After the most favourable season, these plants will either die or they will turn dormant until the next season, and their seeds wait around in the soil until the preferred season occurs once again.
However, the down side to this adaptation is that dry seasons in many deserts, including the Mojave Desert, have begun to extend due to climate change, and precipitation becomes scarcer during this time.
Primary producers are the start of all food chains, making them the first trophic level on the pyramid of energy, are always plants.
Primary consumers are the species directly above the primary producers, and they eat the plants, in the Mojave Desert most primary consumers are insects, small mammals and small rodents.
The third trophic level are the secondary consumers, since they eat the primary consumers. Most of these species are larger reptiles, mammals, or larger insects, such as scorpions. The top consumers, also called the top carnivore, are at the tip of the pyramid, as they eat the secondary consumer, in this example the red tailed hawk is used.
A symbiotic relationship is any relationship between two different organisms, and can either benefit both of them mutualism , benefit only one of them while the other remains non affected communalism , or a relationship where one benefits but the other organism is harmed parasitism. An example of a mutualism symbiotic relationship that exists in the Mojave Desert, and in fact only in the Mojave Desert is the relationship between the Joshua Tree and the Yucca Moth.
During the time that the Joshua Tree flowers coincides when the Yucca moth lays its eggs. This creates a system where the Joshua Tree will always have an insect that can help pollinate it, and the Moth always has a place to lay her eggs. As the eggs hatch, the larva will also eat the seeds, which the tree allows since in the future they will serve to pollinate it again.
In order to prevent from too many seeds being eaten, the Joshua Tree has learned the ability to shut down ovaries that lead to certain seeds, in case too many eggs have been laid in one spot.
However, during this process of co-evolution, the Joshua Tree and the Yucca moth of the Mojave Desert have become dependent on each other, as the Joshua Tree is now unable to be pollinated by any other insect besides the moth, as bees are not attracted to the plant, and the moth cannot lay its eggs anywhere besides the tree.
This codependency means that either both species will live and evolve with each other, or both species will end up dying, should anything affect one or the other. The Mojave Desert is full of many unique and interesting plant species, all of which have adapted in some way in form in order to live and thrive in this intense desert climate. While doing this project I found all the ways that plants have managed to survive very interesting to read about, and, since I actually really love cacti, I was pretty excited to learn about what other plants exist in the deserts as well.
While many desert plants are able to withstand high temperatures and little water, every species has its limit, and climate change is making many plants reach it. Many organisms rely on the desert existing in order to live, and species living in the Mojave Desert are no exception. Such a beauty, unique and diverse biome should be around for many years to come, and unfortunately, unless we work towards slowing down climate change, lowering our greenhouse gas emissions, and trying to find a way to helo protect our deserts, then this biome will not be the beautiful and diverse place that it is today.
Digital image. Maya Moon. Wikimedia Foundation, n. United States. National Park Service. Department of the Interior, n. A member of the sunflower family, the Mojave-aster Xylorhiza tortifolia boasts a delicate lavender flower in the harsh desert environment. Also known as the Mojave Woodyaster, the plant commonly reaches about 30 inches in height.
The green-grey colored stems hold a solitary flower which is about two inches in diameter. Annuals in the desert can go through their life cycle—growth, flowering, and seed production—in a matter of weeks. For example, winter rains will generally spur such plants as the Mojave aster or the desert paintbrush to begin growing in the spring.
Exactly when annuals begin to grow and flower depends on the rainfall, temperature, light, and elevation. Plants that grow at higher elevations tend to bloom later in the season. Although annuals produce seeds quickly, the seeds may not germinate begin to grow for a year or even more.
The seeds will begin the growth process only when the temperature and the amount of rainfall are just right. The seeds of the paloverde tree Cercidium also need just the right combination of conditions to germinate. The very hard seed of this tree must be cracked open for the tree to germinate. This may happen during a rainstorm, when rushing water and debris strike the seed.
Botanists believe that the seeds of some desert plants may not germinate immediately because of a seedling-inhibiting substance that some mature plants produce. Such a substance would prevent young plants from growing near the mature plant, and therefore would eliminate a potential competitor for precious water. In the desert's harsh environment, plants and animals often depend on each other for survival. Many plants rely on animals to pollinate them and to disperse their seed. The plants, in turn, offer the animals food, shelter from the sunlight, and protection.
Around the world, humans have been able to adapt to desert living. Nomadic tribes, for example, survive in the deserts by traveling from oasis to oasis for water. Such is the case in certain African, Asian, and Australian deserts.
Irrigation systems and, in the case of modern cities in the desert, air-conditioning and other technologies have made the desert livable for people accustomed to temperate climes. The changes that humans bring to the desert can cause problems, however. If irrigation is not implemented correctly, salt and alkali from the surface water and groundwater can render the soil sterile and unable to grow plant life.
On semidesert lands that are cleared in order to plant crops, the exposed soil is likely to erode. Desert plants are threatened by overgrazing livestock. People may carelessly trample or drive over desert plants, or they may cut the vegetation for use as fuel or to sell to gardeners and others eager to raise exotic plants.
All these actions threaten to make existing deserts and semidesert lands less able to support plant and animal life, a process called, ironically, desertification.
Generally, as desertification spreads through an area, the groundwater tables decrease, the topsoil and water become more saline salty , surface waters, such as streams and lakes , dry up; soil erosion increases; native plants disappear; and biological diversity—the wide array of plants and animals that an area such as a desert can sustain—is lost.
Around the globe, desertification is a major problem, particularly in Africa. An estimated 10 billion acres 4 billion hectares , or approximately one-third of the world's land surface, are impacted by desertification, directly affecting more than million people. The combination of high temperatures and lack of water make the desert environment one that is easily disturbed. Careful planning may be able to save these unique ecosystems, but for now the future seems uncertain.
Pine, Devera. Grolier Online, Ask a Librarian Ask Another Question. Answer We have sent an article from one of our wonderful Science databases. Desert Plants Deserts around the world are home to a wide variety of plants , all adapted to living in the harsh conditions of a hot, arid ecosystem. Desert Criteria Two characteristics define deserts : a lack of water and extreme temperatures.
The Green Desert?
0コメント