All material in this program is the exclusive property of the
copyright holder. Copying, transmitting, or reproducing in
any form or by any means without prior written permission
from the copyright holder or its distributor is prohibited by
Federal Law (Title 17, U.S. Code Sections 501 and 506).
©1994 John Maio
LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM
Viewing Time: 19:30
INTRODUCTION
The desert is identified as a region of scant, uneven rainfall, persistent winds, and
high daytime temperatures, which combine to create a high evaporation rate. This
area, known to have little water, is home to a multitude of plant and animal life. This
community of plants and animals, along with their interaction with each other and
with the nonliving materials of their environment, is recognized as a desert ecosystem.
It is acknowledged that desert plants and animals have evolved specific adaptations
which allow them to be better suited for life in the severe desert environment. This
video focuses on the plants, animals, and environment of the four major desert regions of
North America.
This video program is designed to provide intermediate grade students (5-8) with the
study of a desert ecosystem. Live-action video and printed student activities have
been prepared to help students better understand the adaptations, survival skills, and
interconnectedness of desert life.
The suggested lesson plans for the video lesson are created for the thematic approach to
learning. The curricular areas included in these lessons are Spelling, Art, Science, and
Social Science. It is highly recommended that your students each have their own
portfolios for Life in the Desert System, which will contain the activity sheets, their
own writings, and other information they find interesting or important.
The video introduces the various topics pertaining to the desert ecosystem in the
following sequence:
• The Desert Biome: Desert biomes are characterized by having sparse plant cover,
persistent dry winds, and scant or uneven rainfall, usually less than ten inches per
year.
• Deserts of North America: North American deserts are the result of the rain shadow
effect. Desert regions are often identified by the distribution of plant species. The four
major desert regions of North America are the Great Basin Desert, The Mojave
Desert, The Sonoran Desert, and the Chihuahuan Desert.
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• Desert Habitat: A habitat is basically a home for a plant or animal. Sand dunes,
oases, and rocky slopes are identified as desert habitats.
• Plant and Animal Adaptation: Over long periods of time, desert life forms have
acquired specific adaptations or traits which allow them to be better suited or adapted to
live in the harsh desert environment.
• The Desert Ecosystem: In the desert ecosystem, the many life forms rely on each
other as well as their environment to survive.
•The Interaction of Humans with the Desert: As development, urbanization, and
farming have increased in desert areas, many problems for native species,
particularly the desert tortoise, have occurred.
PROGRAM GOALS
The materials in this program were developed to achieve the following goals...
• To show the multitude of life found within the desert biomes of North America.
• To acquaint students with the desert ecosystem, the interactions of desert plants and
animals, and the physical environment of the desert.
• To show the complex adaptions developed by the plants and animals which enable
them to survive the harsh conditions of the desert.
Specific student objectives are given under Suggested Instructional Procedures.
SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Teacher Preparation
It is suggested that you preview the video and review this guide and the
accompanying Blackline Masters before involving your students in the lesson
activities. In this way, you will become familiar with the materials and be better
prepared to adapt the program to the needs of your class.
Select and duplicate the masters you intend to use. They are described on page 6 of
this guide.
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It is also suggested that the video presentation take place before the entire class and under
your direction. The lesson activities grow out of the context of the video; therefore,
the presentation should be a common experience for all students.
Note: At the end of this video presentation, there is a three-minute video instructional
quiz for you to use in one of several ways:
The quiz may be taken immediately following the video or at a later date after the
students have participated in other related activities. This quiz can be used in several
ways:
• Before viewing the video, distribute Blackline Master 10, "Video Quiz/1 to the
students with instructions to read the questions first to become familiar with the
content. The students will then be watching and listening for the correct answers.
• Have the students reply verbally as the questions appear on the video quiz.
• Have the students number a blank sheet of paper and mark their answers to the
questions from the video quiz at the end of the viewing.
• Have the students answer the questions on Blackline Master 10, as they view the
questions on the video.
• At a later time, use the interactive video quiz as a review.
The Interactive Video Instructional Quiz is not intended to be used for evaluation
purposes. A lesson quiz is provided.
As you review the intructional program outlined in this Teacher's Guide, you may find it
necessary to make some changes, deletions, or additions to fit the specific needs of your
students. We encourage you to do so, for only by tailoring this program to your students
will they obtain the instructional benefits afforded by the materials.
Student Preparation
Materials Needed for Blackline Master Activities:
• Pen and pencil
• File folder for portfolio
• Blackline Master 4: scissors
• Blackline Master 5: knife, eye dropper, water, measuring cup, blue food coloring, one
carrot, one large radish, a section of jicama and a section of turnip
• Blackline Masters 5 and 7: 2 sheets of card stock quality paper, 3 yards of extra
strong thread, hole puncher, 1 jumbo paper clip, scissors, black felt tip pen, colored
pencils or crayons
Student Objectives
After viewing the video and participating in the lesson activities, the students should be
able to . . .
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1. Define and describe a desert biome.
2. Identify the four major desert regions of North America.
3. Describe the different adaptations of desert plants and animals.
4. Spell and use the vocabulary words introduced in this unit in an appropriate context.
5. Discuss and give examples of the interdependence of living things in a desert.
6. Identify one of the effects of human interaction in the desert.
Introducing the Video
Before presenting the video, we suggest the following ...
1. Introduce or review with the students any vocabulary terms they may need to know that
would enhance their understanding of the information presented in the video Life in the
Desert System. See Blackline Master l,"Vocabulary List" for a list of words presented in
the video. You may choose to distribute the Vocabulary List at this time. The list is also
provided below:
Vocabulary
The following words are used in the video . They can also be found on Blackline
Master 1.
adaptation: The process whereby individuals, populations, or species change in
structure, form, or function making it better to survive under given environmental
conditions.
biome: An area or life zone where several communities with the same major life forms
share similar factors, such as geography and climate, and cover a large area of land.
coloring: Appearance as to color.
conservation: The act to preserve from loss, decay, waste, or injury.
desert: Biome of arid regions where rainfall is less than 10 inches per year as well as the
yearly evaporation exceeds ten inches; sparse, widely spaced vegetation.
dummy: An imitation or copy of something. dune:
A hill or ridge of wind-deposited sand.
i4
ecologist: A person who studies the relationships between living things in their
natural environment.
ecosystem: A community of plants and animals interacting with each other as well as
with the nonliving materials of its environment.
endangered: Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or significant
portions of its range.
environment: The aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences.
evaporation: The process to turn to vapor.
extinct: Having come to an end; without a living representative.
groundwater: Water in the zone of saturation.
habitat: The kind of place where a given plant or animal naturally lives or grows.
organism: Living thing.
pollination: Process by which pollen reaches the female gametes or sex cells.
predator: An animal that preys on another organism.
species: Includes any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct
population segment of any species or vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds
when mature.
urbanization:
Characteristic of cities; citified.
2. Have the students share with the class their opinions or knowledge of the desert.
3. Explain to the students that they are about to watch a video that will present an
explanation of the the desert ecosystem, its habitats and the life that is able to survive
in the desert biome.
4. Show the video, LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM. The viewing time is 16 minutes.
After the credits, a three-minute video quiz is presented. To help students who are visual
learners, Blackline Master 10, "Video Quiz/' provides the same questions as the video
quiz.
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FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
Follow-Up Discussion
It is recommended that you involve the students in a brief discussion after viewing the
video and before involving them in the Follow-Up Activities. Some suggested discussion
questions are ...
1. What is a biome?
2. Describe a desert biome.
3. Explain the rain shadow effect.
4. Name the four desert regions of North America.
5. Give an example of a desert habitat. Which plant or animal lives there?
6. Give an example of some of the plant or animal adaptations presented in the video.
7. Define ecosystem.
8. Give an example of some of the interacting activities that plants and animals rely on
for their survival.
9. How is the desert tortoise in danger of becoming extinct?
Blackline Master Activities
Included in this video program are eleven blackline masters for xerography
duplication. They consist of a variety of activities, including in-class worksheets, takehome activities, a crossword puzzle, information sheets, a video quiz, and one lesson
quiz.
These blackline masters are provided as follow-up activities for the video program.
They will help you determine focal points for class discussions based on the objectives for
the lesson. The activity sheets have a three-fold purpose:
• To reinforce information presented in the video.
• To provide and opportunity for the students to apply what they have learned from the
video.
• To be used as diagnostic tools for assessing areas in which individual students need help.
• Blackline Master 1, "Vocabulary List/1 will help students become familiar with
some of the terms used in the video presentation.
• Distribute Blackline Master 2, "Deserts of America." By themselves or in groups,
students unscramble the names of states and deserts and label the map accordingly.
6
•Distribute Blackline Master 3, "I'm Being Followed By A Rain Shadow." Have the
students read the essay on "The Rain Shadow Desert." After the students have circled all
the bold faced words from this short compostion in the word search, and with the
remaining letters, have them discover the hidden sentence about the kangaroo rat.
Some students may need help in spacing the words in order to assemble the sentence
correctly.
•Distribute Blackline Master 4, "Mutualism." Students can memorize mutualistic
relationships of some of the common desert plants and animals. Next, they are to try to
test their memory by cutting the cards apart, mixing them, and then correctly
rematching them.
•Distribute Blackline Master 5, "An Absorbing Activity." Students may individually or
in groups perform this experiment in testing different roots' abilities to absorb water.
Patience and the ability to slowly drop the water onto the root is required for accuracy
in this activity. Encourage students to share their data with the class.
•Distribute Blackline Masters 6 and 7, "Desert Mobile." Students cut out desert
pictures and string them together to form a kinetic sculpture known as a mobile.
Tracing may require students to place their pictures against windows available to light.
Make sure these pictures are carefully spaced apart on the mobile, so as to allow each
piece to move freely. This is shown from the example on Blackline Master 6. Display the
artwork in the classroom or office area of your school. Students may also write short
stories about their mobile.
•Randomly group students into teams of four or five students. Make sure no best friends or
worst enemies are in the same group. Next distribute Blackline Master 8, "Planning A
Trip Through The Desert." You or a student reads aloud the situation stated at the top
of the sheet. Make sure each team understands that the whole group must work together
and unanimously choose the 18 items to be taken on the trip. Set a time limit on the
activity according to your class's needs. Help each group in their decision-making by
encouraging good listening skills and cooperative attitudes. Learning how to reach
consensus is necessary in this activity. When the time limit is reached, tell the students
the answers found in the Answer Key of this guide. Review with the students the safety
precautions when traveling through the desert as well as the importance of cooperation.
End the lesson with the idea that we are better able to survive most situations if we
agree to work together.
•Distribute Blackline Master 9, "Strategies For Survival Crossword Puzzle." This
activity requires the students to use and spell the words that refer to adaptation which
were introduced and used in the video LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM. You may need
to provide the students with the opportunity to review parts of the video
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that discuss the different adaptations exhibited by the plants and animals of the desert.
Also you may need to provide the students with a word list (See Answer Key, page 12).
•Distribute Blackline Master 10, "Video Instructional Quiz." This activity can be used
as a study guide, or a review, either orally or written.
• After the video lessons and activities have been completed, distribute Blackline
Master 11, "Lesson Quiz." This can be used as a final review quiz or as a homework
assignment.
Projects
The following are suggestions for projects you may want to do with your class.
1. In a glass herbarium put together a desert habitat. Layer the soil with small stones
and sand. Plant succulents and/or cacti bought from a store or brought from home.
Check your local nursery for the best kind of soil and watering needs for your plants.
Arrange pretty stones and interestingly shaped wood in the herbarium. Lizards or
snakes from the pet store may enjoy your habitat. Make sure this kind of herbarium is
large enough for your animal to move freely and to hide easily. Also, have a lamp
directed over the habitat to keep it warm. Carefully place a thermometer in the corner of
the herbarium to help prevent overheating. Encourage students to read books that may
inform them of the plants and animals you have in the herbarium.
It is important to understand that many plants and animals have been removed from the
deserts and new laws have been mandated to protect the remaining life. It is best to
never take the desert plants and animals from their natural home. And due to some
diseases exposed to desert tortoises in captivity, these tortoises may never be returned to
the wild. Report any vandalism, harassment of animals, or collecting to the local Bureau
of Land Management office or the Department of Fish and Game. For more information
call 1-800-446-6743.
2. Visit museums that exhibit desert information and/or live plants and animals. Also,
find out about any special workshops, tours or hikes to the desert provided by these
museums or by colleges located near or in the desert.
3. If possible, take a field trip to the desert. Make sure you follow the safety suggestions
from the Answer Key on Blackline Master 8, "Planning A Trip Through The Desert." To
ensure a permanent record of your experiences in the desert, use pencils or pens with
waterproof ink and pads or notebooks with waterproof paper. Have the
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The secret sentence: A KANGAROO RAT IS ONE DESERT ANIMAL THAT CAN
MANUFACTURE WATER IN THE BODY FROM DRIED SEEDS.
Blackline Master 4, "Mutualism"
Use this blackline master to check the rematched cards.
Blackline Master 5, "An Absorbing Activity"
Answers will vary.
Blackline Master 8, "Planning a Trip Through the Desert"
Following is information taken from the De Anza Rescue Unit, Inc., El Centre,
California, and the California Desert District.
Knowledge of the area, weather, your route, and the limitations of you and your
equipment, plus a little common sense, can insure a safe and enjoyable trip. The
following is suggested for day trips:
1. Proper clothing: long-sleeved, light-colored shirt, long trousers, good walking
shoes, hat, and sunglasses
2. Suntan lotion
3. Food and emergency rations
4. Plenty of water
5. Maps and a compass
6. Survival kit
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7. First Aid Kit
8. Waterproof matches or disposable butane lighter
9. Vehicle tools and spare parts for the dune buggy
10. Signal flares
Following are items presented to inform you of some of the more common dangers
which exist in the desert.
1. Plan your trip carefully. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to
return. Stay with your planned itinerary, should you have trouble and need assistance
you will be much easier to locate. A call for assistance should not be delayed if you do not
arrive home at the time you specified.
2. Carry plenty of water, preferably good tasting cool water. Have five gallons per
person per 24 hours (3-1/2 gallons for drinking, 1-1/2 for emergencies). It is better to
carry some water out than to run short.
3. Make sure your vehicle is in good running order and carry the necessary equipment,
spare parts, and know how to keep your vehicle operating properly.
4. The only method the human body has to stay cool when the temperature is above 90
degrees Fahrenheit is to perspire. This takes water from the body which must
immediately be replaced. This loss of body water is called dehydration. Some of the
mental effects of dehydration include irritability, depression, confusion, and
disorientation. When the water lost equals 6 to 10 percent of normal body weight,
physical collapse and death may occur. Light-colored, long-sleeved shirts, long
trousers, hat, and shoes slow down the dehydration rate.
5. The only way to keep from becoming dehydrated is to drink a sufficient amount of
water. Water is the best defense against dehydration. Liquids containing caffeine are not
recommended as they are diuretics and will increase water loss in urine. Do not rely on
thirst to determine how much to drink. In hot weather thirst does not keep pace with
the body's need for water, so you should drink a lot more than you feel like drinking.
Even if you find yourself in a survival situation, do not conserve water. It is the water in
your body that prevents dehydration, not the water in your canteen.
6. Should you become lost, it is generally better to stay with your vehicle. In
virtually all searches, the victims' abandoned vehicle is found long before they are.
Conserve perspiration, not your water. Increase your chances of being found by making
your location known to the searchers through the use of signalling devices. These
could be road flares, smoke signals, flashes from a signal mirror, or distress signals
laid on the ground.
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Blackline Master 11, "Lesson Quiz"
1. A biome is an area or life zone where several communities with the same major life
forms share similar factors, such as geography and climate, and cover a large area of land.
2. Scant or uneven rainfall, persistant dry winds, and sparse plant cover.
3. Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Great Basin.
4. A shallow root system that spreads out over a wide area and captures large
amounts of water during rainstorms and flash floods.
5. An interacting community of living plants and animals and non-living materials.
6. Coloring helps the bighorn sheep blend in with the desert, thus camouflaging it from its
enemies.
7. The pads of the prickly pear cactus.
8. No longer existing.
9. Desert tortoise.
10. The cactus wren uses the branches of the cholla cactus to build its nest, plus several
dummy nests. By eating harmful insects on this plant, the wren helps the cholla to
survive. The wren may also break off stems from the plant when nest building, and these
stems may eventually become new cacti plants.
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Script of Video Narration LIFE
IN THE DESERT SYSTEM
Vast and unforgiving, the desert appears to be a barren, almost lifeless, world.
The desert is a realm where daytime temperatures can reach a scorching 130 degrees
Fahrenheit, and then drop as much as 50 degrees later that night.
Persistent winds and long droughts all add to the desert's savage environment. With
these extremes, it seems a mystery how anything can survive here.
Yet, hidden within the heart of most deserts, lives numerous life forms, surviving, many
even thriving in these communities of life know as the desert.
THE DESERT BIOME
A desert community is a naturally occurring group of life forms or organisms living in
the desert area.
A desert community might include organisms like the coyote, a barrel cactus, or even the
endangered desert pupfish.
When several communities with the same major life forms share similar factors, such as
geography and climate, and cover a large area of land, they are usually referred to as
biomes.
Forests, grasslands, and deserts are all examples of different biomes or life zones.
Desert biomes are characterized by having sparse plant cover, persistent dry winds and
scant or uneven rainfall—usually less the ten inches per year.
Some deserts may go years without having a single drop of rainfall. And when it does
rain, water evaporates quickly, leaving a dry, arid landscape.
DESERTS OF NORTH AMERICA
North American deserts are a result of what geologists call a rain shadow.
When moist air from the Pacific ocean rises over mountains of the western United States,
it cools off, releasing most of its moisture in the form of rain and snow on the western side
of the mountains.
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The wind that finally arrives in the desert is very dry, or arid, containing almost no
moisture at all.
Within the United States, there are basically four desert regions. In California, parts of
Nevada and Arizona, exists the desert area known as the Mojave.
Often referred to as the "High Desert," most of the Mojave exists at elevations between
2000 and 5000 feet above sea level.
Certain plants, like these Joshua trees, are native to the Mojave desert and do not occur
naturally anywhere else in the world.
To the southeast of the Mojave Desert exists the Sonoran Desert.
One of the most diverse of all four desert regions, it contains the largest variety of
different plant and animal species.
Here we see the classic western landscapes, sometimes filled with the saguaro cacti and
majestic sunsets.
Animals like the javelina and the Gila woodpecker are found here.
Further south into the states of Texas and New Mexico and continuing mostly in the
country of Mexico, exists the Chihuahuan Desert.
Some plants and animals you might find here include roadrunners, and soaptree yuccas.
To the north lies the largest of the North American desert regions, the Great Basin
Desert. It extends well into seven states and is dominated by sage brushes and grasses. This
desert is considered a cold desert because one-half of all the moisture it receives, falls in
the form of snow.
DESERT HABITATS
A habitat is basically a home for a plant or animal.
Livable habitats offer plants and animals everything they need to survive—space,
protection, food, a place to reproduce or nest, and a useable water supply.
A sandune, an oasis, or even an area in and around a rocky slope are all habitats.
Some animals, like the desert pupfish, are limited to a very specific habitat.
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They are only found in the springs or streams of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.
Other animals, like the coyote, and plants, like this rabbit brush, can survive in more
than one kind of habitat.
They are not only found in all four North American deserts, but also in other biomes
like forests and woodlands.
PLANT AND ANIMAL ADAPTATION
Over long periods of time, desert life forms have acquired specific adaptations, or
traits, which allow them to be better suited, or adapted, to live in their environment.
Over 70% of all desert animals are burrowing animals. Special adaptations, like
flattened body, short powerful legs, and sharp claws all enable this badger to dig quickly
and easily. Badgers burrow to create resting areas, hide from enemies, and raise their
young. They also dig to hunt other animals who live in the ground.
By burrowing just a few feet below the surface of the hot desert, life forms, like this
ground squirrel, can also escape the heat of the desert sun.
Another important desert adaptation is the ability to survive with little or no water
during long periods of drought.
In the Sonoran Desert, plants, like the saguaro cactus, have their own adaptations for
dealing with limited water supplies.
This fully-grown saguaro cactus towers at an average height of forty feet. It's shallow
root system extends down only a short distance, yet spreads outward almost fifty feet in
all directions.
Shallow root systems which spread out over a wide area can capture large amounts of
water during rainstorms or flash floods.
In fact, this saguaro can soak in up to two hundred gallons of water during one
rainstorm...that's enough water to last it for a full year.
Saguaros and many other cacti, like this barrel cactus, can also store large amounts of
water indefinitely, and in this way survive during years of drought.
Adaptations, like these spines on cacti, can protect the plant from being eaten, and also
help the plant conserve moisture by reflecting sunlight, which keeps the surface of the
plant cool.
15
Plants, like this mesquite, have a different adaptation for obtaining water. They have
narrow, deep roots which can penetrate up to one hundred feet down into the desert soil
to tap ground water sources.
Kangaroo rats almost seem to defy nature. They get all the water they need from the
food they eat. Their bodies are so well adapted at conserving and recycling moisture,
they can survive without ever drinking a drop of water.
This javelina can survive for up to six days without drinking any water. When free
water is scarce, they can get all the moisture they need from eating the pads of the
prickly pear cactus. They have the ability to eat the pads, spines and all, then pass it
through their digestive system without harming themselves.
Some plants, like this creosote bush, have highly specialized adaptations.
The creosote actually secretes a poison called terpine oil, which makes it difficult for
most other plants to germinate, or sprout, next to them, thus eliminating competition for
water from nearby plants.
Life in the desert sand dunes can be extremely treacherous. Violent winds and shifting
sands can cause a plant to be buried in a short time.
Plants, like this soaptree yucca which live in the edge of the dunes, have the ability to
grow up to a foot a year—a critical adaptation for surviving rising dunes.
Special coloring is also another important adaptation which some plants and animals
possess.
One example is this bighorn sheep, who blends in with his desert habitat. This
camouflaging helps him to hide from his enemies, like the mountain lion.
THE DESERT ECOSYSTEM
An interacting community of living plants and animals and non-living materials, is
known as an ecosystem.
In the desert ecosystem, the many life forms rely on each other as well as their
environment to survive.
One example of how plants and animals interact is this cactus wren and this cholla
cactus. This cactus wren uses the branches of the cactus to build its nest. Cactus wren
16
We've seen a few examples of how the life forms in the desert deal with a harsh
environment.
_
Special adaptations, interactions with each other, as well as their environment, and a
continued struggle for survival are all part of life in the desert system.
The video quiz follows the credits. The quiz can be found on Blackline Master 10.
Answers are on page 12.
Video Quiz
A. Fill in the blanks.
1. A desert community is a naturally occurring group of _______living in the
desert community.
2. Within the United States, there are basically _______desert regions.
3. The Great Basin Desert is considered a cold desert because one-half of all the
moisture it receives falls in the form of ______.
4. A habitat is basically a plant or animal's ______.
5. Over long periods of time, desert life forms have acquired specific _______
which allow them to be better suited, or adapted, to live in their environment.
6. Over 70% of all desert animals are _________ __________.
7. The creosote actually secretes a poison which makes it difficult for other plants to
germinate close by. This special adaptation helps the creosote eliminate competition
from other plants for _______.
8. An interacting community of living plants and animals and non-living materials is
known as an _______.
B. Answer "T for true and "F" for false statements.
9. __Adaptions like a flattened body, short powerful legs, and sharp claws all
enable badgers to dig quickly and easily.
10. __Loss of habitat from development of cities and farms, cattle grazing, off-highway
vehicles, increased predators, and even people collecting tortoises for pets have all
contributed to the increasing numbers of desert tortoises.
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1
Name_____________________
LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM
Vocabulary List
adaptation: The process whereby individuals, populations, or species change in structure,
form, or function making it better to survive under given environmental conditions.
biome: An area or life zone where several communities with the same major life forms share
similar factors, such as geography and climate, and cover a large area of land.
coloring: Appearance as to color.
conservation: The act to preserve from loss, decay, waste, or injury.
desert: Biome of arid regions where rainfall is less than 10 inches per year as well as the
yearly evaporation exceeds ten inches; sparse, widely spaced vegetation.
dummy: An imitation or copy of something.
dune: A hill or ridge of wind-deposited sand.
ecologist: A person who studies the relationships between living things in their natural
environment.
ecosystem: A community of plants and animals interacting with each other as well as with the
nonliving materials of its environment.
endangered: Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or significant
portions of its range.
environment: The aggregate of surrounding things, conditions, or influences.
evaporation: The process to turn to vapor.
extinct: Having come to an end; without a living representative.
groundwater: Water in the zone of saturation.
habitat: The kind of place where a given plant or animal naturally lives or grows.
organism: Living thing.
pollination: Process by which pollen reaches the female gametes or sex cells.
predator: An animal that preys on another organism.
species: Includes any subspecies of fish or wildlife or plants, and any distinct population
segment of any species or vertebrate fish or wildlife which interbreeds when mature.
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Name_____________
LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM
Video Quiz
A. Directions: Fill in the blanks.
1.
A desert community is a naturally occurring group of_______ living in the desert
area
2.
Within the United States there are basically ___desert regions.
j
-..
i_j
3.
The Great Basin Desert is considered a cold desert because one-half of
all the moisture it receives, falls in the form of _________.
4.
A habitat is basically a plant or animal's _______.
5.
Over long periods of time, desert life forms have aquired specific ___________
which allow them to be better suited, or adapted, to live in their environment.
6.
Over 70% of all desert animals are________ ________.
7.
The creosote actually secretes a poison which makes it difficult for other plants to
germinate close by. This special adaptation helps the creosote eliminate
competition from other plants for_______.
8.
An interacting community of living plants and animals and non-living
materials is known as an __________.
B. Directions: Write True or False for each sentence below.
9.
___Adaptations like a flattened body, short powerful legs, and sharp claws all
enable badgers to dig quickly and easily.
10.
___ Loss of habitat from development of cities and farms, cattle grazing, offhighway vehicles, increased predators, and even people collecting tortoises for pets
have all contributed to the increasing numbers of desert tortoises.
11
Name_______________
LIFE IN THE DESERT SYSTEM
Lesson Quiz
1.
What is a biome?
2.
Name two characteristics of a desert biome.
3.
Name three of the four desert regions of the U.S.
4.
What adaptation helps the saguaro cactus survive in the desert?
5.
What is an ecosystem?
6.
How does coloring help the bighorn sheep?
7.
The javelina can survive for up to six days without water by eating
what?
8.
What does extinct mean?
9.
What native species is in danger of becoming extinct?
10.
Describe the interdependence of the cactus wren and the cholla cactus.