Mojave+Desert

__**BOTANIST - Molly**__ **Q.1 What are the main plant species found in your desert area? List and describe 3 types of plant/tree or shrub in you desert. IE Tall, spiky, flowers.**
 * Joshua Tree-** The joshua tree is 1.25 to 1.5 inch flowers, they have many disturbing smells. It is shaped like a bell and has 12 up to 18 clusters on each of the branches. The fruit on this tree is brown and green and is 2- 2.5 inches long. Many animals feed to of the joshua tree as it has its own fruit. All of the trees mainly grow in groups which are called groves, and can elevate from about 2,000 to 6,000 feet.


 * Common Saltbush-** The saltbush is sometime can be mistaken for “sagebrush”. It is in the related to many different plant families. Colour of the Common Saltbush is gray and white shrubs and can grow about 2 - 3 feet tall. Many branches sprout from the bottom of the plant and are sharp,spiky and quite pointy. It adapts very well to living in dry places like the Mojave Desert.


 * Brittle Bush-** The Brittle Bush is a shrub that grows low, round and grow about 2 - 5 feet high. The flowers on a Brittlebush flower from about March through to June, as there are so many spread through the desert it turns bright yellow! It can grow very well from seeds and is easily transplanted.


 * Mojave Aster-** The Mojave Aster is a shrub like plant that can grow up to about 30 inches high. Stems of this plant are green and grey and 3 inches long. They have small spiky spikes all the way up the stems. After the flowering on the plant the dies. Mojave Aster tend to grow on rocky slopes, in canyons or dry, flat areas.


 * Creosote Bush-** The Creosote Bush is named because of the way it smells. One bush will grow up to 4 to 12 plants, which grow in different directions. The leaves on this bush are pointy, green and small ( 1- 2 inch) and grow straight from the branches. Flowers are yellow and about the same size of the leaves. Creosote Bush grows small round fruit that is gray.

Pygmy Cedar, Arrow Leaf and Paper Flower. **Q.2 Describe ways that your 5 chosen plant/tree/shrub adapt or survive in desert conditions. IE They are able to retain water, they don't require much water, they have deep root systems.**
 * These are only some of the other plants in the Mojave Desert:** Rayless Encelia, Snake Weed, Golden Bush, Cheese Bush ,


 * Joshua Tree-** This tree has two sets of roots. Spiny leaf that is on the Joshua Tree, turns itself upwards, as it hopes to catch any moisture that is in the air. If it does catch any moisture it will be stored in one of the roots, limbs and trunk.


 * Common saltbush-** It adapts to the Mojave Desert as it has on the stems and leaves they have small white scales that are called scurf (like dandruff) these help the plant to keep water.


 * Brittle Bush-** The Brittle bush can trap any moisture that is in the air. Little hairs that cover the leafs form a blanket and act a little bit like a insulating layer, against the heat and cold.


 * Mojave Aster-** This plant adapts very well to living in the Mojave Desert as it is a plant that is suitable to dry, hot places. Mojave Aster also has hairy leaves that trap moisture.


 * Creosote Bush-** The leaves on the bush are waxy and prevent any water loss. Also this plant is very drought tolerant. It can live up to 2 years with out water by shredding it's leaves and branches.

**Q.3 List and explain any animals or species that use your plant/tree/shrub for habitat or survival. IE Do any animals eat from it or acquire moisture/water from your plant.** Many wildlife use the Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert. Birds nest in them, others feed off it’s fruit and limbs of the trees tend to topple over providing a home for lizards and termites. A insect that acts the Brittle Bush is quite small and is a spider, it sucks out all the moisture that is in the leaves and makes it wilt away. This spider also blends in with the Brittle Bush as it is the same colour. The Mule Deer, Desert Bighorn and Sheep like to eat this bush, Kangaroos and Rats will feed off it’s seeds but aren’t a big fan of it. This plant is known to be a good shelter and source of food for many different animals like the Barn Owls, Pronghorn, Deer, Sheeps. They mainly eat all the leaves as it has good minerals because of the salt produced on the leaf. Creosote Bush is not eaten much by the animals in the Mojave Desert. It has it's own natural chemicals which protect them from getting damaged by insects and other creatures. Smaller mammals will look for the seeds to consume as food. This bush is mainly used for desert animals to bed in or underneath.

**Q.4 Identify and describe any threats to your plant/tree/shrub in your desert area. IE Climate change, human interaction.** The biggest threat to the plants, trees and shrubs in the Mojave Desert would be the Climate change as the rapid weather change, interacts with the plants that much that it causes them to lose water and many losses of different plants. Human interaction also has a big impact on the threats on the plants in the Mojave Desert as their are many planes on changing the desert into certain things and adding roads and buildings etc. All these things are the main threats towards the plants in the Mojave Desert.



__**ZOOLOGIST - Josh**__ __**1.**__ [|Desert tortoises] Coyote, Western diamondback rattlesnake, Bats, Red tailed hawk, The desert tortoise, Arid Lands Honey Ants, Aztec Pygmy Grasshopper, Bee Assassin, Blister Beetle, Broad-necked Darkling Beetle, Carolina Wolf Spider,Becker's White, Behr's Hairstreak, Bordered Patch, [|Northern Flicker], [|Ash-throated Flycatcher], [|Verdin], [|Black-headed Grosbeak], [|Black-throated Sparrow].

COYOTE : Eats primarily mice, rats, ground squirrels, gophers, lagomorphs, rabbits and carrion. The coyote is a dog like animal that has short fur. They can not fly. They are usually 40-46" in length, 24-36" tall .There predators are man hunting them for sport and their pelts. Mojave RATTLESNAKE : The Mojave Rattlesnkake primarily feeds on small rodents, rabbits, birds, and almost anything alive that can be swallowed whole. This snake has a scaly body and slide’s along the desert floor. JACKRABBIT: Strictly herbivorous; graze and browse. They prefer grasses and forbs but will eat almost any vegetation that occurs in the area, up to about 51 cm (20 in) above the ground. It has big ears to keep it cool.Their predator is coyote, eagle, bobcat and badger. The Desert Tortoise : The desert tortoise is between 8 and 15 inches long and way between 8 to 15 pounds. It is the largest reptile in the mojave desert. They usually live about 80 years, but may even reach 100 years. They have a big shell for a protection and have dry skin. 2. Coyote : The ways that the Coyote stays cool is Coyotes go hide in dens or small holes they've made to stay cool. They also have been known to hide under large amounts of brush. The Coyote uses it’s nose to detect prey and to detect the scent of the other coyotes territory. It uses its ears to detect prey and danger and the positioning ears are used for mood and rank. The coyote has 5 digits on the forefeet, including the dewclaw (remnants of a 5th digit) and 4 digits on the hind-feet. The coyote is digitigrade meaning it walks with only its toes touching the ground.The coyote's tail is used in threat displays. It becomes bushy and is held horizontally when the Coyote displays aggression. The Coyote makes a little hole in the sand were it is cool and lays in there. Mojave rattlesnake Rattlesnake :The Mojave Rattlesnake lives mainly in the high desert and lower mountain slopes. Its habitat may vary from the dry desert to grasslands and bushes. It is most commonly found in scattered scrubby growth like creosote bush and mesquite, and is rarely found in rocky, hilly terrain. It berries itself in the sand to keep hydrated. JACK RABBIT: The jack rabbit uses its ears to keep cool, because they are thing and big the cool air touches the vanes witch cool the rabbits down. The Jack Rabbits also digs a little hole and sits in it. THE DESERT TORTOISE: The desert tortoise is able to live where ground temperatures may exceed 140 degrees F because of its ability to dig underground burrows to escape the heat. It is one of the most elusive inhabitants of the desert, spending up to 95% of its time under ground to escape the heat of the summer and the cold of winter. They live in burrows which they dig. These can be 3-6 feet deep. They will spend November through February in a torpid or dormant state in their underground burrows. Much of the tortoise’s water intake comes from moisture in the grasses and wildflowers they consume in the spring. To maximize the utilization of infrequent rainfall, tortoises dig catchment basins in the soil, remember where these are, and may be found waiting by them when rain appears imminent. Water that reaches the bladder is not lost to the system but can be drawn upon as needed. Adult tortoises may survive a year or more without access to water. 3. THE DESERT TORTOISE: Varies throughout the desert tortoise's range. A desert tortoise's diet may include herbs, grasses, some shrubs and the new growth of cacti and their flowers. [|Ravens], [|gila monsters], [|Kit foxes], [|badgers], [|roadrunners], [|coyotes], and [|fire ants] are all natural predators of the desert tortoise. They prey on eggs, juveniles, which are 2-3 inches long with a thin, delicate shell, or in some cases adults. Ravens are hypothesized to cause significant levels of juvenile tortoise predation in some areas of the Mojave Desert - frequently near urbanized areas. COYOTE: Coyotes are opportunistic, versatile carnivores with a 90% mammalian diet, depending on the season. They primarily eat small mammals, such as [|voles], [|prairie dogs], [|eastern cottontails], [|ground squirrels], and [|mice], though they will eat [|birds], [|snakes], [|lizards], [|deer], [|javelina], and [|livestock], as well as large [|insects] and other large [|invertebrates]. The Coyote’s only predator is man. MOJAVE RATTLESNAKE: Newborn rattlesnakes are heavily preyed upon by a variety of species including [|ravens], [|crows], [|roadrunners], [|raccoons], [|opossums], [|skunks], [|coyotes] and [|weasels], [|whipsnakes], [|kingsnakes], and [|racers]. Rattlesnakes consume mice, rats, small birds and other small animals, playing an important ecological role by limiting the size of rodent populations, which prevents crop damage and stabilizes ecosystems. 4. The climate change affects all animals, because it dry’s up all the water, makes bush fires and lots more natural affects. People predators mostly are only affecting the Coyote.



**__GEOLOGIST - Elise__**

**//List and describe the type of terrain found in your desert.//**
.**The upside down river:** The upside down river could be called an upside down river, because the the water flows beneath the ground, under the sand. The Mojave river doesn't flow towards the ocean like most rivers, it flows away from the ocean.
 * White tank Granite rock:** This rock was formed by magma which was pushed up from within the earth up to the surface, then the magma (molten rock) sets to create the white tank Granite rock. Geologists Believe that this rock was created about 135-155 million years ago!
 * The Vasquez rocks:** The Vasquez rocks were formed by an earth quake between 8-15 million years ago.
 * The mojave river:** The Mojave river narrows in-between Victorville and apple valley, the water is produced by rock formations forcing the ground water above the surface as it flows down stream.
 * The Kelso Dunes:** The Kelso Dunes are the largest of the Mojave dune fields, reaching 500 to 600 feet in height.

=== //What are the Key landforms found in your desert?// === **The Vasquez rock-** were created by an earth quake 8-12 million years ago. **Sand dunes-** sand dunes are created by pieces of rock that have been moved enough to make sand. **San Bernardino Mountains-** The San Bernardino Mountains meet the Mojave desert, the San Bernardino Mountains are located in southern California.

**//Describe the specific climate conditions found in your desert.//** Some days in the Mojave, the weather can reach 50 degrees, and hotter in the summer. It is often cooler when the sun goes down. In winter, the temperature often stays below freezing at night, but the weather warms up in the day. The Mojave Desert average of precipitation (rain and snow) is less than 12cm a year, if it does rain, the water runs off a bajadas (a broad slope at the foot of a mountain) and is collected in low places.

**//Choose One landform and describe how the environmental conditions and climate have helped create it.//** The wind has helped create Sand dunes because the wind would have moved the rocks, (the sand dunes used to be) just enough for them to grate away and then become sand.