grassland ecology

Question 1

what is the Sahel

Answer 1

transition zone between desert and savannah in North Africa

Question 2

is the South African veld cooler than central

Answer 2

yes, this means the species found there are endemic as they cannot spread up into the centre

Question 3

what is the temp and precipitation level of the asian steppe

Answer 3

cool and low to moderate precipitation

Question 4

what temp and precipitation of the South American cerrado

Answer 4

similar temp to east Africa but with more precipitation

Question 5

what is the temp and precipitation of the South American pampa? would you find woody vegetation there?

Answer 5

less rain and cooler than prairie- no woody vegetation present

Question 6

what is the precipitation of the North American prairie? what size fauna would you expect to find there?

Answer 6

moderate rainfall and large fauna present

Question 7

what is the temp and precipitation of Australian grasslands?

Answer 7

hot with little precipitation- large marsupials present

Question 8

can grass reproduce both sexually and asexually?

Answer 8

yes

Question 9

how is pollen distributed?

Answer 9

mostly by wind

Question 10

is growth from base or is it apical

Answer 10

from the base

Question 11

how many leaves initially push out of a seed

Answer 11

1, most plants initially have 2

Question 12

when is grass most nutritious

Answer 12

when it is young- leaves most nutritious part

Question 13

what is considered a defence mechanism of grass

Answer 13

it has a high silicate (GLASS) content- wears down teeth of consumer

Question 14

what does a high chlorophyll content in grass mean for it its recovery time

Answer 14

it takes very short time to recover

Question 15

where is the biomass concentrated? (abiotic)

Answer 15

underground

Question 16

what is grazing succession

Answer 16

when ungulates take it in turns to graze there same patch of grassland. each species specialised to consume a certain part of the grass

Question 17

what kind of environment do cold fires burn in

Answer 17

drier ones with sparse grass and lots of shady woody vegetation.

Question 18

how does woody vegetation keep fires cooler

Answer 18

they can survive the fires and shade grassland so that grass growth is sparser

Question 19

define bush encroachment

Answer 19

when overgrazing causes grass to die off, woody vegetation moves in and takes water and sunlight from grass

Question 20

what types of animals can be used to control bush encroachment

Answer 20

mega browsers like rhinos and elephants can be used to clear bush and pride space for grass to return

Question 21

how to pastoralist differ from agriculturists

Answer 21

they sow and harvest with consideration for natural weather cycles. their farming has little hot no effect on the natural environment.

Question 22

can invasive species be indigenous

Answer 22

yes, when they become unnaturally overly prevalent they become invasive.

Question 23

do wild herbivores tend to avoid or confront farm animals

Answer 23

they avoid them. parasites can be shared and native species have been shown to change their behaviour completely to avoid livestock.