Chris Zajac

 North America- prairies of the Great Plains ◦ Extend from southern Canada to Gulf of Mexico  Eurasia  South America  Africa

 Moderate rainfall  Receives between 300 and 1,000 mm of precipitation each year ◦ Amount of annual rainfall influences the height of grassland vegetation ◦ Can experience droughts that last multiple years  Hot summers  Cold winters

 Very rich soil ◦ Deep and dark ◦ Fertile upper layers  Growth and decay of many-branched grass roots  Rotted roots hold soil together  Help to provide a source of food for living plants  Flat, treeless, covered with various types of flowers and grasses.

 Vegetation ◦ Many species of grasses  Purple needlegrass, blue grama, buffalo grass, and galleta ◦ Flowers  Asters, blazing stars, coneflowers, goldenrods, sunflowers, clovers, and wild indigos ◦ Many other herbaceous plants (non-woody)

 Fauna  (do not all occur in same temperate grassland) ◦ Gazelles, zebras, rhinoceroses, wild horses, lions, wolves, prairie dogs, jack rabbits, deer, mice, coyotes, foxes, skunks, badgers, blackbirds, grouses, meadowlarks, quails, sparrows, hawks, owls, snakes, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and spiders

 Cultivate grasslands ◦ Plowed land ◦ Some of the most fertile farm lands on earth ◦ Used to farm and feed the world ◦ Used to raise livestock  For human consumption  Milk production/ dairy products  Soils have lost as much as 35% to 40% of organic matter in last 40 years

 Google. (2009). Google. Retrieved Sep. 06, 2009, from Google. Web site:  Grassland. (2009, August 31). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:30, August 31, 2009, from &oldid=  Molles, M C. (2008). Ecology Concepts and Applications Fourth Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.  SLW,. Retrieved Sep. 06, Web site: /biomes/tempgrass/tempgras.html.  Webber, C. (2002). The Grassland Biome. Retrieved Sep. 06, 2009, from California Academy of Science, California. Web site: slands.php.