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 10-36 inches of
precipitation a year, most of in the late
spring and early summer.
Cold Deserts
❖ Summer temps are from 21-26 degrees
Celsius
❖ Winter temps are on average from -2-4
degrees
❖ They get 15-26 cm of rainfall a year which
occurs typically in the Fall or early spring
Maps
Food Web
Typical Animal
❖ Black-footed ferrets
❖ Viper snakes
➢ Mustela nigripes
➢ Viperidae
➢ Mostly nocturnal creatures that spend
almost all their time underground unless
they are hunting prairie dogs
➢ 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.
Savanna
Blazing star
(Liatris
scariosa)
Buffalo Grass
(Bouteloua
dactyloides)
Wild Indigo
(baptisia
tinctoria)
Common
sagebrush
(Artemisia
tridentata)
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. 2012. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Meet The Carnivore #1." Wild Tracks. N.p., 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"Once Again, Cold Weather Doesn't Disprove Global Warming - 80 beats."80 beats. N.p., 08 Jan. 2010.
Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
"The Desert Biome." The Desert Biome. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.