DESERT ECOSYSTEM

CONTENTS

▪ What are deserts ?

▪ Types of deserts and its examples.
▪ Desert Habitats.
▪ Characteristics of desert ecosystem.
▪ Importance of desert ecosystem.
INTRODUCTION

▪ Deserts are barren areas of land characterised by

extremely high or low temperatures, with low
rainfall and scarce or no vegetation.
▪ Deserts are examples of terrestrial ecosystems,
which are found throughout the world. Neither
all deserts are flat, nor do all deserts have cacti or
oases. These are regions with a short rainy
season. It is scorching in the daytime, and very
cold at night in the desert.
Types of deserts

Deserts are arid regions with especially

low or high temperatures and limited
vegetation. Based on the climate
condition, deserts are classified into two
types – hot deserts and cold deserts.
• The hot and dry desert – Sahara
▪ The Sahara is known as the world’s
largest desert, covering over 8.54
million square kilometres. It is the
largest, and the hottest desert in the
world.
▪ Sahara desert is located in tropical
regions, which are 1,000 m above sea
level. It covers a huge part of North
Africa, and eleven other countries –
Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Mali, Chad,
Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan,
Mauritania, Libya and Morocco.
▪ The climate in this region is extremely hot, sizzling, and dry,
and often receives small quantities of precipitation throughout
the year.
▪ In this hot desert, the days are scorching. During the day,
temperatures will rise as high as 45° C to 50° C, heating the
bare rocks and the sand. The nights can be extremely cold,
with temperatures going below 0° C, sometimes.
The cold and dry desert of Ladakh

▪ Ladakh is famously known as the cold

desert of India. It is found in the high
altitudes of the temperate regions,
which lie in the Great Himalayas
within the eastern parts of Jammu
and Kashmir and located in the
western Himalayas region, within
Himachal Pradesh in North India.
▪ Due to its high altitude, the climate
remains extremely cold and dry. The
day temperatures in summer are just
above 0° C and the night
temperatures go below –30° C.
▪ The Gangotri glacier along with several other glaciers
are found here, along with different rivers flowing
through Ladakh. Among the rivers, Indus is the most
important river that flows through Ladakh.
▪ In Ladakh, there are very few, tiny patches of grasses
and shrubs for animals to graze on. Many poplars,
groves of willows and shrubs of the genus Salix are
seen in the valleys.
Desert habitats
▪ The most determining feature of this terrestrial ecosystem is the amount
of precipitation it receives, which is the least compared to other
ecosystems.
▪ A desert is an arid or bone-dry region of the landscape where there is little
precipitation, hence living conditions are unfavourable for both flora and
fauna. This ecosystem can exist from the Arctic to the tropics. Not all
deserts are hot – some are often windy, while some contain rocks and
others have sand dunes. Flora is a very rare but highly adaptive animal
species and insects are found here.
▪ The soils of the Sahara desert are low in organic matter and are often
biologically inactive. The vegetation in the desert’s ecosystem is
generally sparse with scattered concentrations of grasses, cacti, date
palms and acacia.
 Adaptation of plants

Because of the extreme dryness and freezing cold in Ladakh, the

vegetation is sparse. During the summer season, beans, turnips,
potatoes, peas are sometimes cultivated. Fruit trees such
as date, palm ,apricots, and walnuts bloom in hot desert .
Adaptation of animals

Camels, foxes, jackals, owls, hyenas, wild goats and sheep,

vultures, scorpions, ostriches, yaks, hawks, and desert reptiles
including varieties of snakes and lizards, are the prominent
animal species (fauna) of this terrestrial ecosystem.
 Characteristics of desert ecosystem
▪ Less Rainfall or Precipitation
▪ Less precipitation is a significant desert feature and the reason behind its dryness. Deserts receive
seasonal rainfall that occurs for a small duration (just around 25 to 30 centimeters ).
▪ Aridity
▪ Aridity implies a deficiency of dry moisture. As it experiences less rainfall, it results in aridity
▪ Wind Velocity
▪ Wind velocity is high in this ecosystem. That’s why deserts experience dust storms or sandstorms
of higher intensity, forming sand dunes.
▪ Extreme temperature
▪ This type of ecosystem experiences extreme hot or cold temperatures during night and day! The
days happen to be hot, while nights are extremely cold.
▪ Humidity
▪ Its humidity level is low in the daytime, while it turns out to be high during the nights.
▪ Population Density
▪ Population density happens to be low in the deserts. And there’s a dearth of food and water, plus
the climatic conditions are harsh which is certainly not preferable for living.
▪ Scarcity of water
▪ As it receives negligible rainfall, there’s a scarcity of water. This shortage of water makes deserts
experience drought for more than six months!
▪ Biodiversity
▪ Surviving in a desert ecosystem is challenging. But in spite of this face, deserts house different
animals and plants. They have adapted the survival skills to live in such extreme and harsh
conditions of a desert.
▪ Soil Quality
▪ Deserts are rocky, dry, sandy, and thin. Thus, it experiences low growth in vegetation. The soil is
grey in colour that does not have any organic contents such as phosphorus and nitrogen.
OASIS

In ecology, an oasis is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert

environment that sustains plant life and provides habitat for
animals. Surface water may be present, or water may only be
accessible from wells or underground channels created by
humans
Food chain
Importance of desert ecosystem
▪ Functions of Desert Ecosystem
▪ It serves as a habitat to multiple species of animals and plants and. These animals and
plants have adapted, and they survive in extreme environments.
▪ It acts as the carbon sink.
▪ That means the bacteria in sands help in storing CO2 or carbon dioxide in order to prevent it
from getting into the atmosphere.
▪ The ecosystem is a huge source of natural gas, oil, and minerals and.
▪ Desert ecosystem contributes to the production of salt.
▪ It’s a perfect ecosystem for preserving the historical belongings of Mother Nature. So,
deserts have huge significance in archaeological discoveries.
▪ They have unusual landscapes & oases. People get attracted to its scenic beauty due to its
natural formation. Thus, deserts have become a tourist’s favourite location.
▪ Desert sands act as the carbon sink. Scientists found that bacteria that are living in Africa’s
Kalahari Desert helps store the carbon dioxide and CO2 from the air.
Conclusion
▪ Hence ,deserts provide many benefits that can meet the demands
of both the local inhabitants and other surrounding communities.
These benefits include water, food supply, medicine and raw
materials.
 THANK YOU

▪ Presentation by -
▪ Tanisha ,Vishal, Mahesh, Ankit Roy