Maarg Manthan · Topic 7.7

Grasslands, Desert Vegetation and Tundra Vegetation

Geography › Biogeography: Soils and Vegetation · Topic 7.7

Grasslands, desert vegetation and tundra are the main non-forest plant communities. Tropical grasslands (savanna) have tall grass with scattered trees, in the Africa, Brazil and Australia. Temperate grasslands are treeless and have shorter grass: the steppes of Eurasia, the prairies of North America, the pampas of Argentina, the veld of South Africa and the downs of Australia. Desert vegetation consists of drought-resistant plants (xerophytes) such as cactus, acacia and date palm. Tundra vegetation, in the Arctic and on high mountains, has mosses, lichens, sedges and dwarf shrubs on frozen ground.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Biogeography: Soils and Vegetation

At a Glance

Tropical grassland Savanna: Africa, Brazil, Australia
Temperate grassland Steppe, prairie, pampas, veld, downs
Desert plants Cactus, acacia, date palm
Tundra Mosses, lichens, dwarf shrubs
Tundra ground Permafrost
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Biogeography: Soils and Vegetation

Where Does It Fit?

This topic follows the account of forests and the factors of vegetation and describes the plant communities of grassland, desert and cold regions. These are also the main areas of grazing and pastoral life in the world. Previous topic: Factors Affecting Vegetation Development, Extent and Classification. Next topic: Economic Utilization of Vegetation Resources.

What Are the Tropical and Temperate Grasslands?

Grassland	Region	Climate and vegetation	Use
Savanna (tropical)	Africa (east and south), Brazilian campos, Venezuelan llanos, northern Australia	Warm all year, wet and dry seasons; tall coarse grass with scattered acacia and baobab; fires and grazing keep it open	Grazing of cattle; game wildlife in African reserves
Steppe	Eurasia, from Ukraine across Kazakhstan to Mongolia	Cold winters, hot summers, 25 to 50 cm of rain; short grass	Wheat belts, pastoral nomadism
Prairie	Central North America	Taller grass in the wetter east, shorter in the drier west	Wheat and maize, ranching
Pampas	Argentina and Uruguay	Mild climate; rich grass	Cattle and wheat
Veld	South Africa	Highveld plateau grasslands	Sheep, cattle, maize
Downs	Australia	Darling Downs and others	Sheep and wheat

Temperate grasslands have few trees because rainfall is too low for forest but too high for desert, and fire and grazing keep trees out. They have deep, dark, fertile soils, called chernozem and prairie soils, as in Classification of Soils, and so most are now ploughed for crops.

What Is Desert Vegetation?

Deserts have less than about 25 cm of rain a year, high evaporation and often salty or sandy soil. Plants are sparse and adapted to drought.

Xerophytes: cactus, which stores water in a thick, fleshy stem, with spines instead of leaves; acacia and mesquite with very deep roots; date palm in oases; euphorbias and thorny shrubs such as the khejri tree in the Thar.
Adaptations: small or no leaves, waxy or hairy coats, roots that spread wide or reach deep, and seeds that wait for years until a rain.
Ephemerals: short-lived annual plants that sprout, flower and seed within weeks after rain.
Halophytes: salt-tolerant plants in saline basins.

The deserts are described in Major Deserts of the World (Sahara, Gobi, Kalahari, Atacama, Thar) and Their Formation. As an analytical point, the survival tricks of desert plants, such as storing water and cutting water loss, show how closely vegetation follows the climate.

What Is Tundra Vegetation?

Region: the Arctic fringe of North America, Europe and Asia, and above the tree line on high mountains (alpine tundra). Antarctica has very little vegetation.
Climate: long, bitterly cold winters, a growing season of only 50 to 60 days, light precipitation and strong winds.
Permafrost: the ground below is permanently frozen. In summer only the top layer thaws, and the water cannot drain, so the surface is boggy with many lakes.
Plants: mosses, lichens such as reindeer moss, sedges, cotton grass, dwarf willow and birch, and brilliant flowers in the short summer. Plants are low, grow in cushions and have shallow roots.
Animals and people: caribou, musk ox, Arctic fox and migrating birds; reindeer herders and the Inuit.
Climate change: warming thaws permafrost, which releases methane and carbon dioxide and lets shrubs spread northward, a change known as Arctic greening.

The factors behind these communities are explained in Factors Affecting Vegetation Development, Extent and Classification.

Which Pressures Threaten These Plant Communities?

Grasslands are among the most altered ecosystems because their deep soils and flat land are ideal for farming. The steppes and prairies have been ploughed for wheat and maize, and tropical savannas are cleared for cattle and cropland, while overgrazing and burning degrade what remains. In India, natural grasslands such as the Banni of Kachchh, the alpine meadows of the Himalaya, the Terai grasslands and the shola-grassland mosaics of the south shelter specialised species, but they are often wrongly classed as wasteland and planted with trees. Deserts spread when overgrazing and the cutting of shrubs strip the thin plant cover, a process called desertification, and the tundra is under pressure from warming and from oil and gas work. Protection means managing grazing, controlling fire, restoring native grass and recognising the value of these open ecosystems instead of treating them as empty land.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Names Grassland names are asked
Adaptation Desert plants
Climate Permafrost thaw

What Came Next?

The next topic explains the economic utilisation of vegetation resources. Next topic: Economic Utilization of Vegetation Resources.

Key People and Terms

Savanna Tropical grassland with trees
Steppe Eurasian temperate grassland
Prairie North American grassland
Pampas Grassland of Argentina
Permafrost Permanently frozen ground
Ephemeral Short-lived desert plant

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Prairie: North America; pampas: Argentina.
Veld: South Africa; downs: Australia.
Steppe: Eurasia.
Tundra ground has permafrost.
Tundra growing season: about 50 to 60 days.

Do Not Confuse With

Savanna and temperate grassland Tropical with trees versus treeless and cooler
Tundra and taiga Treeless plain versus coniferous forest
Alpine tundra and Arctic tundra Mountain-top versus polar lowland

Memory Hook

Steppe in Asia, prairie west, pampas south, veld Africa, downs for sheep best.

Mains Angle

Questions ask for the grasslands of the world and for climate change in the Arctic. These points add depth.

Grasslands Fertile soils, now cropland
Deserts Adaptation
Tundra Permafrost and warming

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Describe the temperate grasslands of the world and compare them with tropical savannas.”

How to Answer

Names Steppe to downs.
Climate Rainfall and temperature.
Compare Savanna versus temperate.
Use Wheat and cattle.

GS Relevance

Prelims: names of temperate grasslands in each continent, desert adaptations, tundra features. GS Paper 1: natural vegetation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the temperate grasslands called in different continents?

Temperate grasslands are called steppes in Eurasia, prairies in North America, pampas in Argentina and Uruguay, the veld in South Africa, and the downs in Australia. They have short to medium grass, few trees, fertile dark soils and moderate rainfall, and are now mostly used for wheat and cattle.

What is savanna?

Savanna is a tropical grassland with tall coarse grass and scattered trees, found in regions with distinct wet and dry seasons, such as East Africa, Brazil and northern Australia. Fire and grazing help to keep it open. It supports large herds of wild grazing animals, as in the national parks of Africa.

How do desert plants survive?

Desert plants survive by saving water. Cactus store water in thick stems and have spines in place of leaves, acacia and mesquite have very deep roots, other plants have waxy or hairy leaves, and ephemerals complete their life cycles in a few weeks after rain, leaving seeds that wait for the next rain.

What is tundra vegetation?

Tundra vegetation consists of mosses, lichens, sedges and dwarf shrubs found in Arctic lands and on high mountains above the tree line. The ground is frozen as permafrost, the growing season is only 50 to 60 days, and the plants are small and low to resist wind and cold.

What is permafrost and why does it matter?

Permafrost is ground that stays frozen for at least two years, and in the Arctic for thousands of years. It makes the surface boggy in summer, and its thaw under global warming releases stored carbon dioxide and methane, speeding up warming, and it damages buildings and roads.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The pampas are the temperate grasslands of Argentina.

True

The prairies are in North America.

2 Tundra regions have a long growing season.

False

It is only 50 to 60 days.

3 Cactus is a xerophyte.