Food Web Diagram
Mojave Desert
Organisms
* Planate (Vegetation) – Brittle Bush, California Juniper, Creosote Bush, Common Saltbush, Joshua Tree, Mojave Aster, and Triangle-leaf Bursage * Animalia (Animals) – Mammals include coyote, desert bighorn sheep, desert kit fox, spotted skunk, spotted bat, black-tailed jackrabbit, ground squirrels, kangaroo rat and white-footed mouse. Birds include eagles, hawks, owls, quail, roadrunners, finches, warblers and orioles. Reptiles include desert (Gopher Tortoise), several species of rattlesnakes and chuckwalla lizard * Micro-organisms – Fungi (penicillium), monera (mycorrhizae, lichens, azotobacter and streptomycetes, mycoplasmas, and cyanobacteria)
Coyote Canus latrans
* Organs are essentially the same as humans with minor adaptations * Lungs are bigger for more oxygen intake while being active * The part of the brain referred to as the “lizard brain” is slightly larger than that of a normal human * Unlike humans, they can digest raw meat with no negative side effects * Their metabolisms are faster * They have a Jacobson’s organ that gives scent information to the brain
The Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus * Reabsorbs water from feces and excretes excess salt through a nasal gland * Will extract water from its lizard prey * Reduces activity 50% during the heat of midday
P C D
Desert Food Chains
Food chains allow us to examine the basics of how energy passes through an ecosystem. Producer |
Consumer |
Predator |
A food chain is sequence of plants, herbivores and carnivores, through which energy and materials move within an ecosystem. Food chains are usually short and not more than three or four links. They usually consist of a
Organisms
* Planate (Vegetation) – Brittle Bush, California Juniper, Creosote Bush, Common Saltbush, Joshua Tree, Mojave Aster, and Triangle-leaf Bursage * Animalia (Animals) – Mammals include coyote, desert bighorn sheep, desert kit fox, spotted skunk, spotted bat, black-tailed jackrabbit, ground squirrels, kangaroo rat and white-footed mouse. Birds include eagles, hawks, owls, quail, roadrunners, finches, warblers and orioles. Reptiles include desert (Gopher Tortoise), several species of rattlesnakes and chuckwalla lizard * Micro-organisms – Fungi (penicillium), monera (mycorrhizae, lichens, azotobacter and streptomycetes, mycoplasmas, and cyanobacteria)
Coyote Canus latrans
* Organs are essentially the same as humans with minor adaptations * Lungs are bigger for more oxygen intake while being active * The part of the brain referred to as the “lizard brain” is slightly larger than that of a normal human * Unlike humans, they can digest raw meat with no negative side effects * Their metabolisms are faster * They have a Jacobson’s organ that gives scent information to the brain
The Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus * Reabsorbs water from feces and excretes excess salt through a nasal gland * Will extract water from its lizard prey * Reduces activity 50% during the heat of midday
P C D
Desert Food Chains
Food chains allow us to examine the basics of how energy passes through an ecosystem. Producer |
Consumer |
Predator |
A food chain is sequence of plants, herbivores and carnivores, through which energy and materials move within an ecosystem. Food chains are usually short and not more than three or four links. They usually consist of a
References: Blue Planet Biomes. (2011). Mojave Desert. Retrieved from http://www.blueplanet Biomes.org/mojave_desert.htm Desert Wildlife. (2011). Digital-Desert. Retrieved from http://digital-desert.com/wildlife/ coyote.html Google. (2011). Google Images. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imagres?q=…