Abstract
This paper describes the grassland biome, specifically North America - the prairie. It describes the plant, animal and insect life, and gives examples of parasitism, mutualism and commensalism. It also describes an adjacent aquatic biome.

From the Paper
"Grassland biomes differ depending in which geographic location they occur. The latitude, soil and local climate determine the kinds of plants that grow in these areas. Grasslands are areas where the rainfall is erratic and drought and fires prevent the growth of forests. Grasses that can survive, fires grow there, because they can grow from the bottom instead of from the top as trees do. Their stems can regrow after being burned off and also the soil of most grassland areas is too thin to support trees."

Tags:grassland biome, aquatic biome, Prairie, plant, parasitism

From the Paper
"Different regions on earth share similar climatic conditions despite being found in geographically different areas, and when areas have comparable ecosystems, they are categorized as being one of the types of biome. The geographical distribution and the productivity of the various biomes is controlled primarily by the climatic variables of precipitation and temperature. The tundra is an arctic and alpine biome, with a geographical distribution largely poleward of 60 degrees North latitude:
The tundra biome is characterized by an absence of trees,
the presence of dwarf plants, and a ground surface that is
wet, spongy, and hummocky. Soils of this biome are usually
permanently frozen (permafrost) starting at a depth of a..."

Abstract
In this paper, the author examines a study by W.K. Lauenroth as it is presented in "Fundamentals of Physical Geography: 2nd Edition." The author argues that average annual temperature, as a part of climate, is very important in relation to biomass of plant material.

From the Paper
"Lauenroth's study is important because it suggests that the average annual temperature can in fact play a deterministic role in influencing primary productivity in natural grasslands. Other "meteorological variables" come into play "such as rainfall, windliness and duration of sunshine" but temperature "is probably the most significant climatic factor in biological terms as all metabolic processes...are temperature dependent" (Ford 17). If the average annual temperature is too low (below approximately four degrees celsius) then, according to Lauenroth's study, the biomass of organic life is essentially zero tonnes per hectare in natural grasslands: this could be due to the fact that low temperatures are correlated with low amounts of sunlight and plants require sunlight to produce their own food."

Tags:biome, climate, geography, grasslands, natural, physical, temperature