E.V.

S ASSIGNMENT

Name: Sneha Motghare

Roll no :26
Div :B
Taught by: Pratima mam
 Topic : Grasslands and Desert Ecosystem
Contents
• Introduction to grasslands
• Difference between temperate and tropical grassland
• Human impact and importance
• Habitat
• Threat to grasslands
• Conservation
• Desert ecosystem
• Climate
• Adaptations
• Deserts and climate change
• Restoration techniques
• Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION
Grasslands: grasslands are areas where
the vegetation is dominated by grasses
They occur naturally on all continents
except Antarctica and are found in most
eco regions of the Earth. Furthermore,
grasslands are one of the largest biomes
on earth and dominate the landscape
worldwide. They cover 31-43% of the
earth's surface.
 There are two main kinds of grasslands:
Tropical and Temperate. Examples of
temperate grasslands include Eurasian
steppes, North American prairies, and
Argentine pampas. Tropical grasslands
include the hot savannas of sub-Saharan
Africa and northern Australia.
ANIMALS FOUND
IN TEMPERATE
GRASSLANDS
Badgers, Coyotes,
Prairie dogs, Swift
foxes etc.
Difference between Temperate and Tropical
grassland.
Temperate
• These grasslands are
located in the temperate
zone and in the interior
parts of the continents.
• these grasslands receive
about 25 to 75 cm rainfall.
• The grass here is short
and nutritious.
• Eg. Veld of South Africa,
Down of Australia and
Prairies of North
America.
Tropical
• These are found close to
the equator and extend
till the tropics.
• these grasslands receive
about 100 cm rainfall.
• The grasses of these
regions are very
rough,thick and tall.
• Eg. Savannah of South
Africa, Campos of Brazil
and Llanos of Venezuela.
 HUMAN IMPACT AND ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE

• All the major food grains corn, wheat, oats, barley,

millet, rye and sorghum produce in
grasslands.Grasslands are important for agriculture
because the soils are deep and fertile.They are used as
gazing area for cattle.
• Goods & Services: livestock production, grassland
biodiversity, carbon storage,water infiltration, soil
stability,weed/firemanagement
• Conservation of habitat for grassland species
• Tourism and recreation/parks & gardens
 HABITAT
Grasslands support a variety of species. Vegetation
on the African savannas, for example, feeds animals
including zebras, wildebeest, gazelles, and giraffes.
On temperate grasslands, one might find prairie dogs,
badgers, coyotes, swift foxes, and a variety of birds.
There can be up to 25 species of large plant-eaters in
a given grassland habitat, comprising a sort of buffet
where different grasses appeal to different species.
 THREAT TO GRASSLANDS

SPECIFIC THREATS TO GRASSLANDS:

POOR AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES CAN RUIN SOIL AND STRIP GRASSLANDS OF LIFE. IF CROPS ARE NOT
ROTATED PROPERLY, THE SOIL CAN BECOME INFERTILE AND NOTHING CAN BE GROWN FOR SEVERAL YEARS.

MONOCROPPING, OR GROWING ONLY ONE CROP AT A TIME (LIKE CORN) IS AN AGRICULTURAL PRACTICE
THAT DEPLETES THE SOIL’S NUTRIENTS. FURTHER, BECAUSE GRASSLANDS THRIVE OFF OF BIODIVERSITY OF
PLANTS AND ANIMALS.IT PROVIDES ONLY A SINGLE TYPE OF PLANT TENDS TO WEAKEN THE BIOME AND
INCREASES VULNERABILITY TO NATURAL DISASTERS.

TOXIC PESTICIDES USED IN AGRICULTURAL CROPLANDS CAN BE DEADLY FOR WILD FLORA AND FAUNA.

GRAZING LIVESTOCK CAN CONSUME, TRAMPLE, AND DESTROY GRASSES. SELECTIVE GRAZING CAN REDUCE
THE COMPETITIVE NATURE OF THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM BY WEEDING OUT SOME PLANTS AND ALLOWING
OTHERS TO OVER-POPULATE. ADDITIONALLY, CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURAL CROPLANDS OFTEN PROVIDE
FEW FOOD SOURCES AND NESTING AREAS FOR BIRDS.

CONTINUED GLOBAL WARMING COULD TURN CURRENT MARGINAL GRASSLANDS INTO DESERTS AS RAINFALL
PATTERNS CHANGE.

DEVELOPMENT OF URBAN AREAS IS INCREASINGLY CUTTING INTO GRASSLAND HABITAT.

INVASIVE SPECIES CAN DISPLACE NATIVE PLANTS AND REDUCE THE QUALITY OF A GRASSLAND.

INVASIVE PLANTS MAY NOT BE EQUIPPED TO HANDLE EXTREME WEATHER, LIKE DROUGHTS AND WILDFIRES,
THUS RESULTING IN FURTHER HABITAT LOSS.
 CONSERVATION
• Continue education efforts, particularly among farmers, on
how to protect the soil and prevent soil erosion.
• Protect and restore wetlands, which are an important part of
grassland ecology.
• Rotate agricultural crops to prevent the sapping of nutrients.
• Plant trees as windbreaks to reduce erosion on farmfields
(though make sure it is the right species for the area).
• Conduct controlled dry season burning to stimulate fresh plant
growth and to restore calcium to the soil that builds up in the
dry grasses. Some species of native plants need occasional fire
to thrive, while blazes can also help remove invasive species.
 Desert ecosystem
A desert ecosystem is defined by interactions
between organism, the climate in which they
live, and any other non-living influences on
the habitat. Desert landscapes can contain a wide
variety of geological features, such as oases, rock
outcrops, dunes, and mountains.
Regardless of the region, any desert is usually
cold at night and receives very little rainfall.
 Deserts around the world
Deserts can be huge spaces. For instance,
the entire continental United States could
almost fit inside Africa’s Sahara desert. The giant
Gobi desert in Asia stretches across parts of
China and Mongolia. North America has large
deserts, too, including the Mojave in California
and parts of Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. The
Sonoran is a large desert located in Mexico
and parts of the Southwestern United States.
More than one-fifth of the continent of
Australia is covered in desert. The Great Victoria
Desert is the largest on the continent.
CLIMATE
Deserts experience a wide range of temperatures and weather conditions, and
can be classified into four types: hot, semiarid, coastal, and cold.
Hot deserts experience warm temperatures year round, and low annual
precipitation.
semiarid deserts experience similar conditions to hot deserts,
however, the maximum and minimum temperatures tend to be less extreme,
and generally range from 10 to 38 °C.
Coastal deserts are cooler than hot and semiarid deserts, with average
summer temperatures ranging between 13 and 24 °C.
Cold deserts are similar in temperature to coastal deserts, however, they
receive more annual precipitation in the form of snowfall.
Many desert ecosystems are limited by available water levels, rather than
rates of radiation or temperature. Water flow in these ecosystems can be
thought of as similar to energy flow; in fact, it is often useful to look at water
and energy flow together when studying desert ecosystems and ecology.
 ADAPTATIONS
Desert animals and plants
Desert animals: have evolved ways to help them keep cool and
use less water. Camels can go for weeks without water, and their nostrils
and eyelashes can form a barrier against sand. Many desert animals, such
as the fennec fox, are nocturnal, coming out to hunt only when the brutal
sun has descended. Some animals, like the desert tortoise in the
southwestern United States, spend much of their time underground. Most
desert birds are nomadic, crisscrossing the skies in search of food. And
among insects, Because of their very special adaptations, desert animals
are extremely vulnerable to changes in their habitat.
Desert plants: Desert plants may have to go without fresh water
for years at a time. Some plants have adapted to the arid climate by
growing long roots that tap water from deep underground. Other plants,
such as cacti, have special means of storing and conserving water.
 Deserts and climate change
some of the world's semi-arid regions are turning into desert at an alarming rate. This
process, known as desertification, is not caused by drought, but usually arises
from deforestation and the demands of human populations that settle on the
semi-arid lands.
Human activities are a primary cause of desertification. These activities include
overgrazing of livestock, deforestation, overcultivation of farmland, and poor
irrigation practices.
In existing deserts, some species are in peril because of climate change.
Global warming threatens to change the ecology of deserts: Rising
temperatures can have huge effects on fragile desert ecosystems. Global warming
is the most current instance of climate change. Human activities such as burning
fossil fuels contribute to global warming.
Higher temperatures may produce more wildfires that alter desert
landscapes by eliminating slow-growing trees and shrubs and replacing them with
fast-growing grasses.
Desert bird species could also be in danger from climate change, as heat
waves lead to lethal dehydration.
 Restoration techniques
• Planting: Growing plants in nurseries or greenhouses before planting in the
wild is typically defined as outplanting. Salvaging plants prior to disturbance
• Seeding: Seeds are commonly broadcast by hand for small restoration areas
or by planes for larger areas. Sometimes seeds are coated as pellets or sown with
a protective mulch to conserve moisture and reduce predation
• Managing Water :Water can be managed at restoration sites through
irrigation and methods such as contouring land to create water catchments .The
utility of water management techniques, such as for increasing plant survival,
can be assessed in the context of costs and benefits.
• Manipulating Soils :Soil health can be restored by additives, contouring,
stabilizing, and other techniques to promote favorable soil properties for desired
ecosystem development (Bowker 2007). If through soil analyses and plant
growth trials certain nutrients are determined as limiting, adding fertilizers or
organic matter (which also increases soil water holding capacity) can improve soil
conditions.
• Providing cover :This technique is used for visual restoration (such as
blending closed roads into the surrounding landscape), providing shade
structures to assist plant recruitment, protecting seeds, and other purposes
 CONCLUSION
Grasslands occupy approximately half of the ice-free land area of the
world, make up about 70 percent of the world's agricultural area, and are
an important agricultural resource, particularly in areas where people are
among the most food insecure.
Each ecosystem has its’ own characteristics and unique animal and
plant species.For extreme environments such as the desert, flora must
allocate physical and morphological strategies to persist. Plants that
grow in arid, low precipitation and extreme temperatures, have unique
physical characteristics to counter their intense climates. Desert floras
are incredibly diverse and provides ecological services to wildlife .
The desert biome is being disrupted by human activity, such as mining,
agriculture, and urbanization. Therefore, the biodiversity of the biome is
being affected and there are changes being brought into the biome .