Write six major characteristics of the desert biome.

Explanation

(i) It lies mostly around tropic of capricorn and tropic of cancer between `15^(@)-35^(@)` latitude in both hemispheres.
(ii) It can be cold (e.g., Tibet, Gobi) and hot (e.g., Thar, Sahara)
(iii) Rainfall is less than 12 cm/year in true desert and in extreme deserts it is less than 7 cm/ year.
(iv) Evaporation from deserts (whether cold or hot) exceeds 7-50 times the rainfall.
(v) Ephemerals or short lived annual herbs which grow during period when sufficient moisture is available.
(vi) Cactus plants and other succulents (euphorbia sp.) are found.
(vii) Deep rooted shrubs and small trees which are able to obtain water from water table are found e.g., Proopis, Tamarix, etc.