Geography Notes - On Temperate Grasslands - For W.B.C.S. Examination.

Posted on October 15th, 2019 in Geography
Tags: Geography, Notes, WBCS

Geography Notes – On Temperate Grasslands – For W.B.C.S. Examination.

ভূগোল নোট – নতিশীতোষ্ণ গ্রাসল্যান্ডস – WBCS পরীক্ষা।

The 400 million acres stretching from Canada to Mexico once had an abundance of wildlife unmatched anywhere else in North America. The symbiotic relationship between wildlife and the grasslands is what makes this place so special.Continue Reading Geography Notes – On Temperate Grasslands – For W.B.C.S. Examination.

Deep-rooted perennial grasses keep the deep soils intact and feed the abundant grazers including elk, pronghorn, deer and bison. In turn, as bison forage they disturb the soil with their hooves and disperse native seeds. Prairie dogs prefer lands grazed by bison for their colonies, and they in turn provide the prey base for many predators including black-footed ferrets, hawks, eagles, badgers and swift fox. Grassland birds such as mountain plovers and burrowing owls nest in prairie dog colonies.

These intricate connections are what provide for a healthy Great Plains environment. But today, the Great Plains are one of the most threatened, the most altered and least protected habitats in North America. Prior to European American settlement, these grasslands supported millions of bison, elk and pronghorn. Grizzly bears and gray wolves once roamed the plains, with scenes of natural selection a regular spectacle.

Threats

Millions of acres have been converted for crop production and human communities. Much of the remainder is subject to intensive livestock grazing. These practices have led and continue to lead to habitat loss, declining biodiversity and fragmentation of populations, directly impacting Great Plains wildlife and habitats. Other threats include poor wildlife management practices, with states and federal agencies often disregarding imperiled and keystone species in favor of extractive uses of the land.

Biodiversity Patterns
Relatively low alpha, beta, and gamma diversity, except for some exceptionally rich floras in some regions; most species have relatively widespread distributions; some larger vertebrate species may occur in great abundance.

Minimum Requirements
Many vagile species require large natural landscapes to be able to track seasonal or patchy resources, or to move from areas impacted by large-scale disturbances such as fire; the presence of water and riparian vegetation important for many species; large natural areas are needed to maintain natural fire regimes which are important for maintaining community structure and composition.

Sensitivity to Disturbance
Plowing of grasslands, savannas, and shrublands can drastically alter species compositions and the restoration potential of natural communities; excessive burning or fire suppression can dramatically alter community structure and composition; loss and degradation of riparian or gallery forest habitats and water sources has significant impacts on wildlife; overgrazing causes significant community changes, erosion, and reduction in restoration potential; loss of keystone species such as buffalo, saiga, and prairie dogs can have major impacts on animal and plant communities.

Like savannas, temperate grasslands are areas of open grassland with very few trees. Temperate grasslands, however, are located in colder climate regions and receive less precipitation on average than savannas.

Climate

Temperatures in temperate grasslands vary according to the season. In winter, temperatures can plummet to well below 0 degrees Fahrenheit in some areas. In summer, temperatures can reach above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperate grasslands receive low to moderate precipitation on average per year (20-35 inches). Most of this precipitation is in the form of snow in temperate grasslands of the northern hemisphere.

Vegetation

Low to moderate precipitation makes 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. This allows the grasses to remain firmly rooted in the ground to reduce erosion and to conserve water.

Temperate grassland vegetation can either be short or tall. In areas that receive little precipitation, grasses remain low to the ground. Taller grasses can be found in warmer areas that receive more rainfall. Some examples of vegetation in temperate grasslands include: buffalo grass, cacti, sagebrush, perennial grasses, sunflowers, clovers, and wild indigos.

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