(a) Describe the characteristics of the cool temperate grasslands (b) Outline five factors which affect the distribi of this vegetation type

Answer Details

(a) Characteristics of the cool temperate grasslands

The cool temperate grasslands (Steppes, Prairies, Pampas, Downs, Veld) lie in the continental interiors of the mid-latitudes.

• Vegetation is dominated by grass with very few trees; the grass is short and nutritious in drier parts and tall in the wetter margins.
• Grasses grow in tufts and turn green in the warm rainy season and brown/dormant in the cold dry season.
• Trees are largely absent because rainfall is too low and the winters too cold; where present they cluster along river banks.
• The grasses have deep, matted root systems that resist drought and cold.
• Moderate rainfall (about 250-750 mm) falls mainly in summer, with a marked dry season.
• A large annual temperature range with hot summers and cold winters.

(b) Five factors affecting the distribution of this vegetation type

• Rainfall: the moderate, summer-concentrated and unreliable rainfall is enough for grass but too little for forest.
• Temperature: cold winters and hot summers with frost check the growth of trees and favour hardy grasses.
• Continentality (distance from the sea): the deep interior location produces the dry, extreme climate that grasses tolerate.
• Relief: the vast level plains allow the grasslands to spread widely.
• Soil: deep, fertile black and chestnut soils rich in humus support the grasses.
• Human activity/fire: grazing, burning and cultivation help maintain grass at the expense of trees.