And the Winner Is Australia is the country with the biggest percentage of land covered with grasslands Approximately 70 percent of Australia is grasslands Forty-two percent of China is covered with grasslands Grasslands cover 37 percent of Russia 36 percent of the United States and 32 percent of Canada 6 hedgehogs and cranes scurry or fly to safety Underground grass roots are not harmed They will spring new growth when rain comes Around the World Grasslands exist on every continent except Antarctica This ecosystem covers approximately 40 percent of Earth’s land surface All of the grasslands in the world have one thing in common grass is their most common plant Grasslands are known by different names around the world In North America most grasslands are called Great Plains In Africa they are known as savannas or velds Most grasslands in Eastern Europe and Asia are called steppes Grasslands in South America are
7 called pampas llanos or cerrados Most Australian grasslands are known as shrublands Grasslands are diverse ecosystems This means they contain many different kinds of plants and animals Some of the biggest animals on the planet live in grasslands Grasslands contain hundreds of types of grasses and other plants such as wildflowers A healthy grassland ecosystem contains a delicate Grasslands of the World This map shows grasslands across the world Sometimes a picture is easier to understand than reading words In two sentences explain if looking at this map or reading the text of Chapter One helps you better understand where grasslands are located Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean Great Plains of North America South American Pampas African Savannas Asian Steppes Australian Shrublands Indian Ocean Pacific Ocean Arctic Ocean Grassland
A f r i c a n e l e p h a n t s a r e t h e w o r l d s l a r g e s t l a n d a n i m a l s Habitat loss is one reason they are endangered balance between its plants animals and the environment Important Yesterday and Today In the past many grasslands were larger and had more wild animals than they do today Over time people began to grow crops They also learned how to raise animals for food Farming and grazing took over much of the world’s grasslands Many other grasslands were destroyed when towns and cities were built on them 8
Helping the Environment Factories and automobiles put a large amount of a gas called carbon dioxide into the air Like the glass covering a greenhouse carbon dioxide traps heat This makes the world warmer Grasslands help fight global warming Grassland plants take up carbon dioxide into their leaves and use it to make roots This removes the gas from the air Scientists are looking for ways to make grassland plants store even more carbon dioxide 9 But grasslands continue to be important ecosystems Land that was once grassland is now farmland that provides food for much of the world Surviving grasslands attract tourists and are used for recreation Grasslands help limit global warming They are one of the most important ecosystems on Earth
