Type of Terrestrial Ecosystems – Desert Ecosystem

The ecosystem is a space where the living and nonliving components of the environment live and co-exist together. Hence, it is a structural and functional unit within the biosphere where abiotic and biotic factors interact through the food chain, food web, and chemical cycles. Desert ecosystem is one of the major ecosystem types and is marked by low rainfall, less than 25 cm of annual rainfall. The desert vegetation is mostly succulents adapted to hot, humid and arid desert conditions. The desert ecosystem is marked by extremely dry, arid, and hot humid weather conditions.  

Characteristics of the Desert Ecosystem

• Desert habitats are found in less than 25cm of annual rainfall. Deserts cover a large portion of land, accounting for about 17% of the total land area. Flora and fauna are underdeveloped due to high temperatures, intense light, and a lack of water
• The climate of deserts is modified by latitude and altitude (Height). Deserts are hot near the equator and tropics and cold at high altitudes and larger distances from the equator
• Temperatures of hot deserts can go beyond 40°C along with humidity, dry and aridness. The Sahara, Arabia, and Gobi desert complex stretch from Africa to Central Asia have extremely erratic and negligible rainfall. They also depict low humidity levels due to excessive evaporation
• The absence of downpour in the mid scope is regularly because of stable high-pressure zones. While deserts in calm areas frequently lie in downpour shadows, that is, the place where high mountains close off dampness from the oceans
• Various deserts are found at high heights, cold temperatures and precipitation are scant because the air loses its dampness as it rises. Cold deserts happen in Tibet, Bolivia, Arctic and Ladakh locales of the Himalayas

Adaptations of the Flora and Fauna in Desert 

Flora and fauna are adapted to the climatic condition of the desert. The most popular desert plants are sharp-leafed, prickly plants and succulents. Shoppers are ordinarily bugs, reptiles, birds, camels and are adjusted to the xeric conditions.

The desert plants like succulents, prickly pear cactus, yucca, golden barrel cactus, brittlebush, creosote bush etc., have to deal with extreme heat and aridity. Following are the adaptations their plants use to conserve water:

• They are mostly shrubs
• The leaf size is reduced or absent
• The leaves and stems of plants are succulent and capable of storing water, and the stems of some plants also contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis
• The root system is well-developed and spread out over a wide area
• Annuals germinate, flower, and reproduce only during the brief rainy season, not during the summer or winter. This is an adaptation to desert conditions

The animal species (fauna) like armadillo, coyotes, dingo, gazelles, camels, vipers etc., have adapted to desert environments physiologically and behaviorally.

• They conserve water by excreting concentrated urine
• They are fast runners who prefer to be nocturnal to escape the sun’s heat during the day. Animals and birds with long legs hold their bodies away from the hot earth
• Lizards, for example, horned lizards, desert iguanas etc., are often insectivorous and can go for days without drinking water
• Herbivorous animals get enough water from the seeds which they eat
• The camel is one of the best examples and is used as a desert carrier because it can travel long distances without drinking water for many days
• While mammals are poorly adapted to deserts, several species have developed secondary adaptations. A few nocturnal rodent species can survive in the desert without water

Types of the Desert Ecosystem 

There are different types of desert ecosystems, and the climatic conditions vary depending on the location of the desert. 

• Hot and dry desert ecosystems have dry, arid climatic conditions with very low rainfall. The conditions are quite harsh and are common in the deserts of Central America, North America, South Asia, Africa etc
• The semi-arid ecosystem is hot and dry, with fewer dunes, hard rocks with stable ground. However, the temperature is not very extreme and receives rainfall. An example includes the Great Basin
• The coastal desert ecosystem includes examples like the Atacama Desert or desert-like Namibia. The condition is more hospitable with less flora and fauna, with common winter fogs
• The cold desert ecosystem has abundant rainfall during winters, and the winters are quite cold, even with snowfall. The summers are hot, moist, short and usually covered with snow dunes. It is found in Greenland, Antarctica etc

Conclusion

The desert ecosystem has extreme climatic conditions with intense temperatures. The extremely dry, arid, and humid conditions limit the desert vegetation to only certain species. Several characteristics are unique to deserts, like aridness due to lack of moisture, less rainfall and precipitation, and extreme temperatures day and night. Some deserts are extremely hot, but some are extremely cold. The desert plants are adapted to the conditions to conserve water, and hence most are succulent. The animals in need are adapted to mechanisms to survive in the heat and conserve water.