explain the temperate grassland of North America in detail
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The temperate grasslands, or prairies, form a belt between forest and desert, mainly on the Great Plains but also on the mid-slopes of the intermontane basins, above the salty desert flats. Prairie dogs still inhabit some areas. ..
Temperate grasslands of North America :-
The temperate grasslands, or prairies, form a belt between forest and desert, mainly on the Great Plains but also on the mid-slopes of the intermontane basins, above the salty desert flats. At the “break of the plains” on the eastern subhumid margin, invaded by rain-bearing tropical gulf air in spring and early summer, the grasslands consist of a dense growth of tall grasses, such as big and little bluestem and Indian grass, along with many forbs and some small berry bushes, wild roses, and stunted aspen trees. These are the tallgrass prairies that once were home to most of America’s bison, before hunters virtually exterminated the species. Wet prairie exists in the middle Mississippi basin, where the annual rainfall exceeds 30 inches (760 mm); its origin has been attributed to repeated burnings by Plains Indians to stampede bison in mass hunts, to burn off trees and thicken the grass to provide pasture, or to expedite travel. Farther west, where rainfall drops below 17 inches (430 mm) in Texas and 15 inches (380 mm) in Alberta, vegetation is less luxuriant, and midgrass and shortgrass prairies are typical. In the westernmost parts of the plains, grasses are found only in bunches, with areas of generally bare ground and gravel between. The vegetation is made up of bluestem bunchgrass, thin needlegrass, and tough grama and wire grasses, along with patches of cacti, sagebrush, or, farther south, mesquite grass. These regions still pasture many small antelopes, although they mainly have been turned into rangeland for cattle or sheep. Prairie dogs still inhabit some areas. Burrowing insects, such as ants, and mammals are quite common.