Temperate Grasslands

TEMPERATE GRASSLANDSBy: Kalene Blanton and Sara Weber

GRASSLANDS ON EARTH

DEFINITION OF GRASSLAND An area, such as a prairie, where

natural vegetation consists largely of long lasting grasses.

There are 23 species of plants per square yard in the grassland.

RAINFALL IN GRASSLANDS The tall grasses grow where rainfall is

around 30 inches per year. Usually occurs in the late spring and

early summer.

LATITUDE AND ALTITUDE Grasslands can be found in the middle

latitudes, such as the interiors of continents.

They can have either moist continental climates or dry subtropical climates.

Grasslands in the southern hemisphere tend to get more precipitation than those in the northern hemisphere.

PLANTS 1. Purple Cone Flower- magenta plant that blooms in the mid-summer, early fall, and mid-fall.2. Big Blue Stem- starts to grow in Apriland flowers in the late summer. It growswhere the rainfall is about 30 inches. 3. Blazing Star- blooms from Augustto September. It survives when the environment is dry with moist land andthere is plenty of sun.

PLANTS4. Stinging Needle- when it flowers in the summer it has greenish-white flowers and reproduces through seeds and a creeping rootstock.

5. June Grass- Its flowers look like long fuzzy spikes and bloom from May to July, but mostly June.

HERBIVORES1. Elephant-  eat great quantities of fibrous,

have poor quality of vegetation to compensate for their low absorption of nutrients.

2. Rhinoceros- they have pointy lips to grab twigs off of woody plants.

3. Giraffe- can close their nostrils to keep out dust and sand

HERBIVORES4. Antelope- razor sharp sense of smell and hearing to allow them to detect any danger so they can leap to safety5. Zebra- keen sense ofhearing and their stripes make it difficult for a predatorto pick out one zebra from the other

CARNIVORES1. Lion- can open its mouth wide and kill

with one bite

2. Leopard- its spotted skin gives the leopard camouflage to hide with tree branches

3. Cheetah- claws cannot be drawn back and help keep a grip

CARNIVORES4. Hyena- hunt mostly at night and always with a pack and they mark their territory by discharging smelly yellow substance on grass used as boundaries

5. African Hunting Dog- when one pack is tired of chasing prey, another pack takes over

FOOD WEB

ECOLOGICAL PYRAMID

PREDATOR-PREY There are many predators in the

Grassland Biome. One of them is a lion. This lion is attacking a zebra.

PARASITISM Ticks on a Lion

COMPETITION Tall Grass vs Short Grass

MUTUALISM Bird Eating Ticks Off of a Buffalo

BENEFITS Grassland environment has greatly

increased in recent years. It produces good soil and nutrients, and plants. They are treated with chemical fertilizers, re-seeded with fast growing grasses, or ploughed up and replaced with arable crops. because they contain so many plants, including rare animals. The lightness and warmth encourages a strong insect life.

THREATS The most threated part of Grasslands is

in South Africa. It is densely populated and is under huge development pressure. The biodiversity is being eroded to the point that human life is being threatened. Grasslands give us medicine, tools, shelter, and food.

WETLANDS Yes, there are wetlands.