Topic 20:
The Hot Deserts & “Sonoran Dances”
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hot Deserts Tuesday & Thursday in class
Animal Quiz in Lab Wed!
FOR THURS Discussion:
Each group member choose 1 of the 4 Gary Nabhan articles posted on Moodle: Agave, Mesquite, Creosote, Organpipe Cactus
Read, come ready to discuss, & give examples of:
Plant-animal interactions, human interactions/uses/impacts; other interesting facts
Final Animal Presentations:
today in class (1)
Thurs in lab (2)
Learning Goals for Days:
Hot Deserts:
environment
adaptations of desert plants to drought conditions
what are the various strategies that desert plants use to deal with arid conditions? be able to describe them
Chihuahuan Desert – location (e.g. a Park you could visit), climate,
dominant & indicator plants (agaves: lechuguilla) & animals (zonetail hawk)
zonetail hawk as example of animal mimicry
Mojave Desert - location (e.g. a Park or place you could visit), climate,
dominant/indicator plants (“tree” yuccas: Joshua tree)
Sonoran Desert - location (e.g. a Park or place could visit), climate,
dominant & indicator plants (cacti) & animals (elf owl, gila woodpecker);
importance of saguaro cactus as keystone species
Powerpoint Presentation on Hot Deserts - link here
Gary Nabhan articles: "Sonoran Dances"
JIGSAW: address questions r.e. –
o interesting/unusual fact about the plant
o plant-animal interactions -
o describe the interaction(s)
o what animals are involved?
o use diagrams or pictures to summarize as helpful
o explain low rates of pollination where applicable
o human interactions/uses
Plants discussed:
-- organpipe cactus, mescal (agave), creosote bush, mesquite