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Botany - Topic list A > Topic 15 - Grassland formation and their distribution in the Earth (regarding to the major grassland types) > Flashcards

Topic 15 - Grassland formation and their distribution in the Earth (regarding to the major grassland types) Flashcards

1
Q

Biogeography

A

Study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic scale

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2
Q

Distribution of species

A

Not random → biotic and abiotic factors

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3
Q

Biomes of the earth

A

A type of vegetation that covers a very large area in continents around the world

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4
Q

Environmental factors of grasslands

A

Rainfall
Temperature → high annual temperature range (> 25C)
Seasonal drought

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5
Q

Rainfall

A

Regular annual rainfall (200-500mm)

Annual rainfall can be higher for tropical grasslands and tall grass prairies (600-1000m)

Rainfall occurs only late spring or early summer

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6
Q

Importance of grasslands

A

Provides a number of products including food crops and meat

Contributes to the provision of clean water and flood prevention

Are essential to carbon sequestration, or the storage of carbon in the soil

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7
Q

Types of grasslands

A

Natural grasslands
Grasslands of europe
Artificial grasslands

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8
Q

Natural grasslands

A

Precipitation inequality or low precipitation rates

Under tropical climate
Under temperate climate

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9
Q

Grasslands of europe

A

semi-natural grasslands → after deforestation, maintained with mowing and grazing

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10
Q

Tropical grasslands -

A

Savanna

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11
Q

Savanna

A

Mixed woodland grassland ecosystem without closed canopy

Cover 20% of the world’s vegetation

Rainfall limited to a few months

Regular wildfires occurs

Large number of natural grazers

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12
Q

Grasses of the savanna

A

Common finger grass - most important forage grass

Elephant grass - most important fodder crop of dairy farmers

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13
Q

Thorn trees

A

Common in savanna

Digestibility of the foliage is poor compared to grasses

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14
Q

Cerrado

A

Tropical savanna

Grassland occupying the drier regions - largest area is in brazil

Herbaceous layer reaches 60 cm

Soy production, low density cattle grazing

Half the natural vegetation has been lost since the late 1950s

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15
Q

Grasses of the cerrado

A

Carpet grasses and bluestem grasses → most frequent

Grasses are intermixed with a diverse selection of sedges

Grazing occurs in the open and the marshy habitats

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16
Q

Temperate grasslands

A

Prairie

Pampas - South American grasslands

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17
Q

Prairie

A 
Tallgrass 
Shortgrass prarie
Prairie hay
Velds
Steppe
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18
Q

Tallgrass prairie

A

The annual rainfall averages about 700-1000 mm

Grazed by large mammals (bison, pronghorn)

Grazed during growing season, cut and baled as hay in the fall

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19
Q

Major species of tallgrass prairie

A

Big bluestem
Indian grass
Switchgrass

can be used as biogfuel

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20
Q

Shortgrass prairie

A

Drier climate (3-400 mm)

Cattle and sheep ranching

Short grasses (30-40 cm) are drought- and grazing tolerant

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21
Q

Dominant species of shortgrass praire

A

Buffalo grass

Blue grama

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22
Q

Prairie hay

A

Harvested once (twice) a year

10% priotein and 65% total digestible nutrients

High quality (early harvested) hay for young livestock, and average quality (late harvested for higher biomass) hay for dry cows

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23
Q

Pampas

A

Distributed in the lowlands of Argentina and Uruguay

climate generally temperate (29-32C)

Precipitation is seasonal

Wildfires frequently occurs

Dry and humid pampas

Nutrient rich soils

Domestic livestock and farming → endangered habitats

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24
Q

Pampas grass

A

Most typical species in pampas grasslands

Europe → used as an ornamental plant

Flooding pampas → average yield → 5-30 kg dry matter/ha/year

Overgrazing commonly occurs

25
Q

Velds

A

Temperate grasslands of south-Africa

Occurs in plateaus (high veld) and lowlands (low velds)

Sweet velds and sour velds

Supplies most of South africa’s dairy, beef and wool products

26
Q

Sweet velds

A

Low rainfall, low fiber, retain nutrients → palatable to livestock

27
Q

Sour velds

A

Higher rainfall → more fibers, less palatble

28
Q

Species of velds

A

Red oat grass
Wire grass
Bermuda grass

29
Q

Steppe

A

Open, grass-covered plains, which are treeless

Low (300-500mm) annual rainfall

Long drought during the summer

Forest and meadow steppes

Extensively grazed by different species, or preserved as hay

30
Q

Eurasian steppe

A

Largest temperate grassland in the world

From Hungary to China

31
Q

Species of steppes

A

Most characteristic: Feather grasses, fescues and sedges

Small shrubs (brooms) and roses can occur

many herbaceous species with underground bulbs

tumbleweed species

32
Q

European grassland types

A

Fresh moist meadows

33
Q

Fresh moist meadows

A

Molinia meadows

Mesotrophic wet meadows

Arrhenatherum hay meadows

34
Q

Molinia meadows

A

Dominance of Molinia species

Groundwater does not reach the ground surface

Soil is typically rich in humus or peat

grazing is rare

Mowing once a year

35
Q

Grasses of molinia meadows

A

Tall-grown grasses, sedges, and rushes dominates

Most species-rich wet grassland type

36
Q

Mesotrophic wet meadows

A

widely distributed in Europe

Decreasing tendency in extent in the EU → draining (drying), fertilisers

Moist or sometimes seasonally inundated

Nutrient-rich soils on floodplains and in brook-valleys throughout lowlands

The vegetation is often species rich

Herbage traditionally cut for hay (nutrient rich)

Light grazing in late summer and autumn

37
Q

Species of mesotrophic wet meadows

A

Agrostis, alopecurus, and festuca species

38
Q

Arrhenatherum hay meadows

A

Meadows of nutrient rich soils developed in areas of valleys, terraces, basins, high floodplains

graxzing is rare, mowing 1-2 times a year

39
Q

Dominant species in arrhenatherum hay meadows

A

Tall grown species: arrehnatherum elatius, Dactylis glomerata, phleum pratense, trisetum flavescens

Sedges (less dominant) buttercup (common)

40
Q

Dry meadows

A 
Loess steppes
Open and closed sand steppes
Salt meadows
Rocky grasslands
Mountain hay meadows
41
Q

Loess steppes

A

occurs only in middle-east europe

Good quality soils developed on loess (stilt-sized sediment)

Closed steppes occurs especially on plains and foothills

Species rich, many rare and sometimes endangered species

In europe → also have a decreasing tendency (lack of grazing, forestation)

Grazed mainly with sheep

42
Q

Species of loess steppes

A

Festuca rupicola

typical herbs are spring pheasants eye, spurge plants and sage species

43
Q

Open sand steppes

A

Drought-tolerant low grasslands with maximum 50-60% cover

On loose, humus poor sand soils

vegetation dries out in mid or late summer

Grasses form tussocks and have enrolled leaves

Inappropriate for hay

Grazed with sheeps

44
Q

Species in open sand steppes

A

Feather grasses
small sized fescues
grey-hair grass

45
Q

Closed sans steppes

A

Higher, but still low amount of biomass → Light grazing with sheep and goats

Heavy treading can damage the grassland → smaller yield

Dominant species are similar to open sand steppes

46
Q

Salt meadows

A

The habitat develops on strongly saline soils (e.g. after drainage)

Water cover for a longer period in the year (wet in springtime but sometimes completely dry in summer)

Salt accumulation

47
Q

Use of salt meadows

A

Salt meadows are traditionally grazed or cut once a year and later maintained with grazing (sheep, gray cattle)

Poor yeilds

48
Q

Species of salt meadows

A

Many succulent species, but low species diversity

Small-sized fescues
alkali (salt) grasses
Glassworts

49
Q

Rocky grasslands

A

Developed on dry, warm southern slopes

Occur on calcareous rocks (limestone, dolomite, calcareous sandstone)

Opened grassland with short-growing (5-30 cm) grasses

50
Q

Use of rocky grasslands

A

Very small yield, not appropriate for hay or grazing (or just rarely)

Forage for game species (mouflon, deer)

Importance in nature conservation

51
Q

Mountain hay meadows

A

Most common type in western and middle europe with economic importance

Meadows of the montane and subalpine levels (mostly above 600 meters)

Fresh and dry types

also in areas of deforestation or wildfires

52
Q

Uses of mountain hay meadows

A

High yield, and species-rich composition

For grazing (cattle) and for hay as well

53
Q

Threats to grasslands

A

Conversion to forest

Conversion to farmland

Overgrazing and soil erosion

Climate change

Expansion of towns and roads

54
Q

Conversion to farmland

A

Only 3% of the former tallgrass prairie area remained

Most of the European steppe was converted to farmland

55
Q

Nature-friendly grassland management

A

Production centered agricultural model → multifunctional agricultural policy

Non-material products of grasslands

Sustainable utilisation of natural resources

56
Q

Nature protective mowing

A

Mowing carried at a later time, in early july; Only at daytime

Collection of hay possibly when it is still green

Mower equipped with a chain curtain → game alert

Optimal stubble height

Moving without a stem crusher

Slow progress of work of a speed

Proper progress of mowing in space, leaving a coherent pattern of 10% of the space for the hiding strips

57
Q

Hiding strips

A

Unmowed areas of the grasslands changed every year

Mowed grasses have no seed production

Species of the hiding strips produce seeds and they can regenerate grasslands

Protection for animals (insects, birds, rodents)

58
Q

Grassland restoration

A

Conversion of farmlands back into grasslands

Botany - Topic list A (17 decks)

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