Kangaroo rat:
Found: South-West USA and Mexico
Height: 100-200mm
Characteristics:
Behavioral:
- Licks fur to keep cool
- Lives in burrow during day
Physical:
- Does not perspire
- Highly efficient kidneys that concentrate urine into dry droppings
Fennec Fox:
Found: Sahara
Height: 200mm
Characteristics:
Behavioral:
- Lives in burrows during the day to avoid the heat
Physical:
- Large ears with blood vessels close to the surface to lose body heat (moisture gained from prey).
- Light-coloured coat reflects heat.
- Excretes highly concentrated urine.
- Soles of feet protected by thick fur to run across hot sand.
Definition= A community of cyanobacteria (green algae, lichen, fungi and mosses) that form a fragile ground cover a few centimetres thick.
Found: Colorado Plateau & southwest USA (Account for >70% of the living ground cover)
Functions:
1) Important nurseries for seedlings
2) Slows run-off (rough surface)
3) Inputs organic matter (i.e. essential minerals) into the soil for plants.
4) Increase soil infiltration and absorb and stores rainwater (filaments of blue-green algae store up to 10 times their volume).
5) Bind together loose soil material from wind and water erosion (through dense network of filaments).
Human Impacts:
- Easily crushed and damaged (e.g. by vehicles, mountain bikes, hikers, livestock).
- Damage takes 50-250years for small areas to recover.
- Damaged crusts contribute less essential minerals.
