Hot and Dry Deserts

Hey guys! This is day 4 of my travel blog.  Today I learned about limiting factors, which are environmental factors that tend to limit population size.  There are two different kinds of these factors, and they are density-dependent and density-independent.  Density-dependent limiting factors rely or “depend” on the size of a population.  For instance, the larger a population, the bigger impact a density-dependent limiting factor will have.  Two types of desnity-dependent limiting factors include competition and disease. Competition relies on the size and density of a population because it creates conflict over limited recourses.  While exploring the desert this morning, I saw a type of bird species in which I was later informed is called the “Cactus Wren.”  When I later got back to my tent, I researched about the birds on my laptop.  I found information on competition that takes place in this species of bird, and how they rely greatly on the ...

Dear Blog, This is Day 3 of my travel blog.  Today during my journey around the desert I spotted four different sets of species competing against each other for some sort of prize.  It seemed as if these species were competing for resources.  The first competition I noticed was between the desert coyote and the sidewinder rattlesnake species.  Both animals were fighting over food such as the pocket mouse.  They were also fighting over water, since water is very scarce in the desert.  This specific scenario exemplifies interspecific competition, which occurs when members of different species occupy the same niche and have to compete for their needed recourse or materials. Desert Coyote  Sidewinder Rattlesnake eating Pocket Mouse  Desert Pocket Mouse  The second species competition was the red tail hawk verses the diamondback rattlesnake.  Both animals fight to the death for food in order to survive. This ...

Today during my travels I saw a camel.  This popular desert animal can go for days without food and water, and it does this by storing fat in its hump.  Another cool fact that I find interesting is that the camels can close their nostrils to keep out the constant blowing sand.  Another useful adaptation is that the camels have two rows of eyelashes, which helps them shield their eyes from the sun and blowing winds.  I also noticed how broad the hooves were of the camel that I saw, and when I later researched I learned that they are this way to prevent the camel from sinking in the sand. Cool, right? Camel in the Desert Biome  My travel guide also pointed out to me an animal called “The Gila Monster.”  This creature is one of only two venomous lizards in the world.  They spend most of their life underground.  Similar to the camel, the lizard can go months between meals by living off the fat stored in its tail. The Gila Monster  O...

Today is my first day in the desert. I’m spending my trip in the dry and hot desert, but the desert biome also includes semi-arid deserts, coastal deserts, and cold deserts. The environment is very harsh and arid because the desert does not receive a lot of precipitation throughout the year. Usually, the desert received about 50 centimeters of rain per year! I’ve been in the desert since last night and it’s been rough. There is little moisture in the air so the heat from the high temperatures of the day is not held. Last night the temperature plummeted to almost 32 degrees! Deserts are actually cold at night which was not a pleasant surprise for me. The lack of moisture also causes the extreme heat during the day because the sun’s rays are not blocked and go straight into the ground. It’s currently summer so the temperatures during the day are about 86-114 degrees! During the winter months, temperatures range from about 50-64 degrees. There is also little precipitation during the winte...