What Are the Functions of the Grassland Ecosystem?

What Are the Functions of the Grassland Ecosystem?
••• grassland image by sming from Fotolia.com

Nearly 40 percent of the earth's land surface is composed of grassland ecosystems. Grasslands throughout the world are essential to the survival of plant, animal, and bird species. Grasslands also play a vital role in sustaining human life.

Types

Different types of grasslands, such as prairies, savannahs, rangelands, agricultural grasslands, and coastal grasslands, serve a variety of purposes.

Features

"Rangelands are complex ecosystems," states the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Healthy rangelands "capture, store, and safely release water from rainfall, run-on, and snowmelt," according to the USGS.

Biotic Functions of Grasslands

According to the Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia, grasslands function as a habitat for biotic components or living organisms "classified as producers, consumers or decomposers." For example, trees and plants produce nutrients through the process of photosynthesis, whereas consumers such as animals eat plants and other animals to get energy.

Function of Rangeland Grasslands

Grasslands composed of grasses, such as:

  • grasshoppers
  • locusts
  • Mormon crickets

Grasslands Provide Food

"Grasslands have been the seedbeds for the ancestors of major cereal crops, including wheat, rice, rye, barley, sorghum, and millet," states the World Resources Institute (WRI).

Grasslands Are Breeding Areas

Twenty-three Endemic Bird Areas include grasslands, which are important breeding grounds for thousands of bird species. The Andes in Peru, Central Chile, and southern Patagonia "rank highest for biological importance," states the WRI.

Related Articles

Summary of an Ecosystem
What Is the Definition for a Natural Habitat & a Man...
What Are the Trophic Levels in the Savanna?
Ecosystems in Indiana
Main Types of Ecosystems
Definition of Human Biology
Aquatic Ecosystem Facts
Characteristics of Grassland Biomes
How to Calculate Hectares
What Type of Soil Does Alaska Have?
About Minor & Major Landforms
Depletion of the Ecosystem
Facts About Basins
Natural Resources of the Grassland Biome
What Is an Ecosystem Made Up Of?
Alaskan Tundra Facts
Natural Resources of the Sahara Desert
Desert Biome Environmental Problems
What Are the Benefits of Ecosystems?

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!