What are Grasslands?
A grassland ecosystem is a dry area of land dominated by grasses. Huge trees and shrubs are very rarely found in these regions, which is mainly because of the climatic conditions and other environmental factors, which do not withstand the plant’s requirements.
Grasslands are also called transitional landscape. In a grassland ecosystem, the vegetation is dominated by herbs and grass. These ecosystems are mainly found in regions, where there is a scarcity of water and not enough and regular rainfall to support the growth of plants and forests. The grassland ecosystem lies between the deserts and the forest ecosystems.
Savanna grasslands and temperate grasslands are some examples of grassland ecosystems. There are many other types of grassland around the world, which go by many names. Grasslands of South America are known as pampas and central Eurasian grasslands are referred to as steppes and so on.
Explore more: Terrestrial Habitat
Grasslands are one among the major types of terrestrial biomes in the world. They are home to a wide diversity of animal species and are found throughout the world, except for a few regions.
Overall, the total estimation of grasslands is between 30 and 50 percent of the world’s terrestrial ecosystem and 10 to 15 percent of Earth’s surface.
The grass or plants of these regions have been adapted to drought, fires and other climatic conditions.
Also Refer: Effects Of Climate Changes
Types of Grasslands
Grasslands are subdivided into two types, namely:
Tropical Grasslands
Savannah, Steppes, Great Plains of the Midwest, Palouse Prairie and Prairies are the best examples of tropical grasslands. These regions are warm throughout the year, followed by dry and wet seasons. They receive an average annual rainfall ranging between 30 and 35 inches. These tropical grasslands are characterized with tall grasses or relatively short grasses.
Temperate Grasslands
These grasslands are similar to tropical grasslands, except for the climatic conditions. They have cold winters and warm summers with 30 and 35 inches of annual rainfall. Shrublands are the best example of temperate grasslands.
The most dominant grassland plants are red oat grass, Rhodes grass, purple needlegrass, Galleta. During rainy seasons, these grasslands will be coated with wildflowers such as yarrow, hyssop and milkweed. These flowers support pollinators in transferring the pollen grains.
Grassland ecosystem plays an economic role by maintaining crop domestication and they are a mixture of grasses, herbs, shrubs, leguminous species and other dicotyledonous.
Refer more: Ecosystem
This article concludes an introduction to dominant plants of grasslands. Stay tuned with BYJU’S Biology to learn more in detail about grasslands, types of plants and any other related topics.
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