Task 2: Main characteristics of grasslands. Grassland biomes are ecosystems predominantly consisting of a diverse range of grasses. Grasslands are generally flat terrains of rolling grass which are vast and continuous. The widespread of grasslands occurred during the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs in Western North America, where continental climates became favourable to grasslands as a result of the rise of mountains and the decline of ancient forests. Subsequent to the Pleistocene Ice Ages, hotter and drier climates prompted the growth of grasslands worldwide.
Size: Grassland biomes are located in every continent except Antarctica and cover approximately 25% of the Earth (Softschools.com, 2014).
Location: Grasslands are located surrounding the deserts in Australia, the steppes of Central Eurasia, the veldt of South Africa, the pampas of South America and the prairies of the Great Plains of North America. The two types of grasslands, temperate and tropical, are located in the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere respectively. Every desert in Asia is surrounded by grasslands (Softschools.com, 2014). Grasslands are generally situated between a forest and a desert, where precipitation is intermediate. If there was greater precipitation, then the grassland would turn into a forest biome. If there was less precipitation, then it would turn into a desert biome.
Climatic conditions: Grassland biomes have temperatures that range between 30oC to -20oC and its
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