Animals at the extremes: The desert environment

Learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • define and use, or recognise definitions and applications of, each of the bold terms
  • provide examples that show there is a continuum of desert climates and environments that link to diversity of flora and fauna
  • explain, with examples, the thermoregulatory strategies of evaders, evaporators and endurers, and interpret relevant data
  • describe the importance of integration of behaviour, anatomy, physiology and biochemistry in the study of animals that live in deserts
  • explain physiological mechanisms of water conservation and cooling in named evaders, evaporators and endurers, and interpret relevant data.