Temperate Grasslands
By: Damien Zamora & McKenna Carboy
Climate:
Plants in the Temperate Grasslands
Wild Oats- Avena sativa Wild Oats have narrow leaves which loose less water than broad leaves.
Perennial Ryegrass- Lolium perenne This ryegrass has an extensive root system that prevents grazing aniamls from pulling the grass out of the ground.
Buffalo Grass- Bouteloua dactyloides Roots of Buffalo Grass extend deep into the ground to absorb as much as much moisture as they can.
Wild Sunflowers- Hellanthus annus Soft stems enable wild sunflowers to bend in the strong wind.
Long-bracted Wild Indigo- Baptista bracteata Wild Indigos have a mild toxin which make them uneatable to cattle, this toxin protects them against most preadators.
Animals in the Temperate Grasslands
Animal: Scientific Name: Adaptations:
Bison- Bison Bison's have a sharp sense of hearing and smell.Pronghorn- Antilocapra americana The Pronghorn has incredible speed to escape predators.
Monarch Butterfly- Danaus plexippus Have bright colors to tell predators they do not taste good.
Wolves- Canis lupus
Coyotes- Canis latrans Coyotes have the ability to be stealthy by pouncing on prey.
Ladybird Beetle- Coccinellidae
Sparrow- Passeridae Sparrows have adapted to live near humans.
Grouse- Tetraoninae
Food Web
Mutualism: The Monarch Butterfly and the Sunflower can both benefit from each other. The Sunflower gets pollinated by the butterfly, and the butterfly gets their food from the sunflower.
Commensalism: The Ladybirg beetle benefits from the buffalo grass because it's the beetles food, however the buffalo grass does not get harmed in any way.
Parasitism: A Pronghorn eating wild oats, the wild oats are harmed.
Competition: Wolves and Coyotes are both competing for food on the food web because they eat the same animals.
Food Pyramid
Human Influence
- The hunting of animals have been banned due to extinction.
- National have been created in order to preserve extinction.
- People are becoming more aware of the situation and favor in protecting the temperate grassland biome.
Negative
- Hundreds of animals have been hunted for valuable body parts.
- Wildfires occur sometimes by humans which damage the plants and soil.
- Due to burning fossil fuels, climate change may further dwindle grassland health causing changes in temperature and causing droughts.
Stages of Succession
End of the Ice Age
Prairie Fires
Originals
Intresting Facts
1. Grassland biomes are normally situated between a forest and a desert.
2. 25% of the Earth is covered by the grassland biome.
3. There is a grassland biomeon every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
References
- http://www.defenders.org/grasslands/temperategrasslands
- http://w3marietta.edu/~bill/biomes/grass.htm
- http://carolinegoogleearth.blogspot.com/2011/01/succession.html