Grassland
By: Mason M, Camryn C & Garrette W
Geology
There are many types of grassland that are around the world all in different locations. There are millions of square miles along them. The grasslands are located in several countries and continents including Eurasia, South America, South Africa and North America. The soil in grasslands is really rich. Many people live there because of their rich soil and great grass for their cattle. The grasslands are still vast and they’re also marked with sparse trees and extensive grasses and also a variety of small and large animals.
Meteorology
The weather in grasslands is very amazing because of its ability to change temperatures so fast with drastic effect. The summers are hot they can gets over 100 degrees F sometimes and the winters are very cold. Rain in the grasslands usually occurs in the late spring and early summer. The yearly average amount of precipitation is about (20-35) inches of rain (55,95) centimeters. Usually much or most of it falls as snow in the winter. The grasslands are a very unique biome with lots of animals that we don’t see anywhere else. They are very hot but can also be very cold, but when dry and lightning strikes they can catch fire and burn all the grass, the grass adapted by keeping its seeds underground.
Botanist
Mostly grasses with a few trees grow in grasslands. Some plants include Buffalo grass, Big bluestem grass and Milkweed. Buffalo grass is a warm-season grass that grows between 2-5 inches tall and spreads out between 6-12 feet. During the winter the plant is tan and during the spring it turns lavender. Buffalo grass is heat, cold & drought resistant and has both male & female plants. Big Bluestem grass also called turkey feet is 3-10 feet tall and blooms through June and September. This plant is used for food for bison. Their blades turn bronze in the fall and the roots grow deep into the ground so it doesn’t blow away. The last plant is the Milkweed, which has white poisonous sap grows 2-3 ½ feet high with leaves 9 inches- 1 foot long. Milkweed blossoms during the spring with red & yellow petals. It attracts bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. It’s also a native plant for South American grasslands.
Zoologist
How many animals do you think live in grasslands? A few of them are bison, prairie dogs & lions. Bison eat mostly grasses like Big Bluestem grass. They have a population of 20,000 & have flat-topped teeth to help them eat. The female cows lead their family group. Another animal is the prairie dog and they eat grass and some insects. They use their paws to borrow into the ground during the day so they can venture out during the night since they are nocturnal. They also use the color of their skin to blend in with the plants. Prairie dogs have a population of 10-20 million. The last animal is the lion, which eats the meat of their prey. Lions live in large groups, which the male runs.
Anthropologist
A Anthropologist role is the study of humans. People in the Grassland area live near the rich soil, and water so they are able to farm and raise their domestic animals like sheep and cattle. The People that live on the land have changed their environment a lot. They’ve changed it to where instead of them having native grasses they now supply corn, wheat, and other grains. People have changed the grassland biome a lot over the years. In fact 25% of grasslands have disappeared due to people farming, building power plants, cities, schools, and other urban developments.
Conservationist
A conservationist is someone who advocates or acts for the protection of the environment. If people really wanted to they could leave the grassland the way they found it when they leave. All they would really have to do is replant the native grasses and tear down the buildings they built. But there are still problems in the grassland. Some of the threats that people cant control are the wildfires, drought, and conversion to farmland by people. As I’ve said before because of people 25% of grasslands have disappeared. You really cant harvest anything from the grassland beside grass. Almost all harvesting in the grassland are non-native seeds, grasses, wheat etc.… With all this said it just shows that people can change a environment/ biome by really not even trying.