User:Dantheman552

"DESERT" A desert is a region so arid, because of little rainfall and that it only supports sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all. a desert is also any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil. about one third of the earth surface is cover with deserts.The original meaning of the word desert is an "abandoned place". Areas covered in ice or snow can sometimes be called "cold deserts", compared to "hot deserts" in warmer areas. About 20% of the deserts on Earth are covered in sand, even though we all think that desert are filled up with sand but it is not true. Africa is the second largest continent in the world, it is also home to the largest desert in the world the Sahara. In fact there are three deserts on the continent The Sahara, the Namib and the Kalahari. The Sahara, the largest hot desert in the world, covers 3.3 million square miles and it is located in the northern part of Africa. The Kalahari Desert, located in southern Africa, covers 362,500 square miles. The Namib Desert, the world's oldest desert, is found in the southwestern portion of the continent and covers 100,000 square miles.Savanna, or grasslands, covers 5 million square miles of Africa, or almost half the continent, and is located mainly in central Africa. While many people associate Africa with rain forests, the majority of those areas have been cut and burned to make way for agriculture and development, and they only cover a small percentage of Africa.

                                        "THE SAHARA DESERT"

The Sahara Desert is located in the northern portion of Africa and it covers over 3,500,000 square miles (9,000,000 sq km) or roughly 10% of the continent. It is bounded in the east by the Red Sea and it stretches west to the Atlantic Ocean. To the north, the Sahara Desert's northern boundary is the Mediterranean Sea, while in the south it ends at the Sahel, an area where the desert landscape transforms into a semi-arid tropical savanna. Since the Sahara Desert makes up nearly 10% of the African continent, the Sahara is often cited as the world's largest desert. The Sahara covers parts of several African nations including Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Sudan and Tunisia.There are also several mountain ranges within the Sahara and many are volcanic. The highest peak found in these mountains is Emi Koussi, a shield volcano that rises to 11,204 ft.the Sahara Desert is divided into different geographic zones. The center of the desert is considered hyper-arid and has little or no vegetation, while the northern and southern portions have lile grasslands, dry shrub and sometimes trees in areas with more moisture.

                                                "Food web"

Without the mountain lion, coyote, and bobcat the rabbit, ring tail,western whip-tail and the pine marten population will increase and the pika,red breasted nuthatch,pacific tree frog,and Douglas squirrel will go extinct and soon after they go extinct the 1st and 2nd level will go extinct and the plants will be overpopulated

                                "Major physical characteristics"

The Sahara has a number of physical features,but this are the major types including ergs, regs, hamadas, and oases.

Regs are plains of sand and gravel that make up 70% of the Sahara. The gravel can be black, red, or white. Regs are the remains of prehistoric seabeds and riverbeds, but are now nearly waterless.

Hamadas are areas of flat, raised land that are also known as plateaus. A hamadais a type of desert landscape consisting of largely barren, hard, rocky plateaus, with very little sand. A hamada may sometimes also be called a reg, though this more properly refers to a stony plain rather than a highland.

An oasis is a hub of water in the desert, often in the form of springs, wells, or irrigation systems. About 75 percent of the Sahara’s population lives in oases, which make up only 2,071 square kilometers of the desert’s vast area.

                                            "Abiotic factors"

An abiotic factor is the parts of the ecosystem that are non-living. Abiotic factors play a major role in the environment and the abiotic factors that are specifically in the Sahara Desert are temperature, rainfall, and soil.

                                           "Temperature"

Temperature- in the summer, daytime air temperatures across the Sahara often go up to well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, with the hottest air temperature meteorologists have ever recorded 136 degrees occurred in the northern Sahara, and milder temperatures, across the southern Sahara. Snow may fall occasionally in some of the higher mountain ranges and rarely, on the desert floor. There are two types of climate: dry subtropical and tropical.

The dry subtropical regions up north, the annual daily temperature average 20 degrees celsius and the winters average around 13 degrees celsius. The summers get quite hot, but the temperatures remain consistent throughout the entire year. A common aspect of the Sahara are the breezy winds that carry through in mid-spring, which are nice enough to cool off most hot days. The dry tropical regions down south, the climate is regularly impacted by the continental subtropical air mass and the maritime tropical air mass. The annual daily temperature averages at 17.5 degrees Celsius. The temperature for the cold months are similar to that of the northern regions, but it gets really cold the record for the lowest temperature was at -15 degrees Celsius. The spring and summer months are hot, usually reaching 50 degrees Celsius.

Rainfall- There is basically a very little amount of rain fall. the annual average rainfall equals no more than a few inches or less, much less in many locations. In some areas, no rain at all may fall over several years. Then, several inches may fall in a single downpour. Then, no rain at all may fall for several more years.

                                             "Soil type"

The soils of the Sahara contains minimal organic matter, and experience only slightly different horizons which means that the soil itself does not contain many biological organisms, but it does contain some nitrogen-fixing bacteria.The best thing is that you won't have to put salt on your food in the Sahara, because the soil itself is frequently saline.The margins of the desert have soils that contain a greater organic matter, meaning that there are more mineral nutrients. Because the soil of the desert is loose, instead of together, when rain falls into the soil, it is seeped in very quickly. This sometimes causes the rain to wash away useful nutrients.

                                                   "Biotic factors"

A biotic factor are the parts of the ecosystem that are living. Ecology essentially focuses on how living organisms interact with their environment. Biotic factors are both plants and animals. also it is a living thing, as an animal or plant, that affects an ecosystem.

                                                     " Plants- tree, grasses, cactus,"

Trees- The most common types of trees in the Sahara are the doum palms, olive trees and magaria trees. Date palms provide food for the local population who use them in many drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Date palm are one of the largest exports of the Sahara. Doum palms are used for tea, molasses, cakes and sweetmeats. It does not produce branches and was a sacred tree to the ancient Egyptians, lending it the name "Egyptian Palm." Olive trees grow along the Nile River and olives are another large export for the area. The fruit from magaria trees is small and round like cherries, but brown in color, People use flour extracted from them to make cakes.

Grasses- are widely distributed in the Sahara include species of Aristida, Eragrostis, and Panicum. Aeluropus littoralis and other salt-tolerant grasses are found along the Atlantic coast. Various combinations of ephemerals form important seasonal pastures called acheb. The most common types of grasses are eragrostis, panicum and aristida. Also known as "lovegrass," eragrostis is a fast-growing plant spread throughout the Sahara. Panicum turgidum is a type of grass that survives the desert climate by growing independently rather than in groups like other grasses

Cactus- The most famous desert plant is the cactus. There are many species of cacti. The saguaro cactus is tall, pole shaped. The saguaro can grow up to 40 feet tall. It can hold several tons of water inside its soft tissue. Like all cacti, the saguaro has a thick, waxy layer that protects it from the Sun.

                                                            "Animals"

Fennec Fox- These foxes are nocturnal and are characterized by their very large ears. Not only do the ears help them to hear better in the desert, but they also help them to release body heat, keeping them cool.

Ostrich- They are able to run up to 40 miles an hour, almost as fast as the gazelles. They can travel a long ways, and can also pick up noises and see movement across vast distances, helping them spot and avoid predators

Addax Antelope- they are among the most endangered animals on the planet, with long, elegant horns and flat feet. Sadly they have been hunted to the point where there are only around 500 left. Global warming has also done them no favors. They are however very good at crossing the Sahara sands on their flat feet.

Dorcas Gazelle- his animal is sleek and graceful, usually weighing around 25 kilograms. Many animals in the Sahara desert prey on gazelles, so the Dorcas gazelle has evolved to avoid them on impulse.

Camels- Camels store a large amount of fat in the humps on top of their backs (no, not water—that is a myth). The fat can be burned for energy when the camel is unable to locate any food.

                                                "Population"

From a conservation perspective, the Sahara Desert is not well protected. Yet, this may be due to the low population and impracticality of defining borders over this vast area. Fewer than two million inhabitants reside throughout the entire Sahara Desert.

                                                   "Symbiotic Realtionship"
                                                     "Commensalism"

Commensalism is when only one organism benefits from the interaction, while the other remains unaffected . In this case, the host organism is neither harmed, nor benefited. Like mutualism, even commensalism is grouped into three different types: 1 phoresy (one organism uses the other for transportation), 2 inquilinism (one organism uses the other for housing), 3 metabiosis (one organism creates suitable environment for the other.) The fringe-toed lizard or gopher snake occupying a burrow made by the desert rat. The creosote bush growing under the shade of the holly shrub.

                                                   "Cool Facts"

1. Its not always hot. 2. Home to toughest marathon ever 3. Used to be a farm 4. highest and lowest temperature 5. shrinks and grows depending on climate 6. There have been dinosaur fossils found in the Sahara Desert