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What is the single most important factor that defines desert biomes? Why are deserts divided into different types?

User Rerun
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important factor defining the desert biomes is its tendency to lose water by evaporation, and this potential for water loss exceeds the annual rainfall and defines what organism can live in there.
User Andrewrjones
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The deserts are the biomes, which supports a very small amount of vegetation. These biomes are nutrient deficient, and receive a little amount of rainfall. Hence, the deserts are characterised by the presser of very little amount of vegetation.

The deserts can be divided into different types due to the cause of their dryness.

Subtropical deserts are found along tropic of cancer, and are formed by the circulation pattern of air, resulting in delivery hot dry air in these regions.

Coastal deserts are formed by cold ocean current. In these regions, the rainfall is so less due to the formation of fog of the air blowing towards the shores.

Rain shadow deserts are the regions, which are shaded by mountains.

Interior deserts are formed due to the absence of the moist air, as they are very far away from coastal region. By the time the air from coastal region reaches here, it does not have moisture and result in no rainfall.

Polar deserts have all the water in ice form. So, this water is not available to plants, also, the temperature is very less to support vegetation.


User Pablo Retyk
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