Plant Ecology in a Changing World
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Topic 5 - Grasslands and savannas

Essential elements from Topic 5:
1.     Grassland (steppe) biomes are generally regions in which precipitation amounts and potential evapotranspiration are equal (or nearly equal). Such regions are often referred to as being semi-arid.

2.     Grasslands (steppe) biomes often have a mix of grass and shrub life forms, with trees being uncommon.

3.     The balance of the abundances of grasses versus shrubs is influenced by both fire and mammalian herbivory.

4.     Many of the world’s grassland biomes have disappeared as these lands are converted from grassland to agricultural lands.

Terms to know from Topic 5

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Jim Ehleringer, University of Utah