Temperate Grassland Locations

5 Temperate Grassland Locations and Features Discussed

Temperate grassland locations are; Eurasia, Argentina, Australia, Central-North America, and New Zealand.

 

This article discusses temperate grassland locations and their features, as follows;

 

 

 

 

 

 

1). Eurasia (as one of the Temperate Grassland Locations)

Grasslands in Eurasia are called steppes, which are distinctive in their climate and ecology when compared to grasslands in other parts of the world.

The Eurasian steppe is the largest temperate grassland ecosystem on Earth, and extends over 8,000 km from Hungary through eastern Europe and central Asia [1].

This large expanse of land is often described as a 'grassland belt', and covers areas with diverse topographic and biologic features.

Plant species in the temperate grassland include grasses and shrubs, with very sparse occurrence of trees.

Animals in the temperate grasslands of Eurasia include; goitered gazelle, burrowing owl, Przewalski horse, Saiga antelope, Corsac fox, Caspian Sea wolf, and Bactrian camel.

A significant number of the plant and animal species in the Eurasian steppes also occurs in the tundra, and this can be explained by the similarity in geo-climatic conditions of these two biomes.

Compared to ecosystems like forests with high organic activity, the biodiversity of the Eurasian steppes is low. However, many organic species are known to thrive in this grassland location.

Temperate Grassland Locations: Eurasia (Steppes) (Credit: YegorGeologist 2014 .CC BY-SA 4.0.)
Temperate Grassland Locations: Eurasia (Steppes) (Credit: YegorGeologist 2014 .CC BY-SA 4.0.)

 

 

 

 

 

2). Argentina

In Argentina, various types of temperate grasslands occur, which can be differentiated from each other on the basis of climatic and micro-ecological conditions.

These types can be broadly separated into fertile and dry temperate grasslands..

Dry grassland in southern Argentina is called the Patagonian desert, which is a large grassland that is prone to intensive desertification and semi-arid conditions [3].

South Andrean steppe is a mountainous grassland that intersects with the Patagonian desert in some sections, and shares some of its ecological attributes.

An example of the fertile type of grassland is the Pampas of South America that spans over 700,000 square kilometers from Uruguay and the Andean foothills, to the central Argentine province.

Unlike the South Andrean steppe, the Pampas is dominantly level-land or plain, and exhibits semi-arid characteristics in some areas, with the majority of the expanse being fertile.

Some plants in the grasslands of Argentina are grasses like; Poa, Cacti, Piptochaetium, Eragrostis, Briza, and Bromus; and shrubs like Eupatorium and Heimia.

 

 

 

 

 

3). Australia (as one of the Temperate Grassland Locations)

The temperate grasslands of Australia are called Downs, and can be described as grassy woodlands with slight similarity to the North American Prairie and Eurasian steppe.

Parts of Australia where temperate grasslands are found include Adelaide, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales, so that these grasslands occur in sections that extend from the south-east to the north.

Grasslands found in Australia are more homogeneous in their ecologic characteristics compared to those occurring in other countries. There is also a slightly higher concentration of shrubs and trees in this region.

Temperate Grassland Locations: Australia (Credit: Thomas Schoch 2005 .CC BY-SA 2.5.)
Temperate Grassland Locations: Australia (Credit: Thomas Schoch 2005 .CC BY-SA 2.5.)

 

 

 

 

 

4). Central-North America

The name of the grassland found in the central part of North America is the Prairie, whose climatic characteristics are semi-arid, so that it is ecologically similar to the Eurasian steppe.

North America as a whole is home to a vast variety of temperate grassland biomes.

Types of grasslands found in North America can be distinguished as shortgrass, tallgrass and mixed prairies, based on the dominant physiological characteristics of vegetation in these ecosystems.

The Great Plains do not occur in central North America, but are rather situated in the west of North America, although some areas identified as Great Plain lands extend toward the central part of the continent.

 

 

 

 

 

5). New Zealand (as one of the Temperate Grassland Locations)

Temperate grassland is an indigenous biome in New Zealand, and has been the topic of numerous studies and discussions on natural ecosystem protection [2].

The main biome in Zealand is the temperate forest, which shares some basic characteristics with a typical tundra, and has higher biodiversity than the grassland.

Grasslands of New Zealand include the tussock grasslands found in Canterbury-Otago and other parts of the country.

Plants in the grasslands of New Zealand include; Celmusia, FestucaN Carex, Chionochloa and Poa colensoi grasses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

Temperate grassland locations are;

1. Eurasia

2. Argentina

3. Australia

4. Central-North America

5. New Zealand

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

1). Feng, H.; Wang, K.; Hannaway, D.; Li, X. (2017). "Effects of precipitation and clipping intensity on net primary productivity and composition of a Leymus chinensis temperate grassland steppe." 2017PLoS ONE 12(12):e0190450. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190450. (Accessed 27 February 2023).

2). Mark, A. F.; McLennan, B. (2005). "The conservation status of New Zealand's indigenous grasslands." New Zealand Journal of Botany 43(1):245-270. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2005.9512953. (Accessed 27 February 2023).

3). Mazzoni, E.; Vazquez, M. (2009). "Desertification in Patagonia." Developments in Earth Surface Processes 13:351-377. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0928-2025(08)10017-7. (Accessed 27 February 2023).

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