Temperate
Grasslands
By Kathleen Fitzpatrick
Food Web
Where are Temperate
Grasslands found?
 North
America,
Eastern Europe,
South America,
Middle East,
Asia, Australia
 Ex) Prairies in
North America
Climate:
Summer temperatures can reach up
to 100 degrees Fahrenheit but Winter can
be down to -40 degrees Fahrenheit
Average precipitation is 10-30 inches
per year
Also called steppes/prairies/pampas
Flora and Fauna
 Jackrabbits,
snakes, foxes, deer,
grasshoppers, leafhoppers
 Predominantly grass, some trees (often
cottonwood), shrubs
Adaptations
 Nutrient
rich soils (food source for plants
and animals)
 Most species are herbivores and have
developed a special digestive system to
help with grass diet
 Ex) Some species, like prairie dogs, have
developed paws that enable them to dig
to hide from predators
Human Impact
 Overgrazing
and Plowing
Two major threats
 47% of temperate grasslands converted
to agricultural or urban developments
Fun Facts
 There
is a grassland biome on each
continent with the exception of
Antarctica.
 Grasslands are perfect for cropping and
pasturing because its soil runs deep and is
extremely fertile.
Bibliography
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https://www.msu.edu/course/isb/202/tsao/images
/foodweb.jpg
http://www.hww.ca/assets/images/where-theylive/grasslands/grasslands-world-map.jpg
http://www.prairiedogcoalition.org/images/pdogs
.jpg
http://c3131372.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/FULL.201012
22132938196.jpg
http://www.defenders.org/grasslands/temperategrasslands
http://www.botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_422/
Lecture/Lect14Grasslands.html