Desert

Deserts are very hot and dry places. Deserts get very little rain each year. Deserts host plants and animals living in what strikes many humans as oppressive environments. Solar energy that green plants convert into food fuels life here. Although in most ecosystems plants compete for sunlight, here most plants are adapted to minimize the effects of too much solar energy. Annuals compress their life cycles and go dormant as conditions grow unfavorable. Many animals get their energy by eating plants, but desert plants give up the fruit of their production very reluctantly. Sharp spines and chemical-laden leaves discourage plant-eaters. The kangaroo rat avoids these obstacles by eating seeds that, while safe to eat, can be hard to find. Many are small and look like grains of sand. With sensitive front paws a kangaroo rat sifts sand to find seeds by touch, eats them and transforms them into animal tissue. The solar energy flows while the animals such as kangaroo rats, and other herbivores like rabbits get hunted by: owls, snakes, coyotes and other carnivores.