Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands are terrestrialbiomes defined by theWorld Wide Fund for Nature.^[1] The predominantvegetation in these biomes consists ofgrass and/orshrubs. Theclimate istemperate and ranges fromsemi-arid to semi-humid. The habitat type differs from tropical grasslands in the annual temperature regime and the types of species found here.^[1]

The habitat type is known asprairie in North America,pampas in South America,veld in Southern Africa andsteppe in Asia. Generally speaking, these regions are devoid of trees, except forriparian or gallery forests associated with streams and rivers.^[1]

Steppes/shortgrass prairies are short grasslands that occur in semi-arid climates.Tallgrass prairies are tall grasslands in higher rainfall areas.Heaths andpastures are, respectively, low shrublands and grasslands where forest growth is hindered by human activity but not the climate.

Tall grasslands, including thetallgrass prairie ofNorth America, the north-western parts ofEurasian steppe (Ukraine and south ofRussia), and theHumid Pampas ofArgentina, have moderate rainfall and rich soils which make them ideally suited toagriculture, and tall grassland ecoregions include some of the most productive grain-growing regions in the world. The expanses of grass in North America and Eurasia once sustained migrations of large vertebrates such as bison (Bos bison), saiga (Saiga tatarica), and Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsoni) and kiang (Equus hemionus). Such phenomena now occur only in isolated pockets, primarily in theDaurian Steppe andTibetan Plateau.^[1][2]

Temperatesavannahs, found inSouthern South America, parts ofWest Asia,South Africa andsouthern Australia, and parts of the United States, are a mixed grassywoodland ecosystem defined by trees being reasonably widely spaced so that thecanopy does not close, much like subtropical and tropical savannahs, albeit lacking a year-round warm climate.^[3] In many savannas, tree densities are higher and are more regularly spaced than in forests.^[4]

The states of the Eurasian steppes and the North AmericanGreat Plains have been largely extirpated through conversion to agriculture. Nonetheless, as many as 300 different plant species may grow on less than three acres of North American tallgrass prairie, which also may support more than 3 million individual insects per acre. ThePatagonian Steppe and Grasslands are notable for distinctiveness at the generic and familial levels in various taxa.^[1]

• Oak savanna
• Tussock grass
• Great Plains

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• Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
• Terrestrial biomes

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