Biomes - Deserts

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Deserts, in simplest terms, are areas of little rain or rainfall restricted to a short period during the year. Rain is limited because cool air sinks into a warmer region. As air warms its capacity to hold water vapor increases and rain cannot form. The great deserts of the world occur at about 30 degrees latitude on both sides of the equator and extend poleward in the interiors of the continents. These regions are areas of falling, warming air. Deserts can also be produced by the rain shadow effect of mountain ranges. As air masses approach from west to east in North America and meet a mountain range such as the Rockies, the air rises, cools, and loses much of its water vapor as rain or snow. The air falls on the other side of the mountains, warms, and creates a rain shadow on the eastern side of the mountains.

There are four major deserts in North America; the Chihuahuan Desert (Northern-Central Mexico and southwestern Texas), the Sonoran Desert (southern Arizona and northern Mexico), the Mojave Desert (Southern California, Baja California, and western Arizona), and the Great Basin Desert of Utah and Nevada with isolated pieces extending as far north as southern British Columbia.

The deserts of North America are characterized as either "hot desert" or "cold desert". The Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan Deserts are classified as "hot deserts", and the Great Basin Desert as "cold desert".

The plants and animals of the North American deserts are charaterized by their adaptations to low rainfall. It may seem suprising, but the deserts can be areas of great biological diversity.

General Desert.

Plants and Animals.

Conservation.

Desert Societies and Organizations.

GENERAL

Desert Life in the American Southwest. Desert USA. A great site to learn about the life of the deserts of the southwestern United States. Begin by learning about the great deserts of this part of the United States. A then go on to study the plants and animals that live there. Learn about bats and wildflowers for example. There even sections on the people who have lived there over the centuries. Highly recommended.

What's It Like Where You Live: Desert. The Evergreen Project. A great elementary introduction to deserts. Learn about the factors that charactertize and cause deserts and the different kinds of deserts. Find out where the deserts of the world are located and the plants and animals that live in them. Recommended.

The Living Desert Wildlife and Botanical Park. In addition to information about the park, the Living Desert has some information about deserts and the plants and animals that live in them.

Deserts Watch. This conservation organization has a nice introduction to the deserts of North America with information on each of the major North American deserts.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a world famous zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden. This site, in addition to the usual information about the museum, contains articles on life in the desert and a series of frequently asked questions about the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.

Some Like it Hot. Bureau of Land Management. A series of articles on different aspects of the desert including threatened and endangered species, plants, the native people, and regions of the Sonoran Desert.

North American Deserts. National Park Service. A nice introduction to the deserts of North America and the world.

Desert Ecology Resource Page. A series of links to web sites on North American Deserts.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

High Desert Museum. The High Desert Museum in Bend, Oregon has information about its exhibits and photographs and information about some of the animals in their collection.

The Mojave Desert of Southern California. Thomas D. Frank. A map of the plant and animal communities of the Mohave Desert.

Eastern Mojave Vegetation. Tom Schweich. A variety of information about the vegetation of the Mojave Desert.

Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. Information about endangered and threatened species of the southwestern United States.

Desert Fishes Council. The mission of the Desert Fishes Council (DFC) is to preserve the biological integrity of desert aquatic ecosystems and their associated life forms. The group is strongest on fishes of desert springs. You'll find a wealth of information and pictures of the fish found in the western United States and Northern Mexico.

CONSERVATION

Desert Lands Restoration Task Force. A great site if you are interested in the restoration of desert habitats. A number of resources related to desert restoration are here, but probably the best is the "Beginner's Guide to Desert Restoration", a manual on the methods and materials used in restoring deserts to their original state. Recommended.

Arid Lands Newsletter. Office of Arid Lands Studies, University of Arizona. A newsletter containing articles on arid lands (not all of which are technically deserts). Many of these articles are relevant to deserts and the conservation of their biodiversity.

Southwest Center for Biological Diversity. Information about endangered and threatened species of the southwestern United States.