Hot deserts are an important ecosystem with distinct characteristics and adaptations. They provide opportunities for development but also cause challenges such as desertification.
Hot deserts are found near the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. The largest hot desert is the Sahara in Africa which spans the whole width of the continent.
Hot deserts have an extreme climate and challenging environment. There is very little biodiversity in hot deserts because of the harsh climate. Few species are specialised enough to survive there. Plants and animals which do survive there have adapted to difficult conditions.The biotic or living components and the abiotic or non-living components of the hot desert rely on one another - a change in one will lead to a change in the other.
Hot deserts have distinct characteristics that allow certain species to thrive in such an extreme environment. Plants and animals have developed adaptations which allow them to survive in hot and dry conditions.