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DESERTS
Contrary to popular perception, temperature alone does not directly define whether an area of land is described as a desert. The key factor instead is rainfall, with desert areas averaging less than 254 millimetres of rain a year. There are, in fact, what are known as 'cold deserts', such as in the Antarctic, where temperatures can be below freezing. Even the hot, dry deserts we most typically think of, such as the Sahara, can experience very dramatic temperature drops at night. This is because the lack of cloud cover allows hot air to escape very quickly once the sun has set.
RAINFORESTS
As their name suggests, rainforests are found in areas with consistently high levels of rainfall, typically in tropical regions of the world around the equator. They may receive more than 2,000 millimetres of rain a year and with an average daily temperature of around 28 degrees Celsius, they are hot and humid. This climate is consistent all year round which creates the perfect habitat for an incredibly diverse range of plants and animals . This also makes them some of the most biodiverse environments on the planet.
TUNDRAS
One of the world's harshest environments are tundras, treeless ecosystems found in the Arctic and on the tops of mountains. These areas are very cold and windy with little rainfall, making it difficult for both plants and animals to survive. Most of the plants found on the tundra are very low-lying, growing in gaps in the rocks where they have some protection from the wind. The Arctic tundra is covered in snow for much of the year, with the soil below the surface permanently frozen. Tundra plants have a very short growing season of just fifty to sixty days during the short Arctic summer.
In conclusion, each ecosystem has unique characteristics shaped by climate, which influence the plants and animals that can survive there. Understanding these differences helps us appreciate the diversity and adaptability of life on Earth.
(Adapt from NEW DISCOVERY Tiếng Anh 12)
