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The Desert
Most desert regions are always very hot during the
daytime. There are different types of desert. A sandy desert, such as the
Sahara, cannot support plant life. This is because sand is a poor soil. Water
drains through it very quickly and it is easily moved by winds. Plant roots are
unable to take a firm hold in sand. Water is very scarce but where it does occur
the soil is able to support plant lift. These regions are called oases (sing.
oasis).
Some deserts, such as the Sonoran desert in Arizona, are rocky areas with a thin
top soil which is able to support plant life. The plants and animals which are
found in these deserts are adapted to survive drought conditions. Cacti (sing.
cactus) have roots which grow into the ground and radiate outwards over large
distances in search of water. This is why cacti do not grow very close to each
other in the desert; they are competing with each other for water. The cacti
have a large volume inside a thick, spiky skin. They store water in their stems
and the thick skin prevents too much of this water evaporating when the sun is
out. Many desert animals hide in burrows or under rocks during the day and only
come out to feed at night.
Johnny's Fact File No.68
In the Tar Desert in Western India, the annual Rainfall between 1983 and 1988 was 1cm
per year. Wells need to be dug 80m deep to reach the water table. |
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