Question

Which of the following types of ecosystem is expected in an area where evaporation exceeds precipitation, and mean annual rainfall is below $100mm$?

• A. Grassland
• B. Shrubby forest
• C. Desert
• D. Mangrove

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Desert

Answer 2

Deserts have been variously classified as true deserts, having less than $120 \,mm$ annual rainfall, or extreme deserts showing less that $70\, mm yr^{-1}$ rainfall. In desert biomes, evaporation from soil always exceeds rainfall by $7$ to $50$ times.