GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM

Grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses, that is members of  families Poaceae and Cyperaceae etc. The vegetation is characterized by a continuous cover of grasses. Grasslands receive up to 150 cm rainfall per year. The temperature in this region varies from 15 to 35 degree Celsius. The dry season lasts for nearly 8 months,  making it the longest phase of a grass land. The grasses dominate in this region because rain fall is not sufficient to support the growth of trees and  other larger species. 

Grasslands are mainly categorized in to two:

1) Tropical grasslands

2) Temperate grasslands

Tropical grassland

Tropical grasslands are those distributed in the tropical countries of the earth. They are popularly known as Savannah. Fire is a frequent character of this grassland. The major species of the vegetation include grasses, Acacia and palms. These grasslands are well known through various television channels such as Discovery, National Geographic and Animal Planet. This habitat provides a lot of stories of predation and survival. 

The largest of savannah is located in Africa, especially central part of the continent such as Kenya, Tanzania etc. They are also found in Brazil. In India, the Banni Grassland Reserve is located in Gujarat. The soil in savannah is porous, which promotes rapid drainage of water, therefore only a thin layer of humus is present. 

Animals occurring in the tropical grasslands include, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena., elephant, giraffe, rhinoceros, ant eaters and African mole rats.

Temperate grassland

Temperate grasslands are those distributed in the temperate zone of the earth. The temperature in the winter falls below minus 10 degrees, while summer is very hot reaching 35 degrees. Rainfall ranges between 25 to 100 cm in a year. Fire is very frequent, often initiated by lightening and therefore tall trees are unable to sustain.

Temperate grasslands are called in different names in different countries. For example, Prairies in North America, Steppes in Russia, Pampas in Argentina and Veldt in South Africa. Prairies are grasslands with tall grasses while steppes are grasslands with short grasses. The soil is deep, dark, and nutrient rich. The rotting roots of the grasses hold the soil and prevent erosion. 

The vegetation include tall grasses such as Andropogon gerardii, Panicum, Switch grass etc. The animals include Kangaroo in Australia, Pronghorn antelope in North America, Horses in Europe, gazelles, buffaloes, saiga antelope and many smaller animals.

Importance

1. Good centers of carbon sequestration. 

2. Grasslands begin the food chain in the ecosystem.

3. Helps for domestication of many helpful animals such as buffaloes, horses, ass and cow.

4. Prevents soil erosion.