Temperate Grasslands/Cold Deserts by Chidera Onwugbufor and Deja Knox

Descriptions Temperate Grasslands ❖ Composed of a rich mixtures of grasses ❖ Fertile soil ➢ Because of this, these lands are used a lot for agriculture ❖ They are located north of the Tropic of Cancer and south of the Tropic of Capricorn Cold Deserts ❖ Deserts that receive a fair amount of snow in the winter and sometimes in the summer ❖ They get very little precipitation other than snow ❖ Soil has abundant nutrients in it ❖ They are typically found in basins such as Utah, Nevada and Western Asia.

Precipitation and Climate Temperate Grasslands ❖ In this biome there are very hot summers with temperatures going above 100 degrees Fahrenheit ❖ The winters are very cold as well with temps pt to -40 Fahrenheit ❖ They typically get inches of precipitation a year, most of in the late spring and early summer. Cold Deserts ❖ Summer temps are from degrees Celsius ❖ Winter temps are on average from -2-4 degrees ❖ They get cm of rainfall a year which occurs typically in the Fall or early spring

Maps

Food Web

Typical Animal ❖ Black-footed ferrets ➢ Mustela nigripes ➢ Mostly nocturnal creatures that spend almost all their time underground unless they are hunting prairie dogs ❖ Viper snakes ➢ Viperidae ➢ Possesses a cytotoxin that breaks down cell walls and is not fatal to human beings but is to other smaller creatures that live in the desert

Plants of the Temperate Grasslands Because of the low precipitation rates received in the grasslands,it is difficult for trees or large shrubs to survive under the conditions in this area. For these reasons the majority of plants found in the biome consists of different types of grasses.These grasses have adapted to survive long periods of drought,as well as extremely cold temperatures and also occasional fires which happen throughout the area. Buffalo Grass (Bouteloua dactyloides) Common sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) Savanna Blazing star (Liatris scariosa) Wild Indigo (baptisia tinctoria)

Plants of Cold Desert Great Basin Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata) Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) Prickly pear (Opuntia Macrorhiza Engelm

Environmental Threats Temperate Grasslands ❖ Due to its fertile soil, 50 percent of the land is used for farming or urban development ❖ This leads to overgrazing and plowing both of which are harmful to these grasslands ❖ The lack of fire in these areas is also a problem Cold Deserts ❖ Global warming is the primary threat ➢ Decreasing rainfall in cold deserts ➢ Increased rainfall in arid deserts ■This messes with river ecology ❖ Urban developments are destroying unknown desert flora and fauna which may possess like saving medicines ❖ Increased amounts of salt in the soil might contaminate the surrounding area’s freshwater

Solutions ❖ International Environmental Act ❖ Desert Water Agency ➢ Restrict water those live near deserts ❖ Rotate agricultural crops ➢ To prevent the sapping of nutrients of the Earth ❖ Conduct dry season burning ➢ It allows for fresh growth and restore the soil

Bibliography "Temperate Grasslands." Defenders of Wildlife. N.p., 24 Apr Web. 30 Sept "Meet The Carnivore #1." Wild Tracks. N.p., 26 Apr Web. 30 Sept "Once Again, Cold Weather Doesn't Disprove Global Warming - 80 beats."80 beats. N.p., 08 Jan Web. 30 Sept "The Desert Biome." The Desert Biome. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept