GRASSLANDS

Worked by: Ergi Shahini

 Grasslandsare areas where

thevegetationis dominated
bygrasses,however sedge and
rush families can also be
found.
Grasslands occur naturally on
all continents
exceptAntarctica.
Grasslands are found in
mostecoregionsof theEarth.
For example there are
fiveterrestrial
ecoregionclassifications
(subdivisions) of thetemperate
grasslands, savannas, and
shrublandsbiome, which is
one of eightterrestrial
ecozonesof the Earth's
surface.

Vegetation
Grassland vegetation can vary in height from

very short, as inchalk grassland, to quite tall,

as in the case ofNorth Americantallgrass
prairie andAfricansavanna.
As floweringplants, grasses grow in great
concentrations inclimateswhere
annualrainfallranges between 500 and
900mm.The root systems of perennial
grasses andforbs form complex mats that
hold thesoilin place.

Climate
Grasslands often occur in areas with annual

precipitation between 600mm and 1,500mm and

average mean annual temperatures ranges from 5
and 20C . However, some grasslands occur in colder
(-20C) and hotter (30C) climatic
conditions.Grassland can exist in habitats that are
frequently disturbed by grazing or fire, as such
disturbance prevents the encroachment of woody
species. Species richness is particularly high in
grasslands of low soil fertility such asserpentine
barrensandcalcareousgrasslands. Temperate
grasslands occur in temperate climates typified by
distinct seasonality (warm summers and cold winters).

Types of Grasslands
Tropical and subtropical
Temeprate
Flooded
Montane
Tundra
Desert and xeric

Tropical and Subtropical

These grasslands are

classified with tropical

and
subtropicalsavannas
andshrublandsas
thetropical and
subtropical grasslands,
savannas, and
shrublands biome.
Notable tropical and
subtropical grasslands
include
theLlanosgrasslands
ofSouth America.

Temperate
Mid-latitude grasslands,

including thePrairieandPacific
GrasslandsofNorth America,
thePampasofArgentina,Brazil
andUruguay,
calcareousdownland, and
thesteppesof Europe.
Temperate grasslands are the
home to many
largeherbivores, such
asbison,gazelles,zebras,rhino
ceroses, andwild
horses.Carnivoreslikelions,w
olvesandcheetahsandleopar
dsare also found in temperate
grasslands.

Flooded
Grasslands that are flooded

seasonally or year-round, like

theEvergladesofFlorida,
the,BoliviaandParaguayor
theinArgentina.They are
classified with flooded
savannas as theflooded
grasslands and savannas
biomeand occur mostly in
the tropics and subtropics.
Watermeadowsare
grasslands that are
deliberately flooded for short
periods.

Montane
High-altitude grasslands located on

highmountain rangesaround the world, like

thePramoof theAndes Mountains. They
are part of themontane grasslands and
shrublands biomeand also
constitutetundra.

Tundra
Similar to montane

grasslands, polararctic
tundracan have grasses, but
high soil moisture means that
few tundras are grassdominated today. However,
during thePleistoceneice
ages, a polar grassland
known as steppetundraoccupied large areas
of the Northern hemisphere.
These are in thetundra
biome.

Desert and xeric

Also called desert grasslands, this is

composed of sparse grassland ecoregions

located in thedeserts and xeric shrublands
biome.