The document provides an overview of grassland ecosystems, describing their characteristics, types (tropical and temperate), and the impact of climate on their distribution. It highlights specific features of these ecosystems, including vegetation, animal adaptations, and the threats they face from agricultural practices and climate change. Solutions to mitigate these threats are also discussed, emphasizing education, crop rotation, and habitat restoration.

1. Grassland as an
ecosystem
Presentation by Alexandra Naumenko,
FECET-107

2. What is an Ecosystem?
●
An ecosystem is the interaction of living and non-living things within an area (a
community and its abiotic environment). Particular types of stable ecosystems will
emerge in a given geographical area according to climate conditions.
●
A biome is a geographical area
that has a particular climate and
sustains a specific community of
plants and animals.
●
The main factors affecting the
distribution of biomes is
temperature and rainfall.
●
These factors will vary according
to latitude and longitude, as well
as altitude and proximity to the
ocean.

3. What is grassland?
●
Grassland Ecosystem is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other
herbaceous (non-woody) plants. It is also called transitional landscape because grassland
ecosystems are dominated by the grass with few or no trees in the area where there is not
enough for a forest and too much of a forest.
There are 2 types of Grassland
ecosystems:
Tropical Grassland (Savannah) and
Temperate Grassland.
●
Grasslands cover around 40 percent of the Earth's surface.

4. Tropical Grasslands (Savannah)
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The savanna climate varies according to the season. In the wet season, weather is warm
and a savanna receives as much as 50 inches of rain. But during the dry season,
weather can be extremely hot, and rainfall will amount to only four inches each month.
This combination of high temperatures and little precipitation makes savannas perfect
areas for grass and brush fires during their dry seasons.
●
Grasslands are located on every continent except Antarctica. The largest savannas are
located in Africa near the equator.
●
The savanna biome is an area of grassland with dispersed trees or clusters of trees. The
lack of water makes the savanna a difficult place for tall plants such as trees to grow.
Grasses and trees that grow in the savanna have adapted to life with little water and hot
temperatures. Grasses grow quickly in the wet season when water is abundant and turn
brown in the dry season to conserve water. Some trees store water in their roots and
only produce leaves during the wet season. Due to frequent fires, grasses are short and
close to the ground and some plants are fire resistant. Examples of vegetation in the
savanna include wild grasses, shrubs, baobab trees, and acacia trees.

5. ●
Many of the savanna biome animals are grazing herbivores that migrate
through the region. They rely on their herd numbers and speed for
survival, as the vast open areas provide little means of escape from quick
predators. If the prey is too slow, it becomes dinner. If the predator is not
fast enough, it goes hungry. Camouflage and mimicry are also very
important to animals of the savanna. Predators often need to blend in
with their environment in order to sneak up on unsuspecting prey. The
puff adder, for example, is a snake with sandy coloring that allows it to
blend in with dry grasses and shrubs. Prey also use the same camouflage
technique as a defense mechanism to conceal themselves from animals
higher up on the food chain.
●
The savanna is home to many large land mammals, including elephants,
giraffes, zebras, rhinoceroses, buffalo, lions, leopards, and cheetahs.
Other animals include baboons, crocodiles, antelopes, meerkats, ants,
termites, kangaroos, ostriches, and snakes.

6. Temperate Grasslands
●
Temperate grasslands are areas of open grassland with very few trees. However, they're located in
colder climate regions and receive less precipitation on average than savannas.
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Grasslands are located on every continent with the exception of Antarctica.
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Three natural factors that impact temperate grassland biomes are tornadoes, blizzards, and fires.
Temperate grasslands located in colder regions also experience icy winters and blizzards. High
winds generate sudden snowstorms that spread across the plains. Due to the hot, dry summer
climate, wildfires are common in temperate grasslands. These fires are usually sparked by
lightning but are also the result of human activity. The thick dry grass fuels fires that can spread
for hundreds of miles. While fires are destructive in nature, they also ensure that prairies remain
grasslands and are not overtaken by scrub vegetation.
●
Temperate grasslands a difficult place for tall plants such as woody shrubs and trees to grow.
Grasses of this area have adapted to cold temperatures, drought, and occasional fires. These
grasses have deep, massive root systems that take hold in the soil, which allows the grasses to
remain firmly rooted in the ground to reduce erosion and to conserve water.
●
Temperate grasslands are home to many large herbivores. Some of these include bison, gazelles,
zebras, rhinoceroses, and wild horses. Carnivores, like lions and wolves, are also found in
temperate grasslands. Other animals of this region include: deer, prairie dogs, mice, jack rabbits,
skunks, coyotes, snakes, foxes, owls, badgers, blackbirds, grasshoppers, meadowlarks, sparrows,
quails, and hawks.

7. The difference between Tropical
Grasslands and Temperate Grasslands

8. Specific threats to grasslands:
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Poor agricultural practices can ruin soil and strip grasslands of life. If crops are not
rotated properly, the soil can become infertile and nothing can be grown for several years.
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Monocropping, or growing only one crop at a time (like corn) is an agricultural practice
that depletes the soil’s nutrients. Further, because grasslands thrive off of biodiversity of
plants and animals, monocropping that provides only a single type of plant tends to weaken
the biome and increases vulnerability to natural disasters.
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Toxic pesticides used in agricultural croplands can be deadly for wild flora and fauna.
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Grazing livestock can consume, trample, and destroy grasses. Selective grazing can
reduce the competitive nature of the entire ecosystem by weeding out some plants and
allowing others to over-populate. Additionally, conventional agricultural croplands often
provide few food sources and nesting areas for birds.
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Continued global warming could turn current marginal grasslands into deserts as rainfall
patterns change.
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Development of urban areas is increasingly cutting into grassland habitat.
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Invasive species can displace native plants and reduce the quality of a grassland. Invasive
plants may not be equipped to handle extreme weather, like droughts and wildfires, thus
resulting in further habitat loss.

9. Solutions to grassland problems:
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Continue education efforts, particularly among farmers, on how to protect
the soil and prevent soil erosion.
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Protect and restore wetlands, which are an important part of grassland
ecology.
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Rotate agricultural crops to prevent the sapping of nutrients.
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Plant trees as windbreaks to reduce erosion on farm fields (though make
sure it is the right species for the area).
●
Conduct controlled dry season burning to stimulate fresh plant growth
and to restore calcium to the soil that builds up in the dry grasses. Some
species of native plants need occasional fire to thrive, while blazes can also
help remove invasive species.