ABSTRACT
Grassland communities represent one of the major biomes of terrestrial environment, varying from tropical woodland savannahs to temperate steppes. Grassland habitats include the savannahs of tropical Africa, the flood plains of Asia, the steppes of Ukraine, the high plateaus of Mongolia, the kangaroo grasslands of Australia, the llanos, campos, and pampas of South America, and the prairies of North America. Where grasslands are continuously taxed by cultivation, fires, grazing, trampling, and other forms of utilization, they deteriorate at an accelerating rate. Natural grasslands in both temperate and tropical areas represent a wide range of habitats and major regions, determined primarily by rainfall gradient, moisture, temperatures, soils, and herbivorous animals. South America’s various types of grasslands have deteriorated through cultivation and pasture. Temperate and tropical grasslands often produce herbivorous mammals, from large-sized ungulates to small rodents, numerous birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.
