The Grassland Biome

A Sarah Feinman Presentation

Which of these is a grassland?A B

C D

THEY ALL ARE GRASSLANDS!A B

C D

What is a Grassland?

• “A plant community in which the dominant species are perennial grasses, there are few or no shrubs and trees are absent” (Moore, 1964)

• “Loose” definition– Trees– Species Dominance

• An area where land is dominated by grasses or other herbaceous (non-woody) plants

Temperature and Precipitation

World Distribution

Why are grasslands important?

• Wide distribution – Approximately 40% of global land surface

(excluding Greenland and Antarctica)• Large carbon sink• Biodiversity• Important source of primary production– Food for humans and animals

Types of Grassland

• North American Prairies • Pampas of Argentina• Steppes- between desert and forest (Russia)• Savanna• Every continent except Antarctica

North American Prairies

Pampas of Argentina

Steppes

Savanna

World Distribution

Environmental Factors Effecting Grasslands

• Fire• Precipitation• Temperature• Light• CO2

Fire and Grasslands

Mayer et al 2011

Fire and Humans

Bowman et al 2009

Current Fire Observations

Westerling et al 2006

Current Fire Observations

Abatzoglou and Kolden 2011

Current Fire Observations

Pausas 2004

Fire in the Future

Moriondo et al 2006

Future Precipitation

IPCC , 2007

Grasslands and Precipitation

Grime et al 2000

Grasslands and Precipitation

Knapp et al 2002

Grasslands and Precipitation

Zavelta et al 2003

Future Temperatures

IPCC, 2007

Temperatures and Grasslands

Alward et al 1999

Temperatures and Grasslands

Zavelta et al 2003

Temperatures and Grasslands

Grime et al 2008

Light?

Future CO2

Hansen and Sato 2004

CO2 and Grasslands

Huang et al 2001

CO2 and Grasslands

Owensby et al 1999

CO2 and Grasslands

Zavelta et al 2003

Any Questions?

ReferencesAbatzoglou, J. T. & Kolden, C. A. Climate change in western US deserts: Potential for increased wildfire and invasive annual grasses Rangeland Ecology and Management 64, 471-478 (2011).Alward, R. D., Detling, J. K. & Milchunas, D. G. Grassland vegetation changes and nocturnal global warming. Science 283, 229-231 (1999).Bowman, D. M. et al. Fire in the Earth system. Science 324, 481-484, (2009).Grime, J. P. et al. The response of two contrasting limestone grasslands to simulated climate change. Science 289, 762-765,(2000).Grime, J. P. et al. Long-term resistance to simulated climate change in an infertile grassland. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 105, 10028-10032,(2008).Hansen, J. & Sato, M. Greenhouse gas growth rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101, 16109-16114, (2004).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grasslandhttp://www.bcgrasslands.org/library/world.htmHuang, Y. et al. Climate change as the dominant control on glacial-interglacial variations in C3 and C4 plant abundance. Science 293, 1647-1651 (2001).Knapp, A. K. et al. Rainfall variability, carbon cycling, and plant species diversity in a mesic grassland. Science 298, 2202-2205, 2002).Mayer, A. L. & Khalyani, A. H. Ecology. Grass trumps trees with fire. Science 334, 188-189, (2011).Moriondo, M. et al. Potential impact of climate change on fire risk in the Mediterranean area. Climate Research 31, 85-95 (2006).Owensby, C. E., Ham, J. M., Knapp, A. K. & Auen, L. M. Biomass production and species composition change in a tallgrass prairie ecosystem after long-term exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2. Global Change Biology 5, 497-506 (1999).Pausas, J. G. Changes in fire and climate in the eastern Iberian peninsula (Mediterranean basin). Climatic Change 63, 337-350 (2004).Spedding, C. R. W. Grassland Ecology. (Clarendon Press, 1971).Westerling, A. L., Hidalgo, H. G., Cayan, D. R. & Swetnam, T. W. Warming and earlier spring increase western U.S. forest wildfire activity. Science 313, 940-943, 2006).Zavelta, E. S. et al. Grassland responses to three years of elevated temperature, CO2, precipitation and N deposition. Ecological Monographs 73, 585-604 (2003).

Photo Creditshttp://africangrasslanddunsieth.blogspot.com/http://free-photo.gatag.net/en/2010/07/16/010000.htmlhttp://www.destination360.comhttp://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/grasslands.htmhttp://www.destinosdeviagem.com/wp-content/gallery/deserto-savana-floresta-africa/savana.jpghttp://www.bcgrasslands.org/library/world.htmhttp://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/biomes.htmhttp://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/types.htmhttp://morriscourse.com/elements_of_ecology/chapter_23.htmhttp://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/photos/grasslands-landscapeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PAMPAS.pnghttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/100034/http://www.westminster.edu/staff/athrock/Australia/Lecture.htmhttp://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dictionary/Dictionary_S/dictionary_steppe.htmhttp://teachers.sduhsd.net/hherms/herms/METEOROLOGY/climates/steppe.htmhttp://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/photos/sun-gallery/#/sunspot-loops_1236_600x450.jpghttp://www.pawas.com/graphics/grass.htmhttp://www.keepbanderabeautiful.org/climatechange.html