Temperate grasslands

Abstract

Temperate grasslands occur in the middle latitudes in regions where the seasonal climate favours the dominance of perennial grasses (Figure 7.1). The most extensive areas are the prairies of North America which in their original condition covered more than 350 million ha of the central lowlands. Similar vegetation is found in Eurasia where the steppes cover some 250 million ha of rolling plains that extend as a broad belt across the continent from Hungary to Manchuria. In th r southern hemisphere grass steppes are represented by the pampas of Argentina and the grassveld of the high plateaus of southern Africa. Smaller areas of grassland occur in the drier parts of New Zealand with occasional patches also present in south-eastern Australia.