Grassland ecosystems are terrestrial biomes dominated by herbaceous vegetation, primarily grasses (Poaceae), with sparse tree or shrub cover, shaped by climate, fire regimes, soil properties, and large herbivore grazing. They exhibit high belowground biomass and root turnover, playing a major role in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water regulation. Structurally, grasslands are characterized by open canopies, seasonal productivity pulses, and strong coupling between disturbance and primary production. They support specialized plant–herbivore–microbe interactions, including mycorrhizal associations and grazing-adapted floras, and are central to research on biodiversity maintenance, trophic dynamics, land-use change, and climate–vegetation feedbacks across temperate, tropical, and arid regions.
Nature conservation policies are trying to safeguard forests all over the world, which is a good thing. But it seems like less-flashy ecosystems are getting left behind.
Ecology
Aug 18, 2025
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Even a toddler knows that plants need water. It's perhaps the first thing we learn about these green life-forms. But how plants budget this resource varies considerably. The kapok trees of the Amazon have adopted vastly different ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 31, 2025
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21
Africa is a source of uncertainty in carbon cycle calculations. By some estimates, the continent's landscapes emit 2.1 billion tons more carbon dioxide than they take up each year—about equal to 1.5 times the annual emissions ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 30, 2025
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37
A new study led by Teagasc has highlighted the critical relationship between the drainage status of peat soils and localized rainfall in water table management. These findings will be critical in identifying and targeting ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2025
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31
Hikers on the Konza Prairie may look up this summer and see something unusual in the air. K-State researchers are employing aerial data in their mission to understand and manage the rapid spread of woody plants across the ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 29, 2025
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276
The endangered golden-shouldered parrot, a technicolor species native to Far North Queensland's Cape York Peninsula, is abandoning areas of grassland it usually nests in because woody plants are encroaching upon its preferred ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 24, 2025
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55
A new study published in the journal Global Change Biology reveals that colonial-era landscape modifications have resulted in a devastating 80% loss of grassland habitat and significant declines in grassland bird populations ...
Ecology
Jul 23, 2025
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29
Researchers have conducted the world's biggest ever bird survey, recording 971 different species living in forests and cattle pastures across the South American country of Colombia. This represents almost 10% of the world's ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 22, 2025
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146
An international study led by the University of Liège proposes a new map of the potential for natural vegetation on Earth, far beyond forests. By incorporating the role of fire and herbivores, researchers are paving the way ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 18, 2025
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124
Imagine a prairie. How many plant species do you see? Maybe you're picturing yellow coneflowers, some little bluestem, perhaps a few asters. But plant ecologists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign say these ecosystems ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 17, 2025
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