Grassland Biome Characteristics - Vegetation

Grasses, shrubs, herbs, small flowering plants and bushes are typical vegetation types found in a grassland biome. Very few trees or tall large plants grow in the grasslands. Forest or bush fires can also eradicate the sparse tree population. The lack of trees is mainly due to soil type and precipitation. Trees require thick, moist soil areas to grow and flourish, whereas the grasslands have a thin, sandy soil type with little soil moisture. Also grasslands experience little rainfall, or just annual showers which is not enough to meet the water needs of larger trees.

Grasses are also suited to surviving the frequent wildfires that attack grasslands. They are low to the ground in height and grow from bottom to top. As such a fire just burns the stems off, while the root remains intact. In the grasslands, bush fires are not completely destructive. They clear the ground cover, so other plant species can grow and add to the nutrient quantity of the soil, through the decomposition of burnt vegetation. Based on the type of vegetation, there are 2 types of grasslands:

Tropical Grasslands - Humid and vast is the best way to describe the tropical grassland, also known as a savanna. Grasses and small shrubs make up the vegetation, few large trees are present with sparse distribution. The best example of such grasslands is the continent of Africa, where an approximate 5 million square miles is grassland area. Grass species found in such grasslands include Rhodes grass and red oat grass. Different grass species flourish in different areas. The typical landscape of a tropical grassland is an open, flat canopy with low lying grass and just one or two trees. Such savannas are also found in parts of South America (Llanos grasslands) and Australia.

Temperate Grasslands - Trees are practically non-existent in the The grass species over here are both tall-grass and short-grass varieties, with little or no shrubbery or bushes. Grass species include the purple needlegrass and blue grama among others. These sort of grasslands have a lot of flowering grass plants, like asters, clovers and sunflowers. The soil here is nutrient packed and rich, with a thick, dark feel. Temperate grassland examples include the Veldts of South Africa, Pampas of South America and the Steppes of Asia and the prairies of North America.

What's interesting to note is that, even though they both belong to the temperate type of grasslands, there is a difference in vegetation between the Steppes and the Pampas grasslands. There is very little water available in the Steppes, the soil itself is dry and there is little or no rainfall. So the grass grown here has deep and long roots to soak up groundwater. Some plant species have roots in the form of bulbs or tubers as storage units. The Pampas on the other hand, are very fertile and suitable for cultivation, with the dominant species being the Cortaderia selloana or the Pampas Grass.