Temperate Grasslands
An Environmental Geographic Study on the Temperate Grasslands Biome
Photo by Tanguy Sauvin on Unsplash
The temperate grasslands are found on every continent except for Antarctica and Africa. This have a linear distribution across Asia. The biome is mainly found around 40° North and South of the equator. It is not near coastal locations, except for the grasslands in South America, and is primarily found near the center of continents.
The landforms of my region are mainly plains and plateaus. In western Asia there are a few outliers not seen in other temperate grassland biomes. This includes mountains and desert. There are no major mountain ranges. Some major plains are the American Serengeti and the South American Pampas.
My region covers a large portion of the globe. Even with such a large coverage, most of the largest waterways are not covered. A few that do pass through include the Volga River in Russia, the Missouri River in the United states, and the Rio Parana in Uruguay. There are also a number of smaller rivers in the temperate grasslands in Australia and Europe.
There are no glaciers located directly in a temperate grassland climate. However, glaciers along the west coast of South America and glaciers in southern Kazakhstan are primary water sources for the rivers that lead into the surrounding areas.
The temperate grassland biomes covers a variety of climates. The two main climates that are represented across my biome are the semi-arid and humid-contenental climates. From the map it seems that about 80% of the temperate grasslands fall within these two climates. The arid climate is also represented to a smaller extent in Argentina, Kazakhstan, and Australia. Uruguay and North America also have a small area of overlap between the Humid subtropical climate and the temperate grassland biome.
Here is a climate graph from Kokshetau, Kazakhstan. Kokshetau is a city located in the center of the temperate grassland in Kazakhstan. It is a prime example of the climate in my ecosystem.
Bisons have adapted excellent physical capabilities to allow fast movement and long endurance. They are also great at swimming, allowing them to easily pass through rivers. This is extremely important because bisons migrate constantly throughout the year. Another adaptation is their thick fur. This fur protects them from the elements so that they can continue on through rough weather. Finally, bison have adapted to travel in large packs. This makes it hard for members of the heard to get lost and makes it harder for predators to pick them off.
Gophers have adapted to spend most of their lives underground. This way, the gophers are safe from the warm temperatures and dangerous predators. Tunnels are also used for storage and safe foraging. Digging underground is easy because of the loose, sandy soil found in temperate grasslands.
Coyotes have adapted to become excellent predators. Their senses of smell and hearing are extremely keen, allowing them to easily hunt prey and helps to avoid predators. Coyotes hunt in packs and can run very fast; making easy to hunt down prey. They also have very useful fur. It is used for warmth in the cold winters and as camouflage against other predators.
Buffalo grass grows low roots that cover large areas of land. The extensive root systems hold soil in place and prevent erosion.
Oats have built up resistance to conventional herbicides. Oats are built tough with strong stalks to last through extreme weather.
Wild indigos have bright colors to attract the wide range of pollinators available in the grasslands. They also grow from the bottom-up instead of from the inside out like trees. This allows them to grow fast enough that they won't be choked out by other plants.
Milkweed transfers seeds in large quantities from transportation by animals that graze in the temperate grasslands biome. Milkweed is the only plant that monarch butterflies use when laying their eggs, as it is a great food source for caterpillars. This makes pollinating easy with butterflies coming each year.
Sunflowers produce a large amount of seeds. These seeds are dispersed by the wide range of birds found in the temperate grassland biome.
The areas of land that fall within the temperate grassland biome are sparsely populated. There are a few small areas in the center of each continent, but nothing too significant. The biggest areas of high population are located along the edge of the biome.
Minneapolis and Chicago lie on the eastern edge of the temperate grassland biome in North America and are heavily populated. St Louis, Kansas City, and Dallas are three other populated cities in the southeast of North America located in my biome.
In South America, along the northern border of the temperate grasslands, is Buenos Aires; a major city in Argentina. In the Eastern side of the world there are a number of populated cities around Uzbekistan and Ukraine.
There are five UNESCO sites in the temperate grasslands: Site of Palmyra, Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz, Ancient City of Damascus, Península Valdés and Te Wahipounamu. Out of these five sites the most ecologically important is Península Valdés.
This site, located in Chubut, Argentina, was chosen as a UNESCO site due to its value as a marine habitat. There are three main aquatic animal populations protected in the area: southern right whales, southern sea lions, and southern elephant seals. These there animals use the area as a breeding ground.
The seals and whales previously suffered from extensive hunting and are now low in number, making Península Valdés one of the only places where that are safe from hunters. Additionally, a large population of various bird species call this peninsula their home. Among them, there are over 20 000 magellanic penguins. The area is also known for diverse fauna, hosting more than half of the Argentinan Patagonia's plant species in its small area of land.
This area has been protected since the early 1960's and has had increasing protection, like the banning of whaling southern right whales, in the years since.
Bibliography
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Pictures
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