Grasses, with large shrubs or trees absent or sparsely distributed, dominate grasslands. The two main types of grasslands are divided on the basis of climate:
*Tropical grasslands or savannas
*Temperate grasslands
The temperate-grasslands biome occupies a large portion of the planet. Temperate grassland occurs in regions with temperate climate and is most widespread in North America, eastern Europe, Turkey and northern Iran, central Asia and part of southern China.
In North America, temperate grasslands are found throughout much of the region between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountain. In temperate grasslands, rainfall is generally between a semi-arid 250 mm to as much as 900 mm, and is seasonally distributed.
The temperate grasslands fauna does not display a high biodiversity. Herbivores include bison, antelope and rodent species in the Old and New Worlds and the wild horse in the steppes of central Asia.
Today most of the original grasslands, like the temperate deciduous forest have been converted to agricultural uses. Grasslands that are too dry to allow for farming typically have been used as grazing land for cattle and sheep.
Temperate grassland
