Hot Desert Ecosystem

We decided on the Hot Desert ecosystem of the Australian Outback due to the sheer diversity of habitats, cultural significance, and species of animals that inhabit this ecosystem. Not to mention the cool factor; deserts are just awesome! Compared to other deserts around the world, the deserts of Australia receive a relatively high amount of rainfall - over 100 mm per year.

The Hot Desert ecosystem tend to be characterized by the following traits:

• Warm seasons throughout the year
• Very little or no rainfall during winter
• Extreme variation in temperature between night and day (from -18°C to 49°C). The reason for this is that heat escapes rapidly during the night due to lack of moisture in the air
• Unpredictable rainfall (intense short bursts, long rainless periods or low rainfall
• Coarse soils with good drainage, with no subsurface water

Animal Adaptations

Animals that live in the harsh desert environment have developed many survival mechanisms that allow them to adapt to the desert climate. Many of these adaptations include the avoidance of heat and the ability to find, conserve, and even create water. Some animals, such as the Australian Feral Camel, store fat in the form of a lump in their bodies, transforming the fat into water when needed. The camel also has large hoofs that are split, allowing it to travel in the desert sand without sinking in too deeply. In contrast, there are some animals that either dig burrows or remain immobile underneath plant shade or rocks to escape and avoid the heat.


Plant Adaptations

Plants are similar to animals in their development of survival mechanisms to adapt to desert climate. The main adaptations are their ability to conserve and store water and the ability to reduce water loss. Most desert plants are low shrubs with thorns, spines, and small leaves. The thorns and spines are not only used to protect the plant from hungry animals, but to also give the plant shade and prevent it from losing water vapor. Moreover, there are numerous plants that have an extensive underground root system that is far away from the trunk in order to maximize the amount of rainfall that is collected.