Download Grassland Biome

*Jordan
Griffin
*Tina
Corbett
*Hope
Tilley
 An area that is dominated by grass or grass like vegetation.
Moderately dry climatic conditions and seasonal
disturbances, such as floods or fires, are generally helpful
to the growth of grasses and stops the growth of trees and
shrubs. Grasslands are found in tropical, subtropical, and
temperate regions and typically occupy regions between
forests and deserts.
 2 Subdivisions:
1. Tall Grass Prairie
We love
2. Steppe
Grasslands!
 They consist largely of tall grasses. They include forbs
which are broad leave herbs.
Trees and shrubs are absent from these prairies, but
occur in the same region as the narrow patches of
forest in stream valleys. The grasses are deeply rooted
and form a thick and continuous turf.
 Develop in regions of midlatitude and subtropical
zones with well developed winter and summer
seasons.
 The typical climate for a Tall Grass Biome is relatively
humid and very wet during the spring and for the rest
of the year it is generally dry. The rain season begins in
March with concentrated rainfall. Then in October the
thunderstorms signal the beginning of the dry season.
Due to the dry season there are a lot of fires. They are
often caused by poachers or lightening strikes. The fire
leaves scorched earth which enriches the earth.
Average annual rainfall is 25-60in per year which
makes a hot/humid summer.
Burrowing Owl
This animal can be found in Texas
and other western portions of North
America. It makes its home in
regions of South America as well.
The burrowing owl lives in grassland
and desert biomes. It is 9 -11 inches
tall and 23 inches long. It is very
small and pudgy. It can often be
seen in the sun because it loves heat.
These owls have a loud hoot for a
voice. They have long legs, a short
tail, and lots of feathers. Their eyes
are extremely sensitive. They eat
small birds, rodents, and rarely,
carrion. They bolt down on their
food to kill it. Burrowing owls are
not very active animals.
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The European ferret is in the class of
mammals. It is found mainly in Europe, but
can be found also in parts of Asia. The
European ferret is about 15" to 19" long total,
with a tail that is 5-7" long. Its colors vary.
These animals are slender and weigh 3-5
pounds. Their hind legs are elevated above
their head and tail. The lifespan of this animal
is up to fourteen years. A female is called a jill.
European ferrets squeak to each other. They
also growl when they are angry or playful. They
feed mainly from chicken coops and rabbit
hutches. They also eat mice, rats, and voles.
The European ferret does not hibernate or
migrate because its body temperature does not
drop enough for its body to slow down to enter
the stage of hibernation. It lives with other
ferrets in small groups, and also hunts
together. After a gestation period of six weeks,
the female gives birth to anywhere from two to
twelve young, who are born blind and remain
so for about twenty days. The European ferret
usually breeds twice a year.
Badger
The badger is a burrowing mammal with
a black-and-white striped face. Badgers
are nocturnal (most active at night).
They are found in tropical forests, plains,
woodlands, mountains, and prairies in
Asia, Europe, and North America.
Badgers have a life span of 11-13 years in
captivity. They are closely related to
skunks, martens, and weasels. Some
badgers live in groups called clans.
These clans construct complex, longlasting networks of tunnels and
chambers called sets. Members of clans
communicate using sounds and scents.
North American badgers are solitary;
European badgers are sociable. Their
enemies include people, coyotes, and
dogs.
 Over 100 types of plants can occur in the Prairies over a
duration of 5 acres. Some of these plants have roots that
extend 12ft below the surface. Each year the roots die which
supplies the ground with fertile soil.
 Tall grass prairie biome has been altered due to
agriculture in these areas.
 The most common plants in the Prairies are:
Big and Little Bluestem
Indian grass
Switch grass
Big and Little Bluestem
Big bluestem is tolerant of a wide
range of soils and moisture.
Depending on soil and moisture
conditions, it grows to a height
of 1 – 3m (3 – 10 ft). Big Bluestem
is a perennial grass. The stem
base turns to a blue-purple as it
matures. The seed heads have
three spike-like projections,
resulting in another common
name for big bluestem —
"turkey foot." The roots are deep.
Big bluestem is also called tall
grass or simply called prairie tall
grass
Indian Grass
The Indian grass, also known as
Sorghastrum nutans, is a clump forming
native grass that reaches 4-5' in height.
Golden, plume-like seed heads are
formed in the summer. Indian grass is
one of the most important native tall
grasses. There are prominent claw-like
lobes or "rabbit-ears" at the point where
the leaf blade attaches to the stem.
Indian Grasses have plume-like seed
heads that turn a chestnut brown, and
later take on a grey coloration. This grass
is fairly tolerant to drought conditions.
Seeds are consumed by birds and small
mammals.
Also called short grass prairies, consists of
short grasses occurring in sparse clumps or
bunches.
Scattered shrubs and low trees may also be
found in steppe.
•Steppe grasslands correspond well with the
semiarid subtype of the dry continental
climate.
•
 This climate is characterized by hot summers and cold
winters with temperatures ranging from -40 degrees
Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees in the summer. Rainfall
occurs from late spring to early summer which creates
ideal agricultural conditions. Average rainfall is
between 10-30in per year.
• The plant cover
is poor and a lot of bare soil is exposed.
Many species of grass and forbs occur.
• Steppe grades into semi-desert in dry environments and
into prairie where rainfall is higher.
•The most common plants in the Steppe are:
Buffalo grass
Sunflowers
Locoweed
Buffalograss is a low growing,
commonly only 8 to 10 inches high,
warm season perennial grass.
Individual leaf blades may reach 10 to
12 inches in length, but they fall over
and give the turf a short appearance.
Buffalograss has a stoloniferous
growth habit, curly leaves, and both
staminate and pistillate flowers.
• Steppe animals are distinctive and before the use of grasslands
for farming there was an abundance of large grazing mammals.
•Today rodents and rabbits join cattle as the major grazers in
the grasslands.
• The animals that live in steppe grasslands are:
Buffalo
Pronghorn antelope
Rabbits
Prairie dogs
Buffalo are now nearly extinct there use
to be 60 million in 1889 that number
was decreased to 800 individual buffalo.
Most of the buffalo left are located in
the Yellowstone National Park.