WILDLIFE

How Do Animals Survive the Desert?

Fortunately, most desert animals have changed through the years both behavioral and physiological ways to solve the heat and water problems the desert environment creates.
This is some of the desert wildlife starting with the biotic factors:

Biotic Factors

Abiotic Factors

Climate
The Mojave's Desert climate is characterized by extreme differences in daily temperatures and an average annual rainfall of less than 5 inches. Almost all the rainfall arrives in winter. Freezing temperatures occur in the winter, while summers are hot, dry and windy.

Soil
The Mojave Desert is rich in Borax and Gypsum.
The Mojave is covered by sand .Gravel and sand basins drain to central salt flats from which borax, potash. and salt are extracted. Silver, tungsten, gold and iron deposits are worked.

Water
In the Mojave summer rains are rare. When the rains come in the winter time, water holes and streams are formed. Usually a little more rain is caught by the tall mountains than by the slopes and flats of the desert valleys. It quickly collects in the canyons and rushes down the steeply graded washes. As it reaches a canyon mouth it splits out into different directions, and if the rain is moderate the water pours onto the flats below as a thin sheet flood. As the waters start drying up in the summer small water animals such as tadpoles burrow into the mud and live there until the next rains.

Relationships

In order to survive, animals depend on other animals, water, and plants. An example is the coyote needs small animals to eat to survive. Small animals like the rabbit need plants to survive. Plants such as the Desert Dandelion need insects to pollinate and water to survive.

Food Web

Energy Pyramid