Temperate grasslands

general description of temperate grasslands

1. Temperate Grasslands Manjunatha S M.Sc (Botany) University of Mysore, Mysuru

2. Contents Introduction Temperate grasslands and its nature Steppes Praire Pampas Veldt Food chain pattern Gersmehl diagram D estruction of grasslands C onservation strategies Conclusion References

3. Introduction Grasslands cover one fourth of the Earth's land and can be found on every continent except for Antarctica (Singh et al, 1983 ). Grasslands occur where it is too wet for deserts but too dry for forests . Can be sub divided into a) Tropical grasslands b) Temperate grasslands Grasslands get about 10 to 24 inches of precipitation per year, although some tropical grasslands can get over 40 inches of rain a year. Grasslands are considered the transitional biome. This means that they are usually found between deserts and forests .

4. Temperate Grasslands Temperate grasslands are located north of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 North) and south of the Tropic of Capricorn ( 23.5 South). The major temperate grasslands include a) T he V eldts of Africa, b) The P ampas of South America, c) The S teppes of Eurasia, d) The Prairie of North A merica Temperate grasslands are hot in the summer and cold in the winter .

5. Temperature and Precipitation Summer In Prairies, temperature often rise to more than 100 F, no rain for 2 months are common, they adapted well with their slender leaves, deep root systems. They overcome grassland fires with more vigorous growth with the help of deep roots. Winter They turn brown in winter and often have a dusting of snow. Temperature plummet well below 0 F. Plants use winter snow as insulation, trapping it among leaves and stems Temperature Rain and snow Most of them found in the interior of continents and in rain shadows. So these areas receive between 9.8 and 35 inches of rain and snow each year. Most of the precipitation falls in winter and spring.

6. Soil N utrient-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.

7. S teppes Largest temperate grassland extending from Hungary to China. The most famous trade route on the Eurasian steppe is the Silk road, connecting China, India, and Europe. Animals : Antelopes, Bos taurus , Horse, two humped Camel, burrowing rodents like jerboas, marmots and pikas . Birds : Bustards, quails, sand grouse, red-legged hobby Plants : feather grass, fescue, w ormwood, tipachak - an oat like grass, salt grass ( solyanka ), sage, haloxyon , steppe tulips, Veronica. Wild horse on the steppe of Kyrgyzstan, Central Asia Antelopes Feather grass

8. Prairies of North America Blue stem Switch grass Indian grass Water fowl ferruginous hawk Burrowing owl

9. Prairies form a triangular area from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba down through the great plains to southern Texas and Mexico. On moving from east to west, the rainfall decreases. Climates are moist towards east, north and close to mountains and driest in central portions. Leading to creation of 1. Tall grass prairie (True prairie)- wetter parts 2. Mixed-grass prairie- central great plains 3. Short grass prairie- rain shadow of Rocky mountains. Tall grass prairie : dominated by bluestem, switch grass and Indian grass   Short grass prairie : grama , needle grass and wheatgrass. Further north into Canada the natural vegetation of this area is characterized by spear grass, blue grama grass and to a lesser extent, June grass and dryland sedge. Mixed prairie :   grama , little bluestem , needle-and-thread grass, wheatgrass, Carex filifolia , junegrass , Poa secunda . 

10. Tall grass prairie : Like other ecoregions of North America, bison and elk once roamed these tallgrass prairies, where they were hunted by the coyote ( Canis latrans ). These species are now gone, although bison are slowly being reintroduced to the area and wolves occasionally enter the ecoregion from the east. Common wildlife species in this ecoregion include white-tailed deer, rabbit, ground squirrel and significant waterfowl populations. Short grass prairie : ferruginous hawk and Swainson's hawk, golden eagle, sharp-tailed grouse and sage grouse , mountain plover and clay-colored sparrow are typical birds. Black-tailed and white-tailed deer, bobcat and cougar are typical large mammals. Mixed prairie : Water fowl, black-tailed and white-tailed deer, pronghorn antelope, coyote, short-horned lizard, western rattlesnake, rabbit and sage grouse. Yellow- rumped warbler is also found only in this part of the prairies Bison were once common feature of this area. Bison Black tailed deer White tailed deer

11. Pampas of South America Greater rhea

12. Grasses : dominated by species of Stipa , Piptochaetium , Aristida , melica , Briza , Bromus , Eragrostis and Poa Animals : Puma, Geoffroy’s cat, Pampa fox, Pampa deer, Grison, Opposum , Guanaco , greater Rhea. Pampa deer Cortadaeria selloana The natural vegetation in the area is composed of grasslands and xeric woodland Location : Argentina, Uruguay, parts of Brazil highly prone to grassland fires, so trees are very rare (except Ombu ).

13. Veldt of Africa Acacia sieberiana Sporobolus pyramidalis Hyparrhenia hirta

14. Location : Southern Africa. it is bordered by the Drakensberg in the east, the arid Karoo and Kalahari in the west, and the low-lying bushveld to the north. The landscape is traversed by many meandering rivers, with the grassland community historically playing an important role in natural water purification of the westward flowing rivers that originate on the Drakensberg escarpment Plants : Dominant and diagnostic grass species are Hyparrhenia hirta and Sporobolus pyramidalis . Non-grassy forbs include Acacia sieberiana , Rhus rehmanniana , Walafrida densiflora , Spermacoce natalensis , Kohautia cynanchica , and Phyllanthus glaucophyllus Birds & Animals : Botha’s lark (Endemic bird), whitewinged flufftail , blue korhan , yellow-breasted pipit, orange mouse, golden mole, brown hyena, African civet, leopard, pangolin , honey badger, striped weasel , aardwolf , mountain zebra , black wildebeest and white rhino. Botha’s lark Golden mole Brown hyaena

15. Gersmehl diagram for Nutrient cycling in Temperate grasslands

16. Temperate grasslands depleting fast……!!!!!! As grain crops are all grasses, this environment is well-suited for them. Over grazing by livestock. Invasive weeds. loss of keystone species such as Bisnon (slaughter in 1800s), saiga , and prairie dogs (poisoning) can have major impacts on animal and plant communities. Urbanisation and fragmentation.

17. What can be done….? Reintroduction of native species. Controlling of invasive species by growing dominant species over it. Considering more area of grassland under legal conservation units. Creating awareness .

18. Conclusion Grasslands are the transitional ecosystem from rainforests to deserts (Cold or hot), it has rich nutritious soil, they harbor great diversity of flora and fauna, there is an urgent need to conserve plants and animals and their habitat otherwise future will be only desert desert desert ………

19. References Geo fact sheet- G rassland biomes, number 125, Debra jowitt, Geo press, Birmingham. Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative (TGCI), news letter, July 2010, IUCN, WCPA. F. S tuart C hapin, Osvaldo E Sala, Elisabeth Global Biodiversity in a changing environment: Scenarios for the 21 st century, 2001, Springer Science and Business media, New york. http://scienceing.com/temperature-precipitation-temperate-grasslands-8498038.html http:// www.defenders.org/grasslands/temperate-grasslands http:// www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep8d.html https://www.worldwildlife.org/biomes/temperate-grasslands-savannas-and-shrublands