FACT
Did you know that
most of the animals
in the desert can
live without water
for a long time. they
have adapted in
many ways to do
this. For instance,
they can store water
internally, take
water out of their
prey, or peck at
cacti and and suck
out the water stored
inside them.
- Desert Biome
- Location: the Desert Biome is found largely in the Namib Desert along the coast of
Namibia.The transition regions between deserts and grasslands are sometimes called
semi-arid deserts.
- Climate: deserts are dry areas where evaporation usually exceeds precipitation. Rain-
fall is low, less than 25 centimetres per year, and can be highly variable and sea-
sonal.The low humidity results in temperature extremes between day and night. Deserts
can be hot or cold. Hot deserts (e.g. the Namib and Kalahari) are very hot in the
summer and have relatively high temperatures throughout the year and have seasonal
rainfall. This combination of low rainfall and high temperatures keeps the air very dry,
increasing its evaporating power.
- Soil and geography: the soil consists mostly of sand, gravel or rocks.
- Flora: deserts have relatively little vegetation.
- Fauna: many insects and reptiles (lizards and snakes) occur in the desert biome.
Figure 9.13: Kalahari desert in Namibia.
Activity: Understanding biomes
Aim:
Getting to know famous biomes of South Africa
Materials:
Posters, maps, reference books, adverts, brochures, Internet. (Study some advertisements for
ideas).
Instructions:
You work for an Advertising Agency that is bidding for the account of a top travel agency.
The bid includes designing a full page advert (A4) for theGetawayMagazine. Presentation,
appeal and accuracy will therefore be of top priority.
The travel agency has specified that they would like the following to be included in the ad,
which is geared towards people looking for a different and fascinating holiday in aspecific
biome:
Chapter 9. Biospheres to ecosystems 267
