Category Botany

The grass on grassland may be short or tall, depending on how much moisture there is. Hardly any trees or bushes grow on grassland, but there are many small plants with white or coloured flowers.

In North America, grasslands with tall grasses are called prairies. In South America, they’re called pampas. Parts of North America once had prairies where the grasses grew 1.8 metres tall or even taller.

In Africa and Australia, the grassland is quite dry and the grasses are short. In Africa, there are savannas that have scattered trees and clumps of grasses. Australian grassland is covered with tough Mitchell grass and kangaroo grass. Acacia bushes grow among these grasses. In Argentina, central Asia, and Russia, grasslands called steppes also have short grasses.

Many grassland plants have special features that help them survive dry conditions. Soft hairs on their leaves and stems help them hold water. Their roots spread out far and wide so they can collect water when rain falls.

Grasses don’t need as much water as trees and bushes do. So grasses grow well in wide, open places that are too dry for most trees but not dry enough to be deserts. These places are like giant lawns. They are called grasslands.

Grasslands are special in another way. They sometimes burn up naturally – and this helps them stay healthy! The fire burns the plants to the ground. The ashes feed the new plants that replace them.

Most big animals that live on grasslands, such as zebras, eat grass. Most small animals, such as rabbits, eat plant leaves and seeds. There are also meat-eating animals, such as foxes, snakes, and in some places, lions and leopards. Many meat-eating birds, such as hawks, hunt on grasslands.

It’s hard for a hunted animal to hide in grassland. The ground is low and flat, and there are few trees or bushes. Many animals crouch near the ground. Some, such as rabbits and zebras, can save themselves by running fast or skilfully. Others dig tunnels in which to hide.

Picture Credit : Google

Plants of the Temperate Forest Community

Temperate forests have many kinds of trees, shrubs, and other plants. They provide animals with shelter, food, and places to bring up their young. Broadleaf trees, such as oaks, maples, elms, lindens, beeches, and hornbeams, are the most important plants in these woodlands. Many smaller plants and shrubs grow on the forest floor. Wild flowers often cover the woodland floor in spring.

Do the trees where you live “change their clothes” during the year – from light green buds in the springtime, to dark green leaves in the summer, to reds, golds or purples in the autumn? If so, then they make up a temperate forest community.

Temperate means “mild”. Temperate forests grow where summers aren’t too hot and winters aren’t too cold, and where the ground gets just about the same amount of moisture all year. In spring, wild flowers bloom in a temperate forest. Then trees and bushes bud. Birds build nests. In summer, fruits and nuts grow and ripen. The woodland is filled with birds, squirrels, raccoons, and many other small animals.

In autumn, the leaves change colour. Most birds fly south for winter. Snakes, turtles, frogs, and many insects hibernate. So do some furry animals. But if the winter is mild, the animals stay active.

Fungi are living things that are a lot like plants. They grow almost everywhere in nature, including the air. They don’t move around, but they do reproduce. Scientists once called fungi “plants,” but fungi cannot make their own food. They get their food from dead plants and animals. So today, experts put these living things in a group of their own. Mushrooms, mould, and yeast are types of fungi.

Mushrooms and moulds grow from tiny cells called spores. Spores float on the air like dust. When a spore lands on bread or something else it can use as food, it begins to grow. It sends out many tiny threads. Some of these threads grow down, like roots. Others grow upwards, like stems. Bunches of these threads form the spots you see on mouldy fruit or cheese.

Yeast cells look like drops of jelly. They’re so tiny you can’t see them without a microscope. When a yeast cell takes in food, such as sugar, it swells up and splits into two new cells. Then, each new cell takes in food, swells up, and splits in two. Soon, there are millions of new yeast cells. People put yeast in bread dough to help make the bread fluffy.

Picture Credit : Google