Meadow (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what a meadow is, the types of meadows that exist and their various climates. Also, what is the flora and fauna of this biome like.

What is a meadow?

A grassland is a type of biome that is characterized by a temperate climate and vegetation consisting mostly of grasses, shrubs and few trees. The meadows are open, flat lands that are located in the central part of the continents and its climatic conditions are in the middle between the desert climate and the forest climate.

There are two types of meadows: tropical grasslands and temperate grasslands which differ from each other according to climate, flora and fauna.

The meadow has rich soil making it one of the areas most exploited and modified by human action through the cultivation of corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton and livestock.

About a quarter of the Earth's surface is covered with grassland and it is a biome that has different names depending on its geographical location: in the United States it is called “prairie”; in South America it is called “pampa”; In the central area of Eurasia it is called “steppe” and in Africa it is called “savanna”.

Types of grasslands

Within the classification of this biome it is possible to differentiate two types of grasslands:

tropical grasslands. They are grasslands that are characterized by a warm climate throughout the year and by having two distinct seasons: one dry and one wetter. Its vegetation is usually abundant, with grasses that can measure several meters in height and a large presence of animals. African savannahs are an example of tropical grasslands.
temperate grasslands. They are grasslands that have rainfall of between 250 and 750 mm annually, so their grasslands or herbs are mainly grasses and do not reach great heights. These grasslands have a wide fluctuation in temperature, with hot summers and cold winters, and can be found in North America and Argentina.

Geographic location of the grasslands

The grasslands They are located in temperate zones so they are neither very close to the equator nor the poles. Some of the meadows are:

Canadian Prairies. They extend south of Canada in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Prairies in the United States. They extend in the center of the country in the states of Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, among others. Many are part of the Great Plains.
Mexican grasslands. They extend in central and northern Mexico in the states of Chihuahua, Durango, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosí, among others.
Grasslands in South America. They extend throughout Uruguay and much of central and southern Argentina.
Grasslands in Eurasia. They extend through central Eurasia from Ukraine to Siberia, in Russia. The great Hungarian plain is part of these grasslands.

Prairie Climate

The climate of a meadow will depend on the geographical area in which it is located, since there are meadows on all continents. Those that are closer to the equator have higher temperatures than those found in areas closer to the poles. Additionally, grasslands in the southern hemisphere typically receive more rainfall than those in the northern hemisphere.

In tropical grasslands the climate is warm all year round. and is marked by two stations. The wet season of the prairie coincides with summer and receives a large amount of rain (more than 750 mm average annually), which allows the growth of herbs and grasses. On the contrary, the dry season corresponds to winter, it has milder temperatures and it does not rain (which usually causes natural fires).

In the temperate grasslands there are two very defined types of climate: one for winter and one for summer. The climate in summer has temperatures around 21ºC, while in winter it can reach an average of 11ºC. This type of meadow receives rainfall throughout the year, with averages that do not exceed 750 mm per year, which only allows the growth of grasses and herbs (and not trees).

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Animals from the prairie

Prairie animals tend to vary depending on the type of grassland, although These are mostly birds and herbivorous animals..

Rodents, vizcachas, hares, cuises, maras, armadillos, mulitas, weasels, foxes and lizards live in the temperate plains of South America. As for birds, you can find rheas, owls, ducks, martinets, chajáes, chimangos, teros, caranchos, ovenbirds, cardinals, benteveos, calandrias, earwigs and hummingbirds.

A distinctive feature of grassland birds is that Since there are not so many trees, they feed on the ground. and, for this reason, they have a brown or green color that helps them camouflage themselves.

Originally there were some predatory animals in the grasslands of South America but, due to human intervention in this ecosystem, many of these animals are in danger of extinction. The puma and the pampas deer are native to the grasslands of South America.

To these native animals of the temperate grasslands are added those introduced by man through livestock, such as cows, sheep and horses.

On the prairies of North America you can find animals like the American badger the bison, the striped skunk and the coyote.

The tropical grasslands of Africa are home to a large number of herbivorous animals, such as giraffes, zebras, elephants and antelopes, which feed on the herbs and grasses that grow in the summer. These animals They usually migrate to wetter areas during the dry season of the savannah. Lions, hyenas, cheetahs, among others, are predators of these animals.

Insects and reptiles such as vipers, beetles, spiders, among others, also live in tropical grasslands.

Flora from the prairie

Prairie flora It is not usually very abundant in variety of species, but it is in quantity. Prairie rainfall is not enough for a forest to form, but it is wetter than deserts, allowing grasses to grow. Fires and the presence of agricultural activity are other reasons that make tree growth difficult in this area.

in a meadow you can see reeds, grasses and grasslands. The height of these grasses will depend on the type of grassland: the grasses of the tropical grassland are usually taller than those of the temperate grassland.

In the temperate grasslands There are around 50 species of plants, mainly grasses and many areas are occupied by cereal plantations, such as wheat, corn and sunflower. In tropical grasslands there are usually not so many crops and up to 200 species of plants can grow.

Agriculture and livestock on the prairie

One of the main characteristics of grasslands is that They are made up of a chernozem type soil. This soil is black and rich in minerals and humus, which makes it an ideal environment for cultivation.

The type of climate and the rainfall that the grasslands receive during the year are other reasons that allow the development of agriculture. Cereals such as corn are grown in temperate grasslands. sunflower, wheat, barley, soybeans and rye.

Due to the presence of grasses and low herbs, the prairies also They are favorable areas for grazing animals. such as cows, horses, sheep and goats, which allows the development of livestock farming.

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