Theory question 206
VegetationDistinguish between the tropical grassland and temperate grassland under the following headings (a) Location (b) Climate (c) Vegetation characteristics
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(a) Tropical grassland: between about 5° and 20° N and S of the equator (Sudan/Guinea savanna, llanos, campos). Temperate grassland: interiors of continents in mid-latitudes, about 30°-55° (prairies, steppes, pampas, veld).
(b) Tropical: hot all year (about 21-32°C), rain in summer with a long dry season, 500-1500 mm. Temperate: warm summers, cold winters (below freezing in the north), low rainfall about 250-750 mm mainly in early summer, large annual range.
(c) Tropical: tall coarse grasses (up to 3-4 m, e.g. elephant grass), scattered deciduous, drought-resistant trees (baobab, acacia). Temperate: short, soft, nutritious grasses, almost treeless except along rivers; grass dies back in winter.
Compare point by point under each heading.