Desert fungi

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-fungi

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 habitat?Biological soil crusts in arid regions
2. What is the primary adaptations?Melanin for UV and thermal protection; high desiccation tolerance; low nutritional requirements
3. What are desert fungi and where do they live?Desert fungi are tiny organisms that grow in hot, dry deserts, especially inside the biological soil crusts made of microbes, cyanobacteria, algae, and lichens.
4. How do desert fungi protect themselves from the sun?Many desert fungi have a dark pigment called melanin that shields them from harmful UV rays and heat, keeping their cells safe.

Extremophiles: Organisms that thrive in physically or geochemically extreme conditions detrimental to most life.
Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs): Living surface layers of soil composed of cyanobacteria, algae, fungi, lichens, and bacteria, crucial for arid ecosystem function.
Desiccation Tolerance: The ability of an organism to survive extreme dehydration and then resume metabolic activity.
Oligotrophic: Describes environments, like desert soils, that are very low in essential nutrients.