Please note that final assignment is subject to the student qualifying for FWS Placement. If a student is allowed to work without having a FWS Referral Form signed by all parties and on file in this office, your department will be responsible for compensating the student.
Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland. Only cold-adapted organisms survive there, including many types of algae, animals (for example mites, nematodes, penguins, seals and tardigrades), bacteria, fungi, plants, and protista.
South America: Patagonian and Argentinian Deserts, Atacama region. Arabian Peninsula: extends to Syria and Israel. Africa: Sahara, Kalahari, Danakil. Cold deserts in the Antarctic and Central Asia. Biotic Factors: Many plants and animals exist in the desert, contrary to popular opinion that deserts are desolate and sustain little life. Scorpions, coyotes, snakes, spiders, lizard, and cacti are just a few of the biotic factors. Abiotic Factors: Sand: The soil of a desert is maily comprised of vast sections of sand spanning over miles of land. The sand is dry and not mineral rich, enabling very little plant life to thrive on its foundation. Sometimes in cold deserts, moss and grass will join sand to make up the land and create very mineral-rich soil.