Slide 1: How do animals and plants
survive in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona , USA ?
A presentation supplied by
North Chadderton School, Oldham, Lancashire, England
Slide 2: Does a barrel cactus contain
water ?
Yes, the Barrel Cactus does
store water, but it is not free flowing. The water is stored in special tissue.
Jackrabbits and other animals
can survive in very hot conditions by eating this moist pulp.
Slide 3: Some people have been known
to survive by eating this moist pulp. However, certain species of cactus can contain toxins harmful to humans.
In addition, Arizona Native
Plant Law prohibits damaging and destroying barrel cacti and other native plants
Slide 4: The white-winged dove has a plump
body which gives it a high mass-tosurface area ratio, which minimises moisture loss .
The plump body also insulates them
from extremes of temperature. .
Slide 5: The white-winged dove eats dry seeds,
and the fruit provided by cacti.
They can go without water for four or
five days, and fly up to 10 miles to find water.
Slide 6: The white-winged dove survive even if
their body weight is reduced by 20% by dehydration, and they are able to drink salt water.
They are able to rehydrate quickly, and
suck up water like a mammal, unlike most birds.
Slide 7: Rodents can sometimes
kill a Saguaro cactus , by chewing at its moist pulp.
The Red-Tailed Hawk
helps to reduce the rodent population around the cactus, by killing the rodents for food .
Slide 8: During the summer, temperatures can reach o over 110 F.
The jackrabbit is able to
release heat through its long ears and legs.
Slide 9: Following rain showers the Ocotillo
plant grows leaves along its thorny stems.
During a shortage of rain the leaves
turn brown and fall. This conserves water, by reducing evaporation.
Slide 10: The green bark of the Ocotillo take
over the functions of the leaves during heavy periods of drought.
The process of photosynthesis is able
to continue.
Slide 11: The Saguaro provides
home and protection for birds and other small animals.
It provides food for its
neighbours.
It can store large amounts
of water in its fleshy tissue
Slide 12: The Desert Mariposa
unfolds its orange coloured blossoms only in the Spring.
During the rest of the year
the foliage is dead.
It EVADES the action of
the desert heat.
Slide 13: The diet of the Peccary consists of
shrubs, grass, mesquite beans , cacti and various roots and tubers.
They are able to eat cactus, with
the prickly spines ! They also eat nuts and berries.
They are able to extract sufficient
moisture from this diet for several days at a time.
Slide 14: The Peccary chooses its location
carefully, for shelter.
They use twisting courses of desert
washes with the shade provided by the trees.
Living in large cavities provided
by erosion of the banks, also offers suitable hiding places.
Slide 15: The signature plant of the Sonoron
Desert : it does not exist anywhere else in the world
Tall column-shaped cactus with
pleated stems. Can grow to 40' (12m) .
Produces white flowers in Spring. Has a shallow root system, and can
absorb gallons of water during a single rainfall.
Slide 16: The pleats in its trunk allow for
expansion, so that it can hold tons of water , to last through the periods of low rainfall .
The waxy, tough coat minimises
loss of water by evaporation.
Can live up to 200 years. Smaller saguaros live under 'nurse'
plants, which provide shelter during the early years.
Slide 17: Cavities in the stems are made by
woodpeckers, and they use them as nests.
Once the woodpeckers move out
these homes are soon adopted by other visitors, such as elf owls, flycatchers, purple martins, and brown bats.
Damage can occur sometimes by
sudden frosts, lightning, high winds.
Slide 18: Seeds swallowed by animals and
birds pass through their digestive system unharmed. When deposited under trees and shrubs they are given a chance to germinate.
Harvester ants gather seeds by the
million, and store them in an underground food reservoir, too deep for the seeds to sprout.
Fortunately, the Saguaro produces
enough seeds to more than compensate for this loss !
