Brian Woodcock

Period 1

Temperate Grassland Biome:

General Information: This biome is primarily found with grass and shrub vegetation,
with a temperate climate that includes semi-arid to semi-humid conditions. These
weather conditions and fertile soil allow for growing crops and grazing cattle.

Location: Central North America, parts of Africa, Australia, and SE South America.
The latitudes are around: 40-43˚ North, 33˚ South, and 30˚ South.

Climate: The average annual precipitation is around 10-35 inches, with very cold
winters and very warm summers. The average temperature is around -20˚C in the
winter and 30˚C in the summer. This extreme temperature range calls for certain
adaptations for the flora and fauna of this biome. Ingeniera White, Argentina:
Flora: Primarily grasses, ranging in height anywhere from 2.1 meters, down to 20
cm tall. Usually the grasses die down to the roots, so that the roots and buds are
protected through the cold winters. This is called a dormant season in which there is
too much frost for plants to grow, during warming conditions the growing season
occurs (around 100-175 days out of the year). Some trees may be found near
streams, but otherwise no due to low precipitation. This area is also a popular
location for growing crops due to ideal weather conditions and fertile soil.

Fauna: Primarily large grazing mammals, small burrowing mammals, and birds
inhabit this biome. There are also some large roaming mammals such as the bison.
An important function of the fauna in this biome is the contribution to the mineral
content of soil. Many of the burrowing critters leave organic matter allowing for
vegetation growth, or others such as the earthworm help to oxygenate the soil.
There are also millions of bacteria that ensure that the waste matter does not pile
up. These all allow for fertile soil that can be used for vegetation or crops.

Unique Features: The very fertile soil makes for ideal crop growing conditions. In the
U.S. many of the temperate grasslands have been converted to agricultural fields.
Also the wild grazers have been replaced by cattle. The climate conditions also
include a very extreme temperature range, which moves from bone-chilling cold in
the winter, to scorching heat in the summer.