Biology Report …

For this assignment, I’ll focus on the Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

The Sonoran Desert ecosystem is located in North America, spanning parts of the United States and Mexico. Specifically:

1. In the United States:
   • Southwestern Arizona
   • Southeastern California
2. In Mexico:
   • Northwestern states of Sonora
   • Baja California
   • Baja California Sur

The Sonoran Desert covers approximately 100,000 to 120,000 square miles (260,000 to 310,800 square kilometers)135. Its geographic boundaries are:

• West: Bordered by the Peninsular Ranges, separating it from California chaparral and woodlands2
• North: Transitions to the Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado Plateau deserts12
• East: Transitions to the Arizona Mountains forests and Sierra Madre Occidental pine-oak forests2
• South: Bordered by the Sonoran-Sinaloan transition subtropical dry forest2

The Sonoran Desert’s location is roughly between latitude 25° to 33° North and longitude 105° to 118° West67. It includes diverse sub-regions such as the Colorado Desert, Gran Desierto de Altar, Lechuguilla Desert, Tonopah Desert, Yuha Desert, and Yuma Desert1.

Citations:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoran_Desert
2. https://lacgeo.com/sonoran-desert
3. https://www.desertmuseum.org/desert/sonora.php
4. https://open.oregonstate.education/rangelandecosystems/chapter/sonoran/
5. https://www.britannica.com/place/Sonoran-Desert
6. https://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/sonoran_desert.php
7. https://geoalliance.asu.edu/sites/default/files/LessonFiles/Haile/Sonoran/HaileSonoranS.pdf
8. https://atlas.co/explore/deserts/sonoran-desert/
9. https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/sonoran-desert/
10. https://thetravelingnaturalist.org/the-sonoran-desert-in-california-and-arizona/

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Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Food Web

Producers:

1. Cacti (e.g., Saguaro cactus)
2. Creosote bush
3. Brittlebush6

Primary Consumers (Herbivores):

1. Desert tortoise
2. Kangaroo rat2

Secondary Consumers (Omnivores or Small Carnivores):

1. Coyote
2. Rattlesnake2

Tertiary Consumer (Top Predator):

1. Hawk2

Decomposer:

1. Bacteria2

Food Web Diagram:

text                 Hawk
                /    \
         Coyote      Rattlesnake
        /      \    /
Desert Tortoise   Kangaroo Rat
    \            /
     \          /
      Cacti  Creosote Bush  Brittlebush
              \     |      /
               \    |     /
                 Bacteria

Energy Pyramid

text                 Hawk (1 kcal)
               /
         Coyote, Rattlesnake (10 kcal)
        /
Desert Tortoise, Kangaroo Rat (100 kcal)
    /
Cacti, Creosote Bush, Brittlebush (1000 kcal)

The energy pyramid shows how energy decreases by 90% at each trophic level due to the rule of 10%. This means that only 10% of the energy from one level is transferred to the next level, while 90% is lost as heat or used for the organism’s life processes2.

Symbiotic Relationships

Commensalism:

The cactus wren and the cholla cactus. The cactus wren builds its nest in the cholla cactus, benefiting from protection against predators, while the cactus is unaffected3.

Mutualism:

The phainopepla bird and the desert mistletoe. The bird eats the mistletoe berries, gaining energy, while dispersing the mistletoe seeds through its droppings, helping the plant to spread7.

Parasitism:

The desert mistletoe and the desert willow tree. The mistletoe grows on the willow tree, acquiring nutrients from it. This benefits the mistletoe but can harm or even kill the willow tree by depriving it of essential nutrients7.

Citations:

1. https://study.com/academy/lesson/desert-biotic-and-abiotic-factors.html
2. https://www.sciencefacts.net/desert-food-chain.html
3. http://shawcloud.yolasite.com/soil-and-succession-and-symbiotic-relationships.php
4. https://homework.study.com/explanation/select-an-ecosystem-in-your-area-forest-lake-desert-grassland-1-describe-the-structure-of-your-ecosystem-including-important-abiotic-features-and-dominant-plant-and-animal-species-2-explain.html
5. https://byjus.com/biology/desert-ecosystem/
6. https://study.com/learn/lesson/desert-producers-consumers-ecosystems-adaptations-examples.html
7. https://desertbcraft.weebly.com/symbiotic-relationships.html
8. https://creately.com/lp/food-web-maker/
9. https://sigmaearth.com/what-is-the-food-web-of-the-desert-biome/

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Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share