The Steppe biome is
a dry, cold, grassland that is found in all of the
continents except Australia and Antarctica. It is mostly
found in the USA, Mongolia, Siberia, Tibet and China. There
isn't much humidity in the air because Steppe is located
away from the ocean and close to mountain
barriers. The Steppe biome is
usually found between the desert and the forest. If it got
more rain, it would become a forest. If it got less rain, it
would become a desert. The average rainfall is 10-30 inches
per year. But in May, June, and August, the Steppe can get
up to 4-5 inches a month. There are many
plants in Steppe. The main ones are different grasses. The
grasses are separated into 3 different groups, depending on
how much rain they get. The tall grasses grow up to 4 1/2
feet because they live closer to the forest. The short
grasses can be less than 1 1/2 feet. They are closer to the
dessert. 1 1/2 feet is a small amount, considering that
people don't cut the grasses. The last group is the mixed
grasses. They grow 2-3 feet high and get 15-20 inches of
rain per year. Very few people live
in the Steppe climate because it's only grass and it has
very few other traits. Farmers would have a hard time
growing crops because the soil is so poor and its so cold.
There is also a lot of wind in the Steppe because there are
few trees. Steppe has warm
summers and really cold winters. There is often a lot of
snow in the northern Steppes. All the Steppes experience
long droughts and violent winds. Sometimes the summers are
so hot that the grasses catch on fire. That is more
dangerous then usual because the grass is so dry that it
spreads quickly. A lot of the animals
that live in Steppe are grazing animals, such as rabbits,
mice, antelopes, horses, etc. Smaller animals have little
defense from predators. Since it is such an open environment
and predators can find animals fast, they either form herds
or make burrows. There are many endangered animals on the
Steppe. More and more people are trying to protect
them. A true natural
grassland is becoming harder and harder to find because
people are taking them over. They are plowing the grass for
farming and digging holes in search of oil. The Steppe biome
is becoming endangered, just like the animals. by Mary Elizabeth v.
N. 2000
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