little liquid water.
Estivation: A state of animal dormancy, similar to hibernation, characterized by inactivity and a lowered metabolic rate.
Desertification: The process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.