What is a drought?
A drought is the a long period of time in which very little or no rain falls in a specific area. There has been a drought in Texas for the past few years and there is still a drought now in Texas.
How do droughts impact Texas Ecoregions?
When a drought occurs, plants in the region die without enough water for survival. If plants in a region die, then there will be no roots do anchor the soil. With no anchor, the soil erodes by erosive forces. A necessary element for survival is water, without that, even the animals can't survive. As a chain reaction to the plants in the region dying, the animals that eat the plants also die because they don't have food. As a chain reaction to this, the animals that eat the animals that eat the plants also die because they don't have enough food. And so on, this chain reaction continues until the quaternary consumers. Without water, small water bodies can dry up easily. If there are any organisms in the water bodies, these organisms will also die as a result with no water.
Apart from the fact that the organisms in the ecosystem die, the water table which humans use also decreases. This is because most ground water is precipitation that soaks into the ground to become groundwater. As a result of droughts, the water table decreases. If the water table decreases to a very low level, the wells dug cannot reach the water table. This will cause water shortage.
When a drought occurs in a forest region, there are great chances of forest fires. Forest fires occur because of the shortage of precipitation in the area. Sometimes forest fires can also be caused by humans.
Apart from the fact that the organisms in the ecosystem die, the water table which humans use also decreases. This is because most ground water is precipitation that soaks into the ground to become groundwater. As a result of droughts, the water table decreases. If the water table decreases to a very low level, the wells dug cannot reach the water table. This will cause water shortage.
When a drought occurs in a forest region, there are great chances of forest fires. Forest fires occur because of the shortage of precipitation in the area. Sometimes forest fires can also be caused by humans.