Prairie Grasslands Biome
By Grace T., Elise L., Audrey, Marlena
Geographer’s Project
By Grace Tavi
Source; Google Images
Grassland’s Location
Description of Biome Locations
This biome is located in several continents, it can be found in; Australia, Asia, and
North and South America. Each of these places can differ in climate, but all are
mostly dry and filled with biotic and abiotic features. The land is known for being
flat, and although it provides rich and plentiful grass for eating, it does not provide
shelter from predators. It has some of the richest soils in the world.
FACTS OF EACH CONTINENT:
Australia; covers more than 247 acres, it is on of the only large scale nature areas
that exist today.
Asia; Eurasian grasslands are home to strange creatures like przwalski’s horses,
which are now only found in zoos now, and saiga, who are able to survive because
of their durance of drought.
North America; less than 8% of all grasslands are protected, but temperate
grasslands are lowest at les than 1% which includes the North American Great
Plains.
South America; Grasslands are transitional biomes, found I between deserts and
forests. The dominate grassland I South America are the Llanos.
Main source; LINK-North America ad Australia
South America’s LINK
Asia LINK
Source; Google Images, I used
the images to describe the
landscape, as well as the sources
used in future and previous links.
Description of Physical
Landscape
The landscape is flat, covered mainly in
grasses of various kinds. the soil is dry, and
water is a valued resource. Here, there are
few hills, but dry plants grow, filling the
landscape. Many bugs live here, hiding among
the grass, or under a rock. The temperature
is relatively hot here, and even though this
biome is grass filled, there are multiple types
of trees and flower species, also. Animals
here are not fully protected from predators,
evening up the animal life with similar
biomes.
Human Influences
The most important negative impact is the growth of human populations,
because of the flat, low prep land of the prairie grasslands, it makes for an
easy settlement. This is dangerous for many reasons, the animals leave
because humans are a huge threat to their survival. Another reason they
may leave, is human farming. Due to farming, we have livestock, and the
wild animals and the tame ones compete over the food sources, and
humans will consider wild animals as pests, and shoot them, or spare them
in the confidence that they will move away, perhaps adapt to a new biome,
or to compete for another animals food at different parts of the land.
Hunting is a major problem, particularly for the American Bison, that were
almost extinct during the period where they were hunted by Europeans.
They were attracted by the meat and the fur. Poachers also hunt elephants
and Rhinos in this area. As humans influence global warming, it causes the
grasslands to become particularly vulnerable. Ecological succession (where
the ecosystem of an area develops into another) is caused by climate
change, changing temperatures, weather patterns, and water availability
can change an area of grasslands forever. Since Prairies are dry, plants are
susceptible to wildfires, and although they are an act of nature, and help to
replenish the land, they tend to happen more often at places where humans
inhabit, especially in dry months.
Even though we do a great deal of bad, we also do some to help. National
Parks have been built to preserve and protect grasslands, and some
associations replant depleted areas. Laws are placed to outlaw hunting of
endangered species, (in particular, the US National Parks Service has
protected the American Bison population), and even though there is
poaching, governments around the world try to stop it.
Source:
http://classroom.synonym.com/impacts-humans-grassland-biomes2594.html
Extra Information
Endangered Animals of the
Grasslands

Black footed ferrets

Prairie dogs
Information on them

Black footed ferrets are extremely
endangered, they fed on prairie
dogs, and they dropped as did the
population of prairie dogs.

Prairie dogs were considered pests
because of their burrowing, and
their tendency to carry diseases
such as the bubonic plague.
Prairie Meteorology
By Elise Liddell
Weather Climate
The difference in climate from winter to summer is very big. The average
summer weather is 100 Degrees Fahrenheit(37.8 Degrees Celsius).
Hot weather causes fires that don’t burn plants but the fires could still hurt
animals.
Precipitation

Precipitation happens most in the month of June and least in the month of
March. Grasslands get about 25-60 inches of rain a year.
Humidity

The climate is in a mid-latitude zone. It is called a category "B“, with a "B’s"
subtype climate on the Köppen classification system. The prairiess have a
large latitude range, from 55° North to 30° South.
Air Pressure
Air pressure is made by climate
Wind Velocity

Prairies get winds between an average of 4-5 miles an hour greater than the
U.S. average. March and April are the windiest months. There are winds
below an average of 11 miles an hour
Meteorolgist sources

North American Prairie - Blue Planet Biomes

Grasslands Biome - Blue Planet Biomes

World Biomes: Grassland - KDE Santa Barbara

http://es.allmetsat.com/clima/colombia-britanico.php?code=71940

http://opatpatt.com/grasslands-wind-patterns/
Grassland Plants
By: Audrey
This is the Blazing Star. It has purple
spikes, it usually grows to five feet in
height. The Blazing Star resembles
something like the Thistle and grows well
in full sun.
https://www.directgardening.com/493-bulbs/6213-blazing-starsliatris#/quantity-40
This flower is the Shooting Star. The
petals on the Shooting Star grow
backwards and up, away from center of
the flower.
http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recreation/tablerock/table-rock-plantschaparral.php
Another plant is the Spiderwort. These
flowers only remain open for a day,
blooming in the morning and closing at
night.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spiderwort_%28Tradescantia_virgin
iana%29,_Roundhay_Park.jpg
One of the plants on the grassland
prairies is the Rattlesnake Master. The
Rattlesnake Master is part of the yucca
family.
http://www.prairiehaven.com/?p=3684
Another plant is Culver’s Root. Culver’s
Root is usually five feet tall and has no
branches until you get to where the
flowers are.
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/page/glossary
One plant is the New England Aster. It’s color can range from
lavender to blue and white.
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artdec03/bjaster.html
This is the Compass Plant. These plants can grown to be eight feet
tall!
http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/compassx.htm
One plant that I found is the Wild
Bergamot. It’s leaves are commonly used
to make mint tea, also the oil from the
leaves can be used to treat respiratory
ailments.
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/wild-bergamot
This plant is the Stiff Goldenrod. This plant attracts bees and
butterflies.
http://grownative.org/native-plant-info/seedling-identification/stiff-goldenrod/
This is Mountain Mint. It attracts bees, butterflies, wasps, and
moths!
http://www.abnativeplants.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/72/index.htm
Adaptations

The growing point of most prairie plants is underground so if there is a fire
and it gets destroyed it can re-grow.

Many prairie plants have roots that grow very far into the ground to absorb
more moisture in case of a drought.

Brightly colored flowers attract pollinators such as bees.
Adaptations

Native Prairie plants grow in clumps.
Soil
When a fire breaks out in the prairie the ashes from other dead plants
get returned to the soil and returning nutrients that the other plants
need. There are 3 main types of soil in the grassland prairies there is the
wet soil, the mesic soil, and the dry soil. Many plants that live in the wet
soil need the most water, then the plants in the mesic soil, and finally the
plants in the dry soil need the least amount of water. The grassland
prairies are very fertile and that’s why so many plants live there.
Sunlight
When fire erupts in the prairie and the tall grasses die, it gives the sun to
hit the black soil and start growing more grass. There is so much grass that
the sun doesn’t get to hit the soil very often.
Climate
In the winter the average temperature is 11-15 degrees Fahrenheit. In
winter some of the many grasses in the prairie act like a frog in the winter, in
it’s “body” a form of sugar is increased in the winter and keeps it warm and it
doesn’t freeze.
Sources
Climate: http://wildmontana.org/blog/winter-arrives-to-montanas-prairiewildlands
Sunlight: http://www.tallgrass.org/plants/
Soil: http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/prairie.htm
Animals of the Prairie
The Zoologist Section by Marlena
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_bis
http://a-z-animals.com/animals/antelope/
http://prairieecologist.com/2014/01/28/
assessing-prairie-restoration-through-the
-eyes-of-small-mammals-part-1/
Herbivores
Mice
Bison
Antelope
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/
animals/mammals/prairie-dog/
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9328843
/1/
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wil
dlifepark/wildlife/coyote.htm
Omnivores
Prairie Dog
Coyote
Swift Fox
http://owenslaterphotography.com/2013/09/10/
badgers-hunting-prairie-dogs/
http://www.silentlandscapes.com/bald-eagle
http://www.cilfm.com/2015/01/12/
quinn-vetoes-bill-to-allow-bobcat-hunting-in-il/
Carnivores
Bald Eagle
Badger
Bobcat
http://www.ralphmag.org/FT/letters2.html
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/dung-bee
http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep11b.htm
Decomposers

The dungbeetle is a decomposer on the prairie. Decomposers are very
important because they eat decaying plant and animal material and
then return the nutrients back into the air, water and soil. Dungbeetles
have three main jobs among them, the rollers, tunnelers and dwellers.
The rollers roll the balls of dung. The tunnelers then bury it by
tunneling under a dung pile. The dwellers then live in the dung pile.
Using and collecting the dung is good for the prairies because the
nutrients from the dung helps fertilize the plants. Having it in large
collections is good for this. Most things come to the plants in the
prairies, as shown in the food chains, and helping fertilize the plants is
important.
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/s
ymbols/grass.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/ani
mals/mammals/prairie-dog/
http://gfp.sd.gov/wildlife/critters/amphibi
ans-reptiles/snakes/prairierattlesnake.aspx
http://owenslaterphotography.com/2013/0
9/10/badgers-hunting-prairie-dogs/
Food Chain
Producer
Primary Consumer
Prairie Dog
Grass
Secondary Consumer
Prairie Rattlesnake
Tertiary Consumer
Badger
http://www.reflectiveimages.com/PrairieG
rass.htm
http://www.redcliffsdesertreserve.com/wil
dlife/black-tailed-jackrabbit-lepuscalifornicus
http://carnivoraforum.com/topic/9328843
/1/
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/education/wild
lifepark/wildlife/coyote.htm
Food Chain
Producer
Primary Consumer
Secondary Consumer
Tertiary Consumer
Swift Fox
Grass
Jackrabbit
Coyote
Biotic Factors

The prairies are flat areas that have little shelter and lots of grass. Because of
this, many grass eating animals that can run fast, like antelope and buffalo,
live there. They have long legs and hooves to help them run fast. They also
usually live in large herds. These animals living in the prairie have predators,
which also live in the prairies because of their prey living there.
Abiotic Factors

The grasslands are large and open with lots of grass. The animals that live
there like antelope can run quickly with their long legs and hooves. This is
because the prairie is large and open, meaning fast running predators as well.

The soil in prairies is usually is the mollisols soils type. This soil is darker
brown in color usually, and has a good amount of clay and decomposed plant
and animal matter, making it very fertile. This soil grows lots of different
types of grasses, which encourage grass eating animals and their predators.
Clay, which has fine particles and isn’t very soft will therefor make the soil
type of mollisols firm. This could be good for burrowing animals in order for
them to have burrows that won’t cave in.
Adaptations

The prairies have seasons which include cold and snowy winters. Because of
this, bison and buffalo have thick, furry, well insulated coats.

The white tailed jackrabbit, which lives in the prairie, turns white in winter

The swift fox is much faster and smaller that other foxes for a few reasons.
This will help them catch their fast running prey, running across the open
prairie, and run from their predators which include the eagle and coyote.

The swift fox has large ears. This could be for the fact that their main prey is
prairie dogs, and they will need to hear them both about in the grass and in
their burrows.
Credits

http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/grassland.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml

http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/programs/projectwild/pdf/PPT_pdfs/Prai
ries%20&%20Prairie%20Food%20Webs%20PowerPoint.pdf

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/prairie_animal_page.htm

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/americanbison/?source=A-to-Z

http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/HTML/articles/portraits/jackrabbit.htm#.VQRsEvn
F-So

http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwep11b.htm

http://plantandsoil.unl.edu/pages/informationmodule.php?idinformationmodule=
1130447032&topicorder=7&maxto=16&minto=1