Solutions

Perennial vs. Annual Wheat Crops

The disappearing of the Temperate Grassland needs to be fixed. There is overgrazing and overcropping of the grasses that makes the plants left not have enough grip on the soil, so it just blows away.

Some farmers in the past years have been planting annual plants. These annual plants have shorter roots which makes them easier to blow away because they don't have a grip on the ground.  With the shorter roots the topsoil is  blown away when the farmers plow their land and when the ground is left exposed for long periods of time it starts to erode away with the wind. One way to solve the problem of the new planting of crops is to change the type of crops being planted. Instead of planting annual crops, some farmers are now planting perennial crops. These crops have longer roots that help to prevent erosion, which is the a big problem in the grasslands.

Perennial crops are good for the Temperate Grasslands outside of just for farming techniques. They are also well suited for grazing animals. Because even when the grazing animals eat the top of the perennial plants, the deep roots still stay in the ground.
Climate change's affect on Temperate Grasslands is that just increases the problems that the grasslands already face. The grasslands have been altered by humans and are being altered even more because of climate change. The grasslands are already vulnerable to the effects of climate change because the are relativity flat, however, since they have so many problems already, like soil depletion, the effects of climate change and even more dramatic on the Temperate Grasslands. Therefore this biome needs to be protected and looked after like it never has been before. We need to pay more attention to our Temperate Grasslands in order to try to save them. The issue of climate change is not good for the Temperate Grasslands, however, it does bring more attention to the Temperate Grasslands because they are being affected by it so much. And because people start to pay more attention to the Temperate Grasslands, because of climate change, they also might start to pay attention to the other issues going on in the Temperate Grasslands.

Climate change is not something that we can change just by planting a different plant in the field like we could with soil erosion. In order to solve this much larger problem, we need to have a much larger solution. The solution has to expand across all the biomes in order to save all of them. We have to pay more attention to our ecosystems and the plants and animals in them if we want them to still be here for future generations. Thus, we have to spread the word about the importance of the ecosystems and how much our life will be changed if they were not taken care of. So,. the solution to climate change is not a simple task. It is monumental; you have to spread the word and tell everyone that in order to save our ecosystems like the Temperate Grasslands we need to pay attention to them and take care of them.

Additional Information Gathered From: 

Bagne, K.; Ford, P.; Reeves, M. (November 2012). Grasslands. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Climate Change Resource Center. www.fs.usda.gov/ccrc/topics/grasslands/

Grasslands' Perception and Temperature

Comparing the Annual Precipitation and
Temperature of different biomes

The Temperate Grasslands are in between a desert and a forest. This biome is very close to being a desert, and some become deserts if they do not get enough rain, however, Temperate Grasslands receive just slightly more rain than deserts receive.

The grasses have not all disappeared yet, but are continually growing smaller because of a few reasons. There are seasonal drought, grazing of large herbivores, and occasional fires. All of these factors make sure that large plants or trees are not able to grow, keeping grasses dominant in this biome. In this type of grassland, the winters are very cold, the summer are hot and dry. Also, the annual precipitation is sparse and falls irregular during the year. 

Climatograph 

In the Temperate Grassland biome, they have about 10-30 inches of rain per year, usually during the spring and fall. Temperate Grasslands have enough rainfall to grow some small plants but not enough or often enough that there is enough water for trees to grow.

Temperate Grasslands have cold winters as low as -40°F and also hot summers with the temperatures sometimes reaching over 100°F. 

Climographs used to see the perception and temperature
This one is of different grasslands around the world

Organisms' Relationships in the Temperate Grasslands

A bee pollinating a flower in the grasslands

Mutualism is an interaction in which two animals both benefit by working or being together. In the stomachs of some large herbivores in the temperate grasslands lives a certain type of bacteria. This bacteria helps to break down the cellulose from the plants that the herbivores eat, and this is an example of mutualism. Another even simpler example of mutualism is that of the flowers in the grasslands and the bees. The flowers get their pollen distributed by the bees so they can grow more plants and the bees get the nectar from the plants for food. So both organism benefit positively from the relationship.

Commensalism is a symbiosis relationship where only one of the organism benefits, however, the other organisms is not harmed. Cattle and cattle egrets have a commensalism relationship. When the cattle graze in the grasses, they disturb insects that live in the grasses or are nearby. Then the cattle egret has adapted to be near the cattle when they are eating because the egret can easily find some insects to eat.

Brown-headed cowbird's egg in another bird's nest

Parasitism is similar to commensalism but in parasitism one species benefits and the other species is harmed in the process. The brown-headed cowbird is a parasitic animal. This bird lays it's eggs in the nests of other birds allowing it to not have to waste energy raising its young but still having offspring. When the cowgirls leave their eggs in other's nests, they make the birds that have to take care of the young to have another mouth to feed and shelter, putting more strain on the animal. Thus making it a parasitic on the bird who's nest the cowbird's eggs are in. Another example of a parasitic relationship is the herb called a yellow rattle. It lives on the roots of the grains and grasses in the fields and takes the nutrients and water from the host plants. So then the host plants are effected negativity because the yellow rattle is taking their needed nutrients and the yellow rattle is positively affected.

Interspecific competition is when two or more animals of different species have to compete for the same role in the ecosystem. They could be competing for food, water, sunlight, soil resources, or space. An example of this interaction is with wolves and coyotes in the Temperate Grasslands. Even though wolves and coyotes are not always active at the same time all the time, they do eat the same types of food and live in the same areas. This can be a problem for coyotes, because if there was a fight, wolves would usually win. This makes the coyotes to have to be careful where they live and make sure its not in wolves' territory.

The Temperate Grasslands need to be protected in order for all these animals to be protected. These relationships go to show that if something happens to one animal species many other ones will be affected, too.

Additional information Gathered from:

"Mutualism, Commensalism, & Parasitism." Temperate Grassland/Prairie. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
"Symbiosis." Temperate Grasslands. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.

Animals and Plants in the Temperate Grasslands

Animals 

The Temperate Grasslands might not have a wide diversity of animal species but they do have an abundance of animals.

Prairie Dog

The animals in Temperate Grasslands have adapted to the windy and dry condition of the biome. The prairie dog in the United States is an example of an animal that is well suited for the Temperate Grasslands life. Around the turn of the century there were more than 5 billion prairie dogs, but eradication, habitat destruction, and disease has been causing a rapid decrease in their population. Prairie dogs have sharp claws that help them burrow into the ground where they can be protected from predators.

Some animals in the prairie have coats camouflage them with the tall grasses.  Also another features that some animals have adapted to is to be nocturnal. These adaptions help to protect the animals from predators.

The flat-topped teeth of a bison

A very good example of an animal that has adapted well to the Temperate Grassland is the bison. It has teeth that are well suited to eat the grasses', because the bison's teeth are broad and flat-topped. The animals' teeth help them to eat the grass. Another adaption that has occoried in bison and other animals is of their digestive system. It has evolved to be able to process these tough grasses. However, in the 19th century bison were disappearing in the prairie. They were being over hunted and becoming extinct. But people realized the important part that they playing the ecosystem, and have being working to save them. These efforts are helping the bisons' population to grow, however, the bison species is still listed as "neat threatened".

Plants

The plants in the Temperate Grasslands have one main addition and hat is their roots. They have long roots that help them to survive. The long roots help to reach for water when there is droughts, to keep the plants in place even when animals eat the tops off, and to help the plants to stay alive when lightning strikes and the felids burn. Their roots help to keep the soil in the grasslands from eroding away, because without the plants the soil would be blown away. Which is a problem nowadays with the intensive farming that is used in the grasslands. 

The deep roots and thin leaves of grasses

The plants in the Temperate grasslands have adapted in a unique way. The flowers in the area have adapted to bloom only when there is enough water, in the mainly season. Once the rain comes the fields fill with color. Even once it gets cold some of the flowers have adapted to be able to grow into the winter. They can do this with underground storages and thick stem bases. These additions allow them to have the most important part of the plant to have a less of a chance of freezing once the weather gets colder. Also many of the plants in the grasslands have slim leaves that help them to not loose as much heat during the hot days. 

Overall if the habitats of these animals were lost, with the continual disappearance of the grasslands, we would also loose the animals that have adapted so well to their biome. The Temperate Grasslands need to be saved so that the animals hat call it home can also be saved. 

Additional Information Gathered From:

"Bison Bison." (American Bison). N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
"Grasslands -- National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
"Grasslands of the US." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2014. <http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/Biology/wildamerica/grasslands/graslandoutline.html>.
Naik, Abhijit. "Grassland Animal Adaptations." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, 31 Mar. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
"Prairie Ecosystems Animals Adaptations." Museum Link Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

All about that, productivity

Temperate Grasslands NPP (Dark Green)

Gross Primary Productivity is the overall gain in energy/biomass per unit area per unit time which can be seen through photosynthesis or absorption by consumers. Basically it is what organisms actually do the photosynthesis and how much occurs and also how much biomass is produced.  

Then Net Primary Productivity is the total gain in energy or biomass per unit time by green plants after allowing losses to respiration. This is used to see how much of the biomass is stored and then how much of it produces growth. The net productivity of the temperate grasslands are around 2,200 kcal/m^2/yr. 

Temperate Grassland Net Primary Productivity
and how preoccupation effects it 

The productivity varies between the different biomes and is highly dependent on how much light the biome get throughout the year. This changes because the position of the earth relative to the sun changes when it relieves around the sun. Thus making them more productive around the equation because there is more light in that area and the plants can do photosynthesis more of the year than in colder parts of the globe. The temperate grasslands are great for producing crops because of their temperature that is not to extreme for crops and they have an abundance of producers compared to there number of consumers in the biome. 

 In the Temperate Grasslands there are fires that occur because of the dryness of the grasses and small amount of water. These fires make the trees that would be able to grow to not be able to stay. This biome has two growing seasons, a growing season and a dormant season where it is too cold and the grass cannot grow. The plants in this biome are mostly shorter grasses some as short as a few millimeters. These factors affect the productivity in the land and what kinds of plants can grow in the Temperate Grasslands. 

The soil in the Grassland has become fertile from the decomposition of organic matter from when the grasses die each year. Then this rich soil is held in place by the deep roots of the perennial grasses. The fertile soil in most if the Temperate Grasslands are what help the plants grow and contribute the biome's productivity level. However, over time the grasslands soil has been used for just this purpose of growing large amounts of crops. This continual use and over use of the soil has made it, in some areas, very depleted. It needs to be taken care of in order to try to keep the soil rich and ideal for farming or animal substance.  

The temperate grasslands used to be one of the world's greatest ecosystems, because they have a moderate productivity, a diverse conglomeration of animals, and a climate that was beneficial to most plant growth. However, of the world's 14 biomes the Temperate Grasslands are at the greatest risk because they have been the most altered and least protected over time. Making the protection now even more important. There are organization like The Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative (TGCI) that agree that the grasslands are important and feel that they need to be protected.

  

Addition Information Gathered Form:

"IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature." IUCN. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.


"Grasslands -- National Geographic." National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.


"Taking Global Action: Towards a Conservation Strategy for the World's Temperate Grasslands." Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative4 (2010): n. pag. July 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2014. <http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/d3_july_2010_newsletter_4.pdf>.

Do you even know where and what they are?

Temperate Grasslands around the world (Light Brown)

First of all, where are temperate grasslands in the world? In order to protect Temperate Grasslands you need to know where they are. Grasslands one of the most important biomes in the world. They are made up of fairly flat land which is mostly covered by grasses and non-woody (herbaceous) plants. Temperate Grasslands span the globe at about 40-60 degrees north of the equator. Usually they are in the center of a content and in-between forests and deserts. Temperate Grasslands are even in the United States and cover a large part of it. 

Humans have been using the Temperate Grasslands for agriculture for hundreds or thousands of years, all over the world. The land is mostly used to grow annual grass or better know as cereal grasses and they are a main contributor to the food production The steppes has rich soil full of organic matter and is very deep so it is perfect for growing crops. In contrast the United States has poorer soil making the farmer have to add fertilizers to the soil in order to grow an abundance of crops. Even with some areas of the temperate grasslands with slightly poor soil, they are still called the world's breadbasket because of the such high production of wheat and maze. In the grasslands, there is also livestock like cattle and sheep that feed on the grasses. 

Temperate Grasslands

However, that area that the grasslands once covered is now shrinking. During the 1920's dustbowl in the Untied States, there was much over cropping and drought. This combination lead to the soil being blown away, destroying the grassland. In addition, the Temperature Grasslands are heavy used by farmers for their animals, but the continual overgrazing has lead to the temperate grasslands being reduced to deserts or semideserts. 

Also grasslands are not only called grasslands, they are tall-grass prairies and short-grass prairies in North America, steppes in Central Europe and Asia, pampas in South America and veldt in Africa. 

A more detailed map of the Temperate Grasslands around the world.