 Grassland biomes: large, rolling terrains of grasses, flowers and herbs  Latitude, soil and local climates: determine what kinds of plants grow  Region: average annual precipitation is great enough to support grasses, and sometimes trees  The precipitation is so unpredictable that drought and fire prevent large forests from growing.  Grasses can survive fires because they grow from the bottom instead of the top. Their stems can grow again after being burned off. The soil of most grasslands is also too thin and dry for trees to survive.

 There are three different types of North American Grasslands:  Tall-grass: dry and very humid grass found mainly in eastern part of Midwest. Grows to about five feet tall.  Mixed-grass: found mainly in middle of Midwest, two to three feet tall. Buffalos used to roam here.  Short-grass: very dry grass mainly in western portion of Midwest, no more than two feet tall. Prairie dogs are found here.

 Grassland biomes can be found in the middle latitudes, in the interiors of continents.  They can have either moist continental climates or dry subtropical climates.  In Argentina, South America, the grasslands are known as pampas. The climate there is humid and moist.  Grasslands in the southern hemisphere tend to get more precipitation than those in the northern hemisphere, and the grass tends to be the tall-grass variety.

 The largest area of grassland stretches from the Ukraine of Russia all the way to Siberia.  This is a very cold and dry climate because there is no nearby ocean to get moisture from.  Winds from the arctic aren't blocked by any mountains either. These are known as the Russian and Asian steppes.

 Typically, fifty percent of the plants in any grassland will be grasses, making them the most common type of plant present.  The other fifty percent is made up of what are often collectively called 'forbs'. 'Forbs' are what many people think of as 'wildflowers', such as coneflowers  examples: Ratibida pinnata: Grey-headed Coneflower), lupines (Lupinus perennis) and milkweed (Asclepsias tuberosa).

 Species Common Name Andropogon gerardii Big Bluestem Andropogon virginicus Broom Sedge Bromus kalmii Kalm's Brome Grass Elymus canadensis Canada Wild Rye Panicum oligosanthes Scribner's Panic Grass Panicum virgatum Switchgrass Schizachyrium scoparius Little Bluestem Sorghastrum nutans Indian Grass

 In the winter, grassland temperatures can be as low as -40° F  the summer it can be as high 70° F.  There are two real seasons: a growing season and a dormant season. The growing season: is when there is no frost and plants can grow (which lasts from 100 to 175 days).  During the dormant (not growing) season nothing can grow because its too cold.  In tropical and subtropical grasslands the length of the growing season is determined by how long the rainy season lasts.  The temperature grasslands length of growing season is determined my the temperature.  Plants usually start growing when the daily temperature reached about 50° F.

 Montane grasslands and fynbos are the great “collectors” of rain water in South Africa.  They hold the water as ground water or in wetlands and release it slowly throughout the year.  Southern montane grasslands of Mpumalanga provide a year-round water supply essential for the cooling of the power generators of Highveld power stations.

 Grasslands are generally somewhat dry areas with little or no trees and are inhabited by grazing mammals, ground-nesting birds, insects and a few species of reptiles.

 Grassland Habitat ants.htm ants.htm  Living In The Environment: An Introduction To Environmental Science G. Tyler Miller--20th edition; Wadsworth Publishing, Belmont, California,