BY: HEIDI SMITH AND MIRANDA SMART

Temperate Grasslands

Location

Temperate grasslands are located in North America, Eurasia, Argentina, Southern Africa, and the Australian/New Zealand South Island.

Climate

The climate in the temperate grasslands are adapted to recurring drought.

Temperate grasslands appear homogenous but important structural and floristic differences have developed in response to regional and local conditions.

Temperate grasslands are characterized by increasing latitude (warm to cold and moist to dry) and longitude (moist to dry and warm to cold.)

Climatogram

Producers

Broomsedge grass

Wild CaneGrassland plants can survive in both cold and dry weather conditions as grassland biomes have mostly hot summers and rainfalls; also many a time, with falling snow. The plants reserve the moisture during rainfall and snow which helps them in growing season. The plants adapt to this condition and they grow and survive accordingly.

Producers Con.

Black/Red Chokeberry shrub

Canada Lilly

Monkeyflower

Consumers

Bighorn sheepCaracal

African elephants

African Wild Dog

The African wild dog is an endangered animal residing in central sub-Saharan Africa. The size of a small German shepherd, the African wild dog possesses rounded, rather than pointy ears and mottled or spotty coats that range in color from beige to black. Kids' Planet places the population of African wild dogs at between 2,000 and 5,000, with many in captivity. Population losses for the African wild dog come from reduction in habitat size and infectious poisoning by humans.

Northern Bald Ibis

According to Bird Life International, the majority (95 percent) of the northern bald ibis's population is centered in Morocco. Identifiable by its long and spiky ruff, the northern bald ibis is a quiet, mostly-black bird with a red, featherless face and head. Bird Life International placed the bird on its "critically endangered" list, meaning extinction is practically inevitable for the bird if there is no intervention to save it. In fact, Bird Life International estimates the 2010 northern bald ibis population to be 210.

Human impact

Large areas of grassland have been turned into farmlands for growing crops and for rearing cattle.

A large number of animals have been hunted for their valuable body parts. For example, elephants were shot for their tusks, lions were killed for their fur and bison were hunted for their meats.

Actions to protect the Grasslands

To protect the grasslands, humans can promote ecotourism to show the true beauty of the nature instead of the farmlands.

One thing government officials have done is enacted laws against the hunting of endangered animals.

In particular, the U.S. National Parks Service has preserved land to foster the American bison population. While poaching still exists in many areas, there are efforts to stop it.

Bibliography

http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/habitats/Temperate_Grassland.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/26634/grass/Temperate/animal.htm

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/grassland-plants.htmlhttp://

www.ehow.com/list_7313699_endangered-animals-temperate-grasslands.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/26634/grass/impact.htmhttp://

www.ehow.com/info_8291053_impacts-humans-grassland-biomes.html