Grasslands Biome Project

Grasslands can be found in many areas of the world. A grassland is a large open area covered in especially grass, mostly used for grazing. The animals and plants found in grasslands can be viewed as large and unique, but there are also many common ones that you could find in your backyard.

Climate

Grasslands tend to have a stark contrast between the seasons. The summers are hot, while the winters are dismal and cold. Over millions of years, the grasslands have grown, developed, and changed into what even the most incapable mind could infer: large plots of land with grass. How did such a seemingly plain biome come to be? Millions of years ago, the grasslands began developing after the mountainous areas brought upon climate change. Take North America's Rocky Mountains as an example. This mountain chain acted as a large barrier which prevented moisture from moving farther into the continent from the Pacific Ocean. This resulted in a drier climate as you move towards the center of the continent. A similar process occurred in other parts of the world such as in central Asia and South America. This new drier climate caused trees and other vegetation requiring larger quantities of water to die. These plants were replaced by grasses, which are more adapted to drier areas.

Plants

Grasslands are large open plains covered in grass. They provide food for a wide variety of animals. In the grasslands, there are many different types of grasses and every plant has a purpose.

In the temperate grasslands, grasses dominate over any other plant. It is rare to find many trees and types of shrubs. Some of the grasses include ryegrass, wild oats, foxtail, buffalo grass, and more. There are also different types flowers that animals eat.

There are also tropical grasslands. Another name for tropical grasslands are savannas. The different types of grasses in savannas can grow to be 3 to 6 feet tall. There are lemon grass, star grass, red oats grass, and more. There are minimal shrubs and barely any trees because of the lack of rain. You would find Baobab trees and Acacia trees because they can deal with dry conditions by storing water in their bark.

Animals

In the grassland biome, there are a wide variety of animals. There are many large heard animals followed by predators which keeps the energy flowing.

There are two different biomes; temperate grasslands and tropical grasslands(savanna). The temperate grasslands are more common in the northern hemisphere such as the Great Plains of North America. Some animals that are in the temperate grasslands are Bison, Pocket Gophers, Prairie Dogs, Swift Foxes, Badgers, Black-Footed Ferrets, and Pumas.

The tropical grasslands are more common in the southern hemisphere such as African savannas. Some common animals that are found in the tropical grasslands are Cheetahs, Camels, Leopards, Lions, Ostriches, Rhinos, Zebras, African Elephants, African Wild Dogs, Giraffes, and Hyenas.

Locations of Grasslands