Grasslands Biome Animals & Their Environment 2015

What is a grassland? Dominant vegetation is grass Make up about 25% of the land on earth Found on all continents except Antarctica Generally fairly flat and open

Two basic types of Grasslands Temperate Grasslands Tropical Grasslands

Differences between Temperate & Tropical Grasslands

Location Temperate Mid-latitude Between forest and desert biomes Interior of a large continent Possibly in rainshadow of a mountain range Tropical Tropics North and south of the Tropical Rainforest biomes

Climate or Temperature Pattern Temperate Wide range of temperatures Below freezing temperatures are common in winter Distinct seasons Semiarid Hot summers & cold winters Tropical Very little temperature variation Warm No frost Tropical wet and dry High-sun rainy season, low-sun dry season

Precipitation (rainfall) Temperate Summer convectional storms Shifts in Polar front Asian monsoon Rainshadow effect 10-20” annual rainfall Tropical Seasonal Shift of ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) 20-60” annual rainfall

Typical mammals and Biodiversity Temperate A few large grazing prey Few carnivores – predators Colonies of burrowing rodents Biodiversity is low to moderate Tropical Many large herds of grazing and browsing prey Many large cats and other carnivores Some burrowing rodents Biodiversity is high

Current Status Temperate Modified by livestock grazing Destruction by conversion to cultivation (farming) since 1800’s More recently – urbanization is a threat Few remaining Restoration projects underway Tropical Altered by thousands of years of livestock grazing and burning Overgrazing Urbanization & cultivation Large preserves in planning stages

Now… let’s go visit a few of these different grasslands.