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The Grasslands

The Grasslands. By Ben Moore, CJ Purse, Ryland Valley, Lauren Church. What is a Grassland?. Have an average of 10-40 inches of rainfall per year Wetter then deserts but too dry to support forest life Usually have flat and rolling topography

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The Grasslands

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  1. The Grasslands By Ben Moore, CJ Purse, Ryland Valley, Lauren Church

  2. What is a Grassland? • Have an average of 10-40 inches of rainfall per year • Wetter then deserts but too dry to support forest life • Usually have flat and rolling topography • Grasslands vary greatly between each other because of different rainfall amounts and temperature • Common types of grasslands include: • Short grass prairies • Tall grass prairies • Savanna’s • Veldt • Pampas • Steppes

  3. The Savanna • Occurs at the edges of tropical deciduous forests • Characterized by less than 12 inches of rain per year, most of which falls during a short rainy season • South American and Australian Savannas vary in their vegetation based on the amount of rainfall • With the lowest possible rainfall, rapidly growing grasses dominate the landscape • With a greater rainfall, acacia and other shrubs grow in patches • With the greatest possible rainfall, savanna’s become tropical woodlands with tall, coarse grasses, shrubs, and low trees. • Savanna grasses can grow from three to twelve feet tall!

  4. Animals of the savanna: warthogs, zebras, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, guinea-fowls, ostriches, and innumerable other vertebrates and invertebrates • Animals of the savanna have developed definite specialization in the use of the feeding base • For example, warthogs feed on underground parts of the plants (roots, rhizomes, tubers). Large grazing animals (like a zebra) use the herbaceous level (the portion of the grasses and other plants above the earth). The lovers of leaves and brunches "carefully" prune shrubs and trees of different layers. Cheetah’s mainly attacks herbivorous animals. Hyenas and vultures feed on carrions and the remains of the meal of the predators. Biodiversity of the Savanna • Species diversity is considerably less in a Savanna in comparison to a rainforest • Species in a Savanna form packs, herds, flocks, and prides and are characterized best by their high density • Termites and insects are elaborate architects • They build elaborately raised shelters/nests reaching in size 3-4 meters across and 7 meters in height • Construct by fastening together soil with excrement's or saliva

  5. The Arctic Tundra

  6. Biodiversity Reindeer Moss Liverworts • Low shrubs, sedges, reindeer mosses, liverworts, and grasses • Flowers • Crustose and foliose lichen • Mammals • Birds • Insects • Fish

  7. Climate and Location • Location • Coldest biome • -30°F - winter • 45°F – summer • Low precipitation • Permafrost • Wind

  8. Short Grass Prairie Strong winds, light/infrequent rainfall, rapid evaporation. 10 to 12 inches of precipitation per year Has become the western “wheat-belt” for farming Farmers have used the prairie to grow canola, the tiny seeds are crushed to make canola oil With all of this planting, less than 5% of the short grass prairie remains Relatively treeless, uplands dominated by blue grama and buffalo grass, warm-season grasses that flourish under intensive grazing -Animals: pronghorn antelope, elk, wild horses, mule deer

  9. Biodiversity • Birds endemic to the short-grass prairie express life-history characteristics and habitat use in response to grazing • Loss of biodiversity caused by human activities Scientists have concluded that grasslands are the most imperiled major ecological regions worldwide. The shortgrass prairie may be moving closer to ecological collapse, given dramatic alterations of the plains by human agriculture/development. • Scientists link the reduction of prairie dogs, destruction of habitat, and loss of biodiversity. This biological imperilment has manifested itself: there are 55 grassland species listed as endangered/threatened

  10. Pampas are flat, fertile plains The Grassy plains of southern America, especially in Argentina The pampas are located just below Buenos Aires, between 34° and 30° south latitude, and 57° and 63° west latitude. The word Pampa comes from the Guarani Indian word for “Level Plain” The Pampas

  11. Climate • The climate in the pampas is humid and warm • Average temp is between 40 -77 degrees Fahrenheit) • Winds from the Atlantic ocean affect climate • Average precipitation is about 10-20 inches a year

  12. Plant Life • Various kinds of plant life • Main plant is Pampas Grass • Can grow from 8-12 feet tall • Native plants • Water lilies • Reeds • These plants are usually wetland plants but have adapted to dry land conditions • Scarce amounts of trees

  13. Plant life • Fires don’t kill the grasses • They have root crowns • They kill trees • Because trees have shallow roots Except for the Ombu, which has made adaptations to protect itself from fires

  14. Animals • Many mammals can be found in the pampas • Geoffrey's cat • gray coat and black striped legs (mostly invisible in the mesquite of bunchgrass) • Animals include • double collared seedeater • The great pampas finch • The grass land yellow finch • Long tailed red finch

  15. Solutions Human Effects on Grasslands • Hunting of bison and buffalo has been banned • Although only 1% of grasslands are protected, governments are now more aware of the issue. • Grasses have been replanted in other areas to make up for land cleared for farming • Large areas of grasslands, especially in Mid-West U.S, have been turned into farmlands for growing crops or rearing cattle • Sometimes we start fires and they spread quickly through grasses and damage the soil (dry lightning) • Oil mining in tundra and contaminates ground water for us and animals • Fertilizer and overgrazing are serious threats to pampas • Pampas are to be on of the most endangered habitats today • Many animals have been hunted for valuable body parts • Elephants for their tusks • Lions for their fur • Bison for their meat

  16. Bibliography • http://www.darwin.museum.ru/expos/bio/savanee.htm • http://library.thinkquest.org/26634/grass/impact.htm • "Grasslands." World of Biology. Gale, 2010. Gale Science In Context. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. • http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcp/wildnotes/winter06/images/bryo1.jpg • http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/interesting/lichens/images/cladina_arbuscula_gaustin_lg.jpg • http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=tundra&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=782l1286l0l1426l6l3l0l1l1l0l172l345l2.1l4l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1920&bih=933&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi • http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/tundra.php

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