Desert Biome Research Paper

Due to the scarce rain and very dry weather, deserts have unique vegetation patterns. Depending on the type of desert and the geographical location, common desert plants include cacti, sagebrush, creosote bushes, shrubs, and short grasses. Agricultural plants are rare, because they are only found where rivers and streams take place, which is very uncommon in most deserts. The vegetation has adapted to survive in the desert biome by using several distinct features to prevent water loss, attacks from predators, and the harsh weather conditions. Many plants found in the desert are succulents, meaning that they have thick, large stems to hold and contain water. They also have leaves with a waxy coating that helps to keep water in. Since the desert contains a lot of browsing animals hungry for food, desert vegetation, such as shrubs, are equipped with sharp spear-like spikes that provide defense against prowling predators lurking for the plant’s juicy flesh.
Aside from dangerous defense mechanisms, a lot of these plants are known to have a very undesirable taste to other animals. The desert is a very harsh place for plants and animals species to grow. Therefore, plants’ roots spread very far in the dry soil to gather and retain as much water as possible. When the weather is too dry and the plants are about to die, seeds are dropped in hopes that new vegetation will grow before the soil develops into its dry state again. Desert plants can miraculously survive, even when water is only thirty percent of their mass. This is twenty to forty-five percent lower than the average plant needs to survive. This goes to show the adaptations needed for a variety of vegetation to not only survive, but thrive, in these brutal