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Subtropical
Subtropical is one type of desert biome. Subtropical deserts are typically hot --- always above 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the day --- and seldom have regular amounts of water or precipitation during the year. The result is that most of the deserts in the subtropical region have dry heat, with little moisture in the atmosphere or on the ground. The American Southwest, Central and Western Australia and sub-Saharan Africa are all covered by subtropical deserts. These deserts do have plant life; however, plant life is relatively rare and includes plant species such as the cactus, which traps minerals within its rough plant skin to help the plant survive the desert conditions.
Temperate
Temperate deserts are considered relatively colder than subtropical deserts. This means temperate deserts are usually below 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. The colder weather allows for more plant life to survive. This is because there's usually more precipitation in temperate climates. Temperate deserts have less than 40 inches of rain per year --- by definition, deserts typically have around 20 inches of rain on average per year. Most of the Middle East, Central Asia, southern South America, Western China, and the Great Plains Region and Rocky Mountain regions of the United States are known to be the home of temperate deserts. As a result of this environment, thin grass or brush often forms across the surface of the deserts, but large plants such as trees seldom grow there.
Cold Desert
Tundras, or cold deserts, are included in the category of desert biome. Plant life does grow in certain cold deserts across the world, even with their low 28-degree Fahrenheit winters and 78-degree Fahrenheit highs in the summers. These areas don't see that much snowfall during the year because they're not close enough to the Arctic or Antarctic Circles to maintain frozen ice or snow on the surface. The minimal amount of snow seen in these regions is around 4 inches. Thus, certain plants are able to grow over the rocks and ground. Spiny plants and trees, such as evergreens, are common in these areas. However, they're sparsely located across the land and are usually small --- 48 inches in height at most.
Possible Animal Life
Thanks to the plant life in these regions, animal species may also appear in any of the three desert biome ecosystems. The animals that live in any of the three deserts are often nocturnal, which allows them to be active when the sun is down and the temperatures are cooler. All animals in desert regions are also able to hold water more efficiently because of evolutionary adaptations in their kidneys, skin and external body parts that shed heat effectively. One example includes the kangaroo rat, a species of rat whose metabolism efficiently separates water from the food it eats. The metabolism is so efficient that the kangaroo rat is seldom seen in the wild drinking actual water.