temperate grassland period 3
TRANSCRIPT
Temperate Grassland
By Julia Fistel, T.J. Miguel, and Marcos Gonzalez
Location and Names Located north of the Tropic of Cancer and South of Capricorn Major temperate grasslands are within the veldts of Africa,
the pampas of South America, the steppes of Eurasia, and the plains of North America
They exist between deserts and forests
Climate Soil:- Deep and dark- Upper layers are the most fertile from
the build up of decaying stems and roots
- Nutrient-rich for living plants - Its rotting roots assist in holding the
soil together
Temperature:- Has hot summers and cold winters- Summers can be over 100 degrees
Fahrenheit while the winter can be as low as -40 degrees Fahrenheit
Rainfall:- Less than in tropical savannas, though
drought usually doesn’t effect biodiversity
- Occasional fires and seasonal droughts help maintain them
- Rains in late spring and early summer (average of 20-30 inches of rainfall/year)
Climate Graph
Nutrient Flow Diagram

Native Living Organisms • Native Animals:• Bison (dominant grazing
animals) • Deer • Mice• Prairie Dogs (rodents)• Red-Tailed hawksNative Plants:• Buffalo grass• Johnson grass• Sweet Clovers• Asters• Coneflowers• Goldenrods • (Trees and large shrubs are
rarely found)
Energy Flow
Energy Flow
Gross and Net Primary Productivity
GPP:• 3.1 - 5.0 kgCm⁻²yr⁻¹• 10^9tons/yr. for the world’s
GPP• Rainfall is low• Temperatures are usually warm• Growing season is length,
preventing region to obtain a higher productivity
NPP:• Mean NPP= 600 g/sq m x yr.• 1.6 kg/m^2 of biomass• 10-30 inches of rainfall per
year• 5.4% of world’s NPP
Overall: Temperate grasslands have a low diversity of wildlife,
but a high abundance of wildlife.
Succession Secondary Succession:• Consists of the series of community changes
where a previously colonized, but disturbed or harmed habitat is present.
• Prairie fires have maintained and prevented them from turning into wooded areas
• Its grass on prairie lands have deep root systems
• This allows plants to stay alive despite the fires• Invasive plants are fortunately killed since they
haven’t adapted• Native grass then has more room to grow
Human’s Impact on this process:• As humans plow the lands, they take away the
important root systems • Such plowing takes away the soil nutrients for
plants to survive• Destroys the fields overall
Human ImpactMDC: • U.S. Prairie, Russian Steppes, Argentina
and Uruguay (in South America)• People have built power plants, cities,
schools, roads, homes, etc. (Urban development)
• Pollution from vehicles and factories
LDC:• Veldts of Africa• Gobi Deserts in Asia • Land has been divided up over time for
farming (overgrazing)• Animals in the grasslands don’t know
where else to go (loss of habitat)
How Each Are Being Handled Today
Improvements in the MDCs:1. In the U.S.A, grasses are being replanted and are
revitalizing their soil 2. In Canada, climate change policies are addressing
industrial development habits that have caused harm in the past
Improvements in the LDCs: 3. Open spaces are being preserved more today and are
slightly being taken into more consideration.4. Endangered plants and animals are having their
habitats more protected