Grassland Biome

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Grassland Biome
Jordan Griffin Tina Corbett Hope Tilley
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What is a Grassland Biome?

• An area that is dominated by grass or grass like
  vegetation. Moderately dry climatic conditions
  and seasonal disturbances, such as floods or
  fires, are generally helpful to the growth of
  grasses and stops the growth of trees and shrubs.
  Grasslands are found in tropical, subtropical,
  and temperate regions and typically occupy
  regions between forests and deserts.
• 2 Subdivisions
• Tall Grass Prairie
• Steppe

We love Grasslands!
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Locations of Grasslands
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Tall Grass Prairie

• They consist largely of tall grasses. They
  include forbs which are broad leave herbs. Trees
  and shrubs are absent from these prairies, but
  occur in the same region as the narrow patches of
  forest in stream valleys. The grasses are deeply
  rooted and form a thick and continuous turf.
• Develop in regions of midlatitude and subtropical
  zones with well developed winter and summer
  seasons.

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Climate

• The typical climate for a Tall Grass Biome is
  relatively humid and very wet during the spring
  and for the rest of the year it is generally dry.
  The rain season begins in March with
  concentrated rainfall. Then in October the
  thunderstorms signal the beginning of the dry
  season. Due to the dry season there are a lot of
  fires. They are often caused by poachers or
  lightening strikes. The fire leaves scorched
  earth which enriches the earth. Average annual
  rainfall is 25-60in per year which makes a
  hot/humid summer.

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We All Love Animals

• Burrowing Owl
• This animal can be found in Texas and other
  western portions of North America. It makes its
  home in regions of South America as well. The
  burrowing owl lives in grassland and desert
  biomes. It is 9 -11 inches tall and 23 inches
  long. It is very small and pudgy. It can often be
  seen in the sun because it loves heat. These owls
  have a loud hoot for a voice. They have long
  legs, a short tail, and lots of feathers. Their
  eyes are extremely sensitive. They eat small
  birds, rodents, and rarely, carrion. They bolt
  down on their food to kill it. Burrowing owls are
  not very active animals.

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Tall Grass Prairie Animals

• The European ferret is in the class of mammals.
  It is found mainly in Europe, but can be found
  also in parts of Asia. The European ferret is
  about 15" to 19" long total, with a tail that is
  5-7" long. Its colors vary. These animals are
  slender and weigh 3-5 pounds. Their hind legs are
  elevated above their head and tail. The lifespan
  of this animal is up to fourteen years. A female
  is called a jill.
• European ferrets squeak to each other. They also
  growl when they are angry or playful. They feed
  mainly from chicken coops and rabbit hutches.
  They also eat mice, rats, and voles. The European
  ferret does not hibernate or migrate because its
  body temperature does not drop enough for its
  body to slow down to enter the stage of
  hibernation. It lives with other ferrets in small
  groups, and also hunts together. After a
  gestation period of six weeks, the female gives
  birth to anywhere from two to twelve young, who
  are born blind and remain so for about twenty
  days. The European ferret usually breeds twice a
  year.

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Tall Grass Prairie Animals

• Badger
• The badger is a burrowing mammal with a
  black-and-white striped face. Badgers are
  nocturnal (most active at night). They are found
  in tropical forests, plains, woodlands,
  mountains, and prairies in Asia, Europe, and
  North America. Badgers have a life span of 11-13
  years in captivity. They are closely related to
  skunks, martens, and weasels. Some badgers live
  in groups called clans. These clans construct
  complex, long-lasting networks of tunnels and
  chambers called sets. Members of clans
  communicate using sounds and scents. North
  American badgers are solitary European badgers
  are sociable. Their enemies include people,
  coyotes, and dogs.

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The Plant Life

• Over 100 types of plants can occur in the
  Prairies over a duration of 5 acres. Some of
  these plants have roots that extend 12ft below
  the surface. Each year the roots die which
  supplies the ground with fertile soil.
• Tall grass prairie biome has been altered due
  to agriculture in these areas.
• The most common plants in the Prairies are
• Big and Little Bluestem
• Indian grass
• Switch grass

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Tall Grass Prarie Plants

• Big and Little Bluestem
• Big bluestem is tolerant of a wide range of
  soils and moisture. Depending on soil and
  moisture conditions, it grows to a height of 1
  3m (3 10 ft). Big Bluestem is a perennial
  grass. The stem base turns to a blue-purple as it
  matures. The seed heads have three spike-like
  projections, resulting in another common name for
  big bluestem "turkey foot." The roots are deep.
  Big bluestem is also called tall grass or simply
  called prairie tall grass

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Little Bluestem
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Tall Grass Prairie plants

• Indian Grass
• The Indian grass, also known as Sorghastrum
  nutans, is a clump forming native grass that
  reaches 4-5' in height. Golden, plume-like seed
  heads are formed in the summer. Indian grass is
  one of the most important native tall grasses.
  There are prominent claw-like lobes or
  "rabbit-ears" at the point where the leaf blade
  attaches to the stem. Indian Grasses have
  plume-like seed heads that turn a chestnut brown,
  and later take on a grey coloration. This grass
  is fairly tolerant to drought conditions. Seeds
  are consumed by birds and small mammals.

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Steppe

• Also called short grass prairies, consists of
  short grasses occurring in sparse clumps or
  bunches.
• Scattered shrubs and low trees may also be found
  in steppe.
• Steppe grasslands correspond well with the
  semiarid subtype of the dry continental climate.

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Climate

• This climate is characterized by hot summers and
  cold winters with temperatures ranging from -40
  degrees Fahrenheit to over 100 degrees in the
  summer. Rainfall occurs from late spring to early
  summer which creates ideal agricultural
  conditions. Average rainfall is between 10-30in
  per year.

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Plant life in steppe grasslands

• The plant cover is poor and a lot of bare soil
  is exposed. Many species of grass and forbs
  occur.
• Steppe grades into semi-desert in dry
  environments and into prairie where rainfall is
  higher.
• The most common plants in the Steppe are
• Buffalo grass
• Sunflowers
• Locoweed

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Steppe Buffalo grass
Buffalograss is a low growing, commonly only 8 to
10 inches high, warm season perennial grass.
Individual leaf blades may reach 10 to 12 inches
in length, but they fall over and give the turf a
short appearance. Buffalograss has a
stoloniferous growth habit, curly leaves, and
both staminate and pistillate flowers.
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Steppe Animals

• Steppe animals are distinctive and before the
  use of grasslands for farming there was an
  abundance of large grazing mammals.
• Today rodents and rabbits join cattle as the
  major grazers in the grasslands.
• The animals that live in steppe grasslands are
• Buffalo
• Pronghorn antelope
• Rabbits
• Prairie dogs

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Buffalo

• Buffalo are now nearly extinct there use to be
  60 million in 1889 that number was decreased to
  800 individual buffalo. Most of the buffalo left
  are located in the Yellowstone National Park.