43 Wow-some Grassland Ecosystem Facts That Are Worth Knowing

The rapid conversion of grasslands into farming lands could be catastrophic as it hampers the ecological balance of the environment.

These grasslands serve as food for wild and large animals, and their rapid conversion into agricultural lands could wipe them out completely. Besides, it could lead to droughts and dust storms, making the land unsuitable for growing further crops and unfit for living.

A case in point is the grasslands in North America that were converted into agricultural fields to grow crops when the Europeans settled there. But it led to the increasing depletion of its wild animal, bison, which was deprived of its primary source of food.

Also, they became prey for their meat and hides while being replaced by domestic animals. Later, when drought struck North America in the 1930s, dust storms demolished farms and made the land unsuitable for living.

The situation is even worse now, with only 8% of the world's total grasslands currently being protected. And in North America, the situation is alarming, with just 1% of total grasslands getting some kind of protection.

If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about glacier facts and Gobi Desert facts here on Kidadl?

Grassland Ecosystem Meaning With Examples

Grasslands are large plains covered with grass, with few shrubs or clusters of shrubs and scattered trees.

• In layman terms, grasslands are great plains that feature various varieties of short planting grasses, buffalo grass, and a few trees as well. These grasses serve as food for animals, apart from preserving the soil and water resources prevalent in the grasslands.
• Grassland biome appears when it could not be classified either under a desert or a forest. It means if the area receives the usual rainfall, it remains grassland.
• If it gets lesser than the normal rainfall, it turns into a desert. And if it gets more rainfall than usual, it becomes a forest. Usually, grasslands are found between a desert and forest when it receives neither more nor less rainfall.
• Another important grassland biome fact is that you will find grassland everywhere on the Earth's surface except in Antarctica.

Characteristics Of Grassland Ecosystem

The grassland ecosystem thrives for various reasons, and a lot is due to its nature or characteristics that help them preserve itself.

• Grassland biomes usually receive low rainfall conducive to the growth of grasses only. Also, the low precipitation rates prevalent in the grassland regions do not allow forests of trees to spring up.
• These grasslands see frequent wildfires that help in their existence. With a strong underground water system, these grasslands see grasses, healthier and thicker than before, springing up soon after a wildfire. These wildfires also prevent a tree from taking its root and establishing itself.
• Lastly, the grassland animals also play a role in maintaining the grassland biomes. When a wildfire breaks out, the grassland animals go underground and come up when the grasses grow back.
• Wild animals such as elephants prevent the growth of trees by trampling them in the region.
• The rich soil in these grasslands is extremely fertile as the grasses go deep underground where water supplies are available. Hence, thanks to the rich soil, grasslands are suitable for cultivating crops.
• Hence, many grasslands are being converted into agricultural lands, which is hurting the ecological balance.

Plants And Animals Of Grassland Ecosystem

The grassland biome features different species of plants and animals depending on the size of the grass. The shorter the grasses, the more the chances of different species of plants animals to thrive in the region just because the predators would find it hard to hide and hunt for their prey.

Therefore, the predominant animals found in grasslands usually are herbivores rather than carnivores as the abundance of grasses is the perfect food for them.

• In grasslands areas, where there is an abundance of grasses and grass-like plants, large animals such as bison, zebra, and antelope are found there. However, these large grasses and grass-like plants also cover predators such as lions and cheetahs.
• In North America, bison is the dominant grazing animal on these grasslands, followed by pronghorn. Other grazing animals include rodents such as pocket gophers, carnivores such as wolves and foxes, and birds such as burrowing owls.
• Some of the species of grassland plants that are found in the grassland ecosystem include sunflowers, milkweed, clovers, and wild indigos.

Grassland Ecosystem Found In Which Regions

Grassland biomes are divided into two kinds. First, the savanna or the tropical grassland is found near the Equator and covers half of Africa, South America, Northern Australia, and India.

The second grassland is called the temperate grassland that is found in North America and Eastern Europe. They are also called prairies. However, there is a vast difference between temperate grasslands or prairies and tropical grassland or savanna.

• Savanna faces a long dry season due to its location. But the temperate grasslands see both cold and hot weather conditions. And hence, there is a difference in the species of plants and animals found in these two grasslands.
• Also, there isn't much difference between savanna and grassland, except that the latter supports rainy seasons apart from the dry seasons.
• Elephants who could survive warm weather are seen in the African savannah regions but not in temperate grasslands.
• Similarly, prairie dogs that live underground in burrows are found in temperate grasslands but are absent in tropical grasslands.
• In return, these prairie dogs help in soil fertility, resulting in more healthy grasses and plants thriving in these natural grasslands.
• The fertile soil in the temperate grasslands is richer than the tropical grasslands, and hence, more grasslands in and around North America have been turned into farmland.
• Mollisols soil is usually found in temperate grasslands. It has more sands that help in draining out the water.
• Alfisols and Ultisols soils are found in the savannas. They are low in fertility but retain their moisture and nutrients due to the dry season prevalent in the savannas.

Did You Know...

If you are not satisfied, these fun facts will certainly give you enough knowledge about the grassland ecosystems.

• Grassland ecosystems are known by ten different names across the world. Apart from being called savannas in Africa and prairies in North America, it is called pampas in South America, rangelands in Australia, steppes in Europe and Asia.
• Other names include flooded grasslands and montane grasslands. Savannas, steppes, and prairies are found in different regions of the world and are intertwined by the common denominator of grass being the dominant vegetation cover, although the length of the grass may differ.
• Grassland ecosystems once covered 40% of the total land areas on Earth. But now, that figure stands at 25%, thanks to the conversion of these grasslands into farming land for growing various crops such as wheat and soybeans.
• Not all grassland biome has short grasses. The grass in grasslands of southern climates can grow as tall as 7 ft (2.13 m).
• However, in the northern climate, the grass could grow up to just about 10 in (24.5 cm) long due to a mix of cold winters and hot summers.
• Also, contrary to popular belief, grasses do not grow all the time, especially in temperate grasslands when there is a growing season and a dormant season to sustain and survive.
• Grassland biome across the Earth also has to tackle varied temperatures. For example, grasslands in the Southern Hemisphere have to survive about 86 F (30 C) temperatures.
• In the Northern Hemisphere, the grasslands have to face -4 F (-20 C). These vagaries in temperature lead to different species of grassland plants and animals thriving in these grasslands.
• About 98% of the original grasslands have been destroyed in North America and converted into farmland mainly to grow crops to feed the humans.
• Just 8% of the current grasslands in the world are being protected. And in North America, it is just 1% of total grasslands getting some protection.
• The bald eagle, the USA symbol, is one of the popular grassland birds in North American prairies.
• Earlier, bison was the most dominant species of grazing animals in the North-American prairies. Their numbers ran into dozens of millions then.
• The greed of human beings for bison's meat and hides saw about 50 million bison being killed during the 19th century. However, efforts have been made to preserve bison, but their numbers are still a shade of what it was before.
• The bison and several species of birds have also been impacted following the conversion of these grasslands into farmlands. In the USA, the population of monarch butterflies has dwindled as more grasslands have been converted into farmlands.
• The reason is that these butterflies rely on grasslands' wildflowers for their food, but the conversion of these grasslands into farmlands has robbed them of their source of living.
• Grassland biome needs some amount of rain to sustain themselves, but not too much rain to change into a forest of wide varieties of trees.
• However, some grasslands exist despite receiving more than their normal rainfall and even in less than their usual rainfall.
• In general terms, grasslands need yearly rainfall of 20-35 in (50.8-88.9 cm) to maintain their existence.
• However, some grasslands have remained grasslands despite the area receiving 60 in (152.4 cm) of annual rainfall, and even in some areas that have received an annual rainfall of fewer than 10 in (25.4 cm). This is a phenomenon that has been unexplained so far.
• Grassland biomes need wildfire to maintain their existence. While these wildfires burn the grass to ashes on these grasslands, the strong underground water system propels the grasses to regrow with renewed vigor and be healthier than before.
• But what these wildfires also do is stop the woody plants from spreading their roots and maintain the core of the grasslands.
• Elephants have been protecting the African savannas from turning into forests by stomping the trees and shrubs. However, the illegal hunting of these elephants has led to the question mark over the future of the African savannas.

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