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| Description: Physical Environment: Annual rainfall generally between 25 cm and 100 cm, too low to support a forest but higher than that in deserts. Temperatures in the winter often fall below 10°C, while summers may be very hot, approaching 30°C. Location: Temperate grasslands include the prairies of North America, such as those found in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, the steppes of Russia, the pampas of Argentina, and the veldt of South Africa. In addition to the limiting amounts of rain, fire and grazing animals may also prevent the establishment of trees in the temperate grasslands. Where temperatures rarely fall below freezing and most of the rain falls in the winter, chaparral, a fire-adapted community featuring shrubs and small trees, occurs. Plant Life: From east to west in North America and from north to south in Asia, grasslands show differentiation along moisture gradients. In the tallgrass prairie of southern Manitoba, with annual precipitation of 50 cm to 80 cm, grasses such as big bluestem and switchgrass grow to about 2 m high. Along the eastern base of the Rockies in Alberta, where rainfall is 5 cm to 25 cm, mixed prairie grasses such as buffalo grass and blue grama rarely exceed 0.5 m in height. Similar gradients occur in South Africa and Argentina. Animal Life: Where the grasslands remain, large mammals are the most prominent members of the fauna: bison (buffalo) and pronghorn antelope in North America, wild horses in Eurasia, and large kangaroos in Australia. Burrowing animals such as North American prairie dogs and ground squirrels and African mole rats are also common. On the Canadian prairies, birds of prey include ferruginous hawks and the endangered burrowing owl. Effects of Humans: Prairie soil is among the richest in the world, having 12 times the humus layer of a typical forest soil. Worldwide, most prairies have been converted to agricultural cropland, and original grassland habitats are among the rarest biomes in the world.
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