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The name for this biome, temperate grasslands, is a great cdescription for what it is like here.
The
most important plants in this biome are grasses! Temperate grasslands have some of the darkest,
richest soils in the world (not in wealth, but in nutrients). People who live in grassland regions
often use these soils for farming. In North America we call temperate grasslands prairies. Major
grasslands in North America are the Great Plains of the Midwest, The Palouse Prairie of eastern
Washington State, and other grasslands in the southwest. In Eurasia temperate grasslands are
known as steppes and they are found between the Ukraine and Russia. In South America they are
called pampas, and are located in Argentina and Uruguay. In South Africa temperate grasslands
are known as veldt. Grasses dominate temperate grasslands. Trees and large shrubs are rarely
found in grassland areas. There are many species of grasses that live in this biome, including,
purple needlegrass, wild oats, foxtail, ryegrass, and buffalo grass. Many animals munch on these
grasses, but they survive because the growth point on the grasses is very close to the ground. Also,
with underground stems and buds, grasses are not easily destroyed by fire. Shrubs and trees that
live in temperate grasslands are not as good as grasses at coping with the flames, and often are
destroyed by fire. Wildflowers also grow well in temperate grasslands. Popular flowers that you
might find growing on grasslands are asters, blazing stars, goldenrods, sunflowers, clovers, and
wild indigos. Grasslands are located on every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Some
locations of temperate grasslands include:
Argentina - pampas
Australia - downs
Central North America - plains and prairies
Hungary - puszta
New Zealand - downs
Russia - steppes
South Africa - veldts
Vegetation
Low to moderate precipitation makes temperate grasslands a difficult place for tall plants such as
woody shrubs and trees to grow. Grasses of this area have adapted to cold temperatures, drought,
and occasional fires. These grasses have deep, massive root systems that take hold in the soil. This
allows the grasses to remain firmly rooted in the ground to reduce erosion and to conserve water.
Temperate grassland vegetation can either be short or tall. In areas that receive little precipitation,
grasses remain low to the ground. Taller grasses can be found in warmer areas that receive more
rainfall. Some examples of vegetation in temperate grasslands include: buffalo grass, cacti,
sagebrush, perennial grasses, sunflowers, clovers, and wild indigos.
Blue Eyed GrassBlue eyed grass, is a perennial blue eyed wild flower, it is known to be part of the
Iris family. It is a native plant of North America, forming clumps of long foliage, which thrive in the
spring time,with small flowers rising. These plants will thrive, in a variety of different types of soil,
and will attract lots of bees throughout the year. The stems grow up to 60 centimeters.
Sunflowers are also one of the type of flowers that, can be found in temperate grasslands. This
plant, is claimed to being native to North America. However, historians believe that this plant
originated from places in Asia, and was carried by the Native Americans back to their homeland.
Sunflowers, are sun trackers and require a good amount of sunlight in order to thrive. Sunflowers
in general do not tolerate the cold, and when the season changes to fall, they generally die out.
There are varieties that tolerate the cold much better, such as the perennial kinds
Cottonwood tree, is a similar type of tree like the oak. They are native to North America. These
trees tolerate a variety of different soil types, as well. They are able to to survive the extreme
forest fires of the temperate grasslands by growing on the edges of rivers and streams. In which
they develop a very thick, and corky bark.
Oak Trees Although rare in a temperate grassland, oak trees can still be found occasionally. Oak
trees are usually large in size, and can reach 70 feet in height. Oaks also produce fruits, known as
acorn. Oak trees in general are adaptable to a variety of different environments. With good
drainage oak trees can survive extreme heat of the temperate grasslands, where temperatures
may reach above 40 degrees celsius. This is again due to their complex root system, where they
can search for water very deep in the ground. In the autumn season, the leaves turn yellow and
begin to drop. By the time winter has arrived, they will have shed all of their leaves.
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) is a resilient turf grass, which has survived insect invasions
(webworms, billbugs and grubs), droughts and floods for millions of years. The hardy grass type
grows primarily in the North American temperate grassland, and is the only turf grass native to
this country. Buffalo grass can draw both nutrients and water from an extended area, because it
has a very large root system that travels several feet into earth. This warm-season shortgrass only
reaches about five inches (12.7 cm) in height, but spreads out between six and twelve feet. Buffalo
grass is green during the summer, lavender in the fall and tan in the winter. It also turns brown
and goes dormant during dry periods. Buffalo grass blooms four to eight inch flower clusters in
yellow and golden toes.
Plants such as:Low and mid-range grass types,Small succulents and ground shrubs,Small
trees,Grains
Most important, mankind discovered centuries ago that the grasslands have the perfect soil for
cultivating crops. This is why many of the original settlements were located on temperate
grasslands. With the use of grasslands, civilization was able to begin to grow because the food
source for people was stabilized. Cultures and societies began to build themselves around the
planting and harvesting seasons too. It is the soil that makes the temperate grasslands such an
integral part of human society. It is unusually rich and fertile, it is also deep. The world’s most
fertile soil is found in the eastern prairies of the U.S., the pampas of South America, and the
steppes of Ukraine and Russia. The seasons deliver patterns of rainfall that never hit the extremes
of a monsoon which could wash soil and vegetation away. For man, the grassland waterways and
soil patterns also provided ideal points to establish transportation hubs too.
Temperate grasslands are one of the two types of grassland biomes. The other type is the tropical
grassland. While both types share features of being bordered by a desert and a forest, are defined
by a consistent geological plane, plus have unusually rich and deep soil; temperate and tropical
grasslands are very different.
Temperate grasslands are located in the Northern Hemisphere.They are also called prairies or
steppes.Temperate grasslands have a distinct season pattern of growing and dormancy.Temperate
grasslands can have a wide range of temperatures that occur during the year as well.Between
both types of grassland biomes, they cover almost 25% of all of the Earth’s landmass. Every
continent has a grassland biome except one – Antarctica.

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The name for this biome, temperate grasslands, is a great cdescription for what it is like here.

Central North America - plains and prairies

New Zealand - downs

South Africa - veldts

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