Download TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS Location Temperate

TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS Location Temperate grasslands are located north of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees North) and south of the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees South). The major temperate grasslands include the veldts of Africa, the pampas of South America, the steppes of Eurasia, and the plains of North America. Plants Grasses are the dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are largely absent. Seasonal drought, occasional fires and grazing by large mammals all prevent woody shrubs and trees from becoming established. A few trees such as cottonwoods, oaks and willows grow in river valleys, and a few hundred species of flowers grow among the grasses. The various species of grasses include purple needlegrass, blue grama, buffalo grass, and galleta. Flowers include asters, blazing stars, coneflowers, goldenrods, sunflowers, clovers, psoraleas, and wild indigos. Animals Temperate grasslands have a low diversity of wildlife, but a high abundance of wildlife. In North America the dominant grazing animals are bison and pronghorn. Rodents include pocket gophers and prairie dogs. Carnivores include wolves, coyotes, swift foxes, badgers and black-­footed ferrets. Birds include grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks and owls. Climate Temperate grasslands have hot summers and cold winters. Summer temperatures can be well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, while winter temperatures can be as low as -­‐40 degrees Fahrenheit. They typically have between 10 and 35 inches of precipitation a year, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer. Snow often serves as a reservoir of moisture for the beginning of the growing season. Seasonal drought and occasional fires help maintain these grasslands. Soil Temperate grasslands have soils that are nutrient-­‐rich from the growth and decay of deep, many-­‐branched grass roots. The rotted roots hold the soil together and provide a food source for living plants. The world's most fertile soils underlie the eastern prairies of the U.S., the pampas of South America, and the steppes of Ukraine and Russia. Threats Overgrazing by livestock and plowing are the two greatest threats to temperate grasslands. Since the development of the steel plow much of these grasslands have been converted to agricultural lands because of their rich soil. About 47 percent of temperate grasslands have been converted to agriculture or urban development. Lack of fire and fragmentation are also threats, as is past and present wildlife eradication (including the bison slaughter of the 1800s and ongoing prairie dog poisoning in North America’s plains). http://www.defenders.org/grasslands/temperate-­‐grasslands GRASSLAND
Location | Weather
| Plants | Animals
| People | Links
LOCATION: The name for
this biome, temperate
grasslands, is a
greatdescription for what it is
like here. The most important
plants in this biome are
grasses! Temperate grasslands
have some of the darkest,
richest soils in the world (not in
wealth, but in nutrients).
People who live in grassland
regions often use these soils
for farming. In North America
we call temperate grasslands
prairies. Major grasslands in
North America are the Great
Plains of the Midwest, The
Palouse Prairie of eastern
Washington State, and other
grasslands in the southwest. In
Eurasia temperate grasslands are known as steppes and they are found between the Ukraine and Russia. In South
America they are called pampas, and are located in Argentina and Uruguay. In South Africa temperate grasslands
are known as veldts.
WEATHER: Temperatures in this biome vary greatly between summer and winter. The summers are hot and the
winters are cold - much colder than Santa Barbara! With cold winters, it’s surprising how hot the grassland summers
can get! Sometimes the temperature is more than 100°F (37.8°C). Rain in the temperate grasslands usually occurs in
the late spring and early summer. The yearly average is about 20 - 35 inches (55 - 95 cm), but much of this falls as
snow in the winter. Fire is not
foreign in temperate
grasslands. They are often set
by lightning or human activity.
Fire regularly swept the plains
in earlier times, and to some
extent still does today.
PLANTS: Grasses dominate
temperate grasslands. Trees
and large shrubs are rarely
found in grassland areas.
There are many species of
grasses that live in this biome,
including, purple needlegrass,
wild oats, foxtail, ryegrass,
and buffalo grass. Many
animals munch on these
grasses, but they survive
because the growth point on
the grasses is very close to the ground. Also, with underground stems and buds, grasses are not easily destroyed by
fire. Shrubs and trees that live in temperate grasslands are not as good as grasses at coping with the flames, and often
are destroyed by fire.
Wildflowers also grow well in
temperate grasslands. Popular
flowers that you might find
growing on grasslands are
asters, blazing stars,
goldenrods, sunflowers,
clovers, and wild indigos.
ANIMALS: All grasslands
share a lack of shelter from
predators, and an
abundance of grass for food;
therefore, grassland animal
populations are similar
throughout the world. The
dominant vertebrates in
grasslands are herbivorous or
plant-eating grazers called
ungulates. Ungulates are
mammals with hoofs, like
horses and deer. Their long
legs help them run fast to
escape grassland predators.
The temperate grassland does
not have much animal diversity, especially compared to the Savannah. Some animals that inhabit temperate
grasslands in North America are bison, antelope, birds, gophers, prairie dogs, coyotes, and insects. On the steppes
you’ll find similar animals to the Great Plains including lynx, antelopes, falcons, and fox.
PEOPLE AND THE TEMPERATE GRASSLAND: One of the main environmental concerns regarding temperate
grasslands is the conversion of grassland to farmland. The rich soil is ideal for farming and grazing. With continual
agricultural development and progress we have lost many of our natural grasslands. Instead of native grasses, now
grasslands supply corn, wheat, and other grains, as well as grazing areas for domestic ungulates, such as sheep and
cattle. The food supplied by farmlands is important, but so is this unique biome, and the plants and animals that live in
the temperate grassland.
http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/grassland.html Temperate Grassland
Temperate grasslands are characterized as having grasses as the
dominant vegetation. Trees and large shrubs are absent. Temperatures
vary more from summer to winter, and the amount of rainfall is less in
temperate grasslands than in savannas. The major manifestations are
the veldts of South Africa, the puszta of Hungary, the pampas of
Argentina and Uruguay, the steppes of the former Soviet Union, and the
plains and prairies of central North America. Temperate grasslands
have hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall is moderate. The amount
of annual rainfall influences the height of grassland vegetation, with
taller grasses in wetter regions. As in the savanna, seasonal drought
and occasional fires are very important to biodiversity. However, their
effects arenʼt as dramatic in temperate grasslands as they are in
savannas. The soil of the temperate grasslands is deep and dark, with
fertile upper layers. It is nutrient-rich from the growth and decay of deep,
many-branched grass roots. The rotted roots hold the soil together and
provide a food source for living plants. Each different species of grass
grows best in a particular grassland environment (determined by
temperature, rainfall, and soil conditions). The seasonal drought,
occasional fires, and grazing by large mammals all prevent woody
shrubs and trees from invading and becoming established. However, a
few trees, such as cottonwoods, oaks, and willows grow in river valleys,
and some nonwoody plants, specifically a few hundred species of
flowers, grow among the grasses. The various species of grasses
include purple needlegrass, blue grama, buffalo grass, and galleta.
Flowers include asters, blazing stars, coneflowers, goldenrods,
sunflowers, clovers, psoraleas, and wild indigos.
Precipitation in the temperate grasslands usually occurs in the late
spring and early summer. The annual average is about 50.8 to 88.9 cm
(20-35 inches). The temperature range is very large over the course of
the year. Summer temperatures can be well over 38° C (100 degrees
Fahrenheit), while winter temperatures can be as low as -40° C (-40
degrees Fahrenheit).
The fauna (which do not all occur in the same temperate grassland)
include gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves,
prairie dogs, jack rabbits, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, skunks, badgers,
blackbirds, grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks, owls,
snakes, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and spiders.
There are also environmental concerns regarding the temperate
grasslands. Few natural prairie regions remain because most have been
turned into farms or grazing land. This is because they are flat, treeless,
covered with grass, and have rich soil.
Temperate grasslands can be further subdivided. Prairies are
grasslands with tall grasses while steppes are grasslands with short
grasses. Prairie and steppes are somewhat similar but the information
given above pertains specifically to prairies—the following is a specific
description of steppes.
Steppes are dry areas of grassland with hot summers and cold winters.
They receive 25.4-50.8 cm (10-20 inches) of rainfall a year. Steppes
occur in the interiors of North America and Europe. Plants growing in
steppes are usually greater than 1 foot tall. They include blue grama
and buffalo grass, cacti, sagebrush, speargrass, and small relatives of
the sunflower. Steppe fauna includes badgers, hawks, owls, and
snakes. Today, people use steppes to graze livestock and to grow
wheat and other crops. Overgrazing, plowing, and excess salts left
behind by irrigation waters have harmed some steppes. Strong winds
blow loose soil from the ground after plowing, especially during
droughts. This causes the dust storms of the Great Plains of the U.S.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/glossary/gloss5/biome/grassland.html