Grasslands

Prairies, Steppes, and Savannahs

At the end of this lesson, you should be able
to:
• Define the following: savannah, prairie, and steppes.
• Show the location of the major grasslands of the
world on a world map.
• List down plants and animals that one would find in
grasslands.
• Define and discuss the effects of poaching and
overgrazing on the ecosystem of grasslands.
• Discuss the economic and ecological significance of
grasslands.
 Grasslands
• areas where the dominant vegetation is
GRASS
• found between forests and deserts
• in all continents except Antarctica
Location of Grasslands
Location of Grasslands
 Grasslands of the World
Grassland Prairie Steppe Savannah
Location in North America Siberia and tropical and subtropical
southeastern Europe parts of Africa
Climate:
Temperature temperate up to 400C in summer 27 – 300C
and -400C in winter

Rainfall moderate between 250 and 500 between 300 and 1,500
mm of rain per year mm of rain per year
Flora grasses tall grasses acacia trees
shrubs baobab trees
grasses
shrubs
Prairie
Steppe
Acacia tree in a Savannah
 Climate in a Savannah
Wet Season Dry Season
• rains a lot • can cause wildfires
• can cause flooding
• form water pools
Baobab in Savannah
 Adaptations of Plants in a Savannah
Acacia
• loses leaves in the dry season
to conserve water
Grasses
• roots remain alive even after
a wildfire
• extensive roots that prevent
grasses from being uprooted
• narrow leaves to prevent soil
erosion
Baobab
• stores water in the trunk
• has thick bark to protect
itself from wildfires
• has long roots that
penetrate deep into the
ground to get water
• few or no leaves at all to
conserve water
Animals in a Savannah
Lion Giraffe Hyena
Cheetah

Antellope Ostrich Elephant

Food Web in a Savanna
 Poaching
• illegal hunting of animals
• capturing animals and selling them illegally
• killing endangered animals to get some of
their body parts and sell them
 It is illegal when hunting . . .
• is done during closed season (breeding season);
• is done within protected areas of land;
• animals that are protected by law;
• “tagged” animals;
• is done to obtain animal parts that are sold in
the black market; and/or
• is done using an illegal weapon or inhumane
methods.
Poaching Rhinos
Poached rhino