LIFE IN TEMPERATE GRASSLAND by Sabine Tufaite

MY BIOME:TEMPERATE GRASSLANDS

stufait — 2024-08-23 17:53:08 UTC

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.

THEEE CLIMATE

stufait — 2024-08-23 17:58:06 UTC

Temperate grasslands have warm summers with some rain. Grasslands receive about 500 to 950 mm of rain per year compared to deserts,

CLIMATEEE PT>2

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:00:53 UTC

While temperatures are often extreme in some grasslands, the average temperatures are about -20°C to 30°C

WILDLIFE

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:03:20 UTC

Mammals like prairie dogs, bison, elk, deer, and pronghorn graze on the grasses and other plants that grow on the prairie.

LOCATION

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:12:56 UTC

The main temperate grasslands are the steppe in Eurasia, the prairies of North America, as well as the downs of Australia and New Zealand.

PLANTS

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:26:10 UTC

Mountain laurel, azaleas and mosses.

TEMP RANGES

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:29:32 UTC

In winter, temperatures can plummet below

0 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. In summer, temperatures can reach above 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

S O I L

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:39:27 UTC

This type of massive root structure creates a dense net that develops a sod layer anchoring plants to the soil, which reduces erosion, retains water, and was once used to make homes because of its density

PRESSUREEE

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:47:12 UTC

Annually wind speeds vary from 0 m/s to 6 m/s. Grassland altitude typically occur at elevations between 5,250 and 7,200 ft.

KEYSTONE SPECIES

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:51:22 UTC

Keystone species, in ecology, a species that has a disproportionately large effect on the communities in which it lives.

PRAIRIE DOGS

stufait — 2024-08-23 18:52:53 UTC

Prairie dogs are considered a “keystone” species because their colonies create islands of habitat that benefit approximately 150 other species. https://defenders.org/

IMPACT WITHOUT KEYSTONE SPECIES

stufait — 2024-08-23 19:01:26 UTC

Without Prairie dogs most of the secondary consumers would probably die after not having enough of them to eat.

UPCOMING BOTONISTS

stufait — 2024-08-23 19:06:39 UTC

A new scientific paper from Teagasc, UCC and international collaborators has shown diversification of the plant species in swards can be more effective than the application of microbial inoculants in supporting productivity in intensively managed grasslands. https://phys.org/

EXTREME IS IT NEEDED???

stufait — 2024-08-23 19:08:13 UTC

native grassland plants have adapted to extreme weather conditions to such an extent that savannas, a subset of grasslands found in Africa, Australia, South America, and India, require seasonal droughts and wildfires to maintain biodiversity.