Grassland Region

By- Aamir shaikh

Roll num:-49

Seminar-II

Contents:-

What is grassland ?Types of grassland Difference between two grasslandsAnimals in different grasslandsPlants in grasslands Bibliography

What is grasslands ?

• Grasslands are natural ecological communities dominated by grasses and with less than 10% natural tree or shrub cover. They contain many grass species and an even greater diversity of other herbs.

• There two kinds of grasslands • Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by

grasses however sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antartica. Grasslands are found in most ecoregions of the Earth. For example there are five terrestrial ecoregions classifications (subdivisions) of the ecosystem which is one of eight terrestrial ecozones of the Earth's surface

Types of grassland

There are two types of grassland

• Tropical grasslands • Temperate grasslands

Difference two grassland

Tropical grasslands• (i) They are located in the tropical

latitude in the interior of the continent in the trade wind belt.

• (ii) The grass is tall (3m) coarse and spiky which is neither juicy nor nutritive and there are scat­t ered deciduous trees.

• (iii) They are known as the 'big game country' as there is a va riety of herbivores and carni vores.

• (iv) People practice nomadic herd ing.• (v) Soil is not very fertile.• (vi) They are known as savannas in

Australia and Africa, and llanos and Campos in S. America

Temperate grasslands• Temperate Grasslands• (i) They are located in the temperate

latitude in the interior of the conti nent in the belt of Westerlies.

• (ii) The grass is short, soft, juicy and nutritive. These are treeless plains as rainfall is less.

• (iii) The prairies are known as the 'bread baskets of the world'.

• (iv) Commercial farming and commercial herding is carried on.

• (v) Soil is very fertile.• (vi) They are known as prairies in N.

America, steppes in Asia, pampas in Argentina and Downs in Australia.

Tropical grasslands

Animals live in Tropical grasslands

Giraffes Zebra Buffaloes Kangaroos Lions Hyeans Elephants

Bibliography

Animals of tropical grasslands

Tropical grasslands animals• Tropical Savannah: Animals

The species of animals in a savanna depends upon the geographic location of the biome. The African savannah, the savannah with which most people are familiar, is home to a wide variety of animals. A short list of some of those animals includes wildebeest, warthogs, elephants, zebras, rhinos, gazelles, hyenas, cheetahs, lions, leopards, ostrich, mousebirds, starlings, and weavers.

• Animal adaptationsDuring the rainy season, birds, insects, and both large and small mammals thrive in the savannah, but the rainy season only lasts 6 to 8 months. During the dry season, surface water from the rain is quickly absorbed into the ground because the soil is extremely porous. Competition for water during the dry season is intense. Consequently, most birds and many of the large mammals migrate during the dry season in search of water. Because drought conditions are sometimes localized, the migration may be just to another area within the savannah. When drought conditions exist for a long time and over a wide area, the animals may migrate to another biome until the rainy season begins again.Page - 1

Tropical grasslands animals • Although elephants do migrate, they have a physical adaptation that allows

them to access water that is not available to other animals. Baobab trees store water in their large trunks. The elephant's physical strength and anatomy allow it to tear open the trunk of the baobab tree and to suck the water from it. An adaptation used by small burrowing animals is to remain dormant during times of drought--much like bears do during the winter in other biomes. Photos © 2000-www.art­today.com

• During the dry season, lightning frequently ignites the brown, dry grasses that cover the savannah. Many of the animals have adapted to living with the fires. The ability to fly or to run fast enables most birds and large mammals to escape the flames. Some birds, such as the Fork-tailed Drongos, actually are at­tracted to the active fires. These birds feast on fleeing or flame-roasted insects. Although small burrowing animals may not be able to outrun the flames, they frequently survive the fire by digging beneath the soil and remaining there until the flames pass by them.

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Temperate grasslands

Animals lives in Temperate grasslands

• Zebras • White horses • Lions • Wolves • Jack rabbits • Deer

Animals of temperate grasslands

Animals in temperate grasslands

• Animals that live in temperate grasslands must adjust to dry terrain in which just 10 to 30 inches of rain falls per year, making temperate grasslands less diverse than the wet­ter savanna grasslands. Temperate grasslands are characterized by short grasses measuring just a few inches in height. The grasses, upon which many animals in the grassland biome rely for food, thrives during the warm growing season, going dormant during the cold winter.

Predators

• Big cats such as cheetahs and lions hunt prey in temperate grasslands. In North America, wolves, coyotes and foxes hunt for mice, rabbits and deer. These predators help keep populations of grazing animals in check so the grazers do not eat all the grass and other plants in the biome. In the Russian grasslands, polecats, members of the weasel family, make up some of the larger predators.

Grazers

• The grasslands of North America used to provide millions of buffalo with important food resources, but today, few buffalo remain due to hunters killing most of them in the 1800s. Most of the surviving buffalo are protected in state and national parks, including Yellowstone National Park (nps.gov). Antelope and deer use the plains grasslands where they chomp on the short grasses. In Africa, gazelles, zebras and rhinoceros graze on the grass