Why Do Plants Differ From One Another? – Nearby Animals
What Animals Live Near Desert Plants?
Arabian Oryx
- The oryx is one of the largest mammals in the Arabian Desert [3]
- The oryx can endure temperatures of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celcius [3]
- Desert plants may also require to endure temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celcius
- Oryxes can survive for weeks on water taken from dew and vegetation by reducing their metabolism and water loss [3]
Addax Antelope
- Eat desert succulents, grasses and herbs, and the leaves of small bushes [4]
- Can live up to 19 years of age [4]
- One of the most well-adapted antelope to a desert environment as they rarely need to drink water since they get most of their water from the plants they eat [4]
- This may cause fewer chances of plants to grow to their full potential in the desert, as water is replaced with plants, for the addax antelope [4]
- Addax antelopes dig depressions in the sand of deserts to rest and are effective in maintaining body temperatures [4]
What Animals Live Near Forestry Plants?
Deer
- White-tailed deer graze in forests and often prefer to eat native plants rather than invasive plants [2]
- The eating habits of deer lower native plant diversity and increase the proportion of plant communities of the non-native species [2]
- An excess of deer in forests may result in less and even an abundance in forestry plants and more weeds
- Deer hold a vital part of the food chain, a lack or overpopulation of forestry plants depends on them
Grey Fox
- The grey fox is the only canine that can climb trees, in the western hemisphere [1]
- Grey foxes create their dens in rock outcrops, hollow trees, and underground burrows that have been dug out by other animals [1]
- Grey foxes usually eat rabbits and small rodents in the winter, but in the late summer and fall, grey foxes also eat plants and berries [1]
- Grey foxes own sharp, hooked claws which they use to climb trees [1]
- Grey foxes may damage and harm trees by climbing them often, causing bark, branches, and leaves to be stripped off the plant
How Are They Different?
Desert Animals
- Are built to survive hot temperatures from around 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 37 degrees Celcius, using the techniques of hiding in divots in the desert sand to keep body temperatures as low as possible
- Good at surviving long periods without water by reducing their body’s metabolism and water loss, and get most of their water from plants that thrive in the desert
Forestry Animals
- Native plants may be stripped more of their natural limbs as grey foxes climb them and deer eat them on a daily occasion
- Native plants may become in abundance as forestry animals utilize them more and more often
- Rabbits and small rodents may by hunted by grey foxes, which may cause an imbalance of the food chain, if severe enough
Bibliography:
[1] Canada, N. C. (n.d.). Gray Fox. NCC. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/mammals/gray-fox.html
[2] Ramanujan, K. (2017, September 12). Deer eating habits have lasting damage on forests. Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2017/09/deer-eating-habits-have-lasting-damage-forests#:~:text=%E2%80%9COverall%2C%20deer%20reduce%20community%20diversity,associate%20in%20Cornell’s%20Section%20of
[3] Taylor, K. (2016, June 13). Saving the unicorns: Using the Sun to produce freshwater and restore an endangered species. Wildtech. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://wildtech.mongabay.com/2015/11/saving-the-unicorns-using-the-sun-to-produce-freshwater-and-restore-an-endangered-species/
[4] World, S. (2022). Addax Antelope. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. Retrieved June 1, 2022, from https://seaworld.org/animals/facts/mammals/addax-antelope/