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 producer, a consumer and a predator, with the predator being the top of the food chain. The top of the desert food chain does eventually die though, and is returned to the bottom of the chain as nutrients by decomposers.
Typical Desert Food Chains
Mountain Lion Mule Deer Plant (forbs)| Coyote Quail Plant (shrub seeds)| Snakes Lizards Insects Plant (wildflower/grass | Hawk Snakes Rats Plant (seeds)| Typical Desert Food Pyramid Tertiary Consumers Carnivores These are high level consumers, carnivores that will eat other carnivores.
Secondary Consumers Small Carnivores The predators are the secondary consumers. They occupy the third trophic level. Again we see cold-blooded animals, such as snakes, insect-eating lizards, and tarantulas. Only about 2 Kilocalories per square meter per year are stored in their bodies. In the harsher desert environments, they are the top predators. Primary Consumers Herbivores These animals are usually small and eat little. Many are insects, or reptiles, who are cold blooded and who use less energy to maintain their bodies than mammals and birds do.
As food for predators, they provide about 20 Kilocalories per square meter per year for predators. Including: Ants and other insects, rats and mice, some reptiles the largest of which are the tortoise and chuckwalla. Primary Producers Plants These are plants that make food through photosynthesis. Limited by the availability of water, they produce fewer than 200 Kilocalories of food for the animals for each square meter each year.
Including: Trees, shrubs, cactus, wildflowers, grasses
Primary Producers: is occupied by the primary producers-plants. Plants produce energy from photosynthesis. Plants produce energy to use for survival, growth and to store when production resources are not available.
Primary Consumers: Primary consumers are the animals that eat the plants. These animals, including insects, mammals, such as the desert pocket mouse, food is consumed and converted to energy.
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=…
