The grassland biome formed during the Miocene era.
The Miocene era lasted for about 25 million years during the Neogene period of Earth's development and evolution. During this geological era, mountains began to form, rising above certain regions to create climates desirable to grasslands. This in turn created the grassland biome. Not much has changed in plant life since the Miocene era in grassland regions throughout the world, and most of the very same plants exist in modern times. Does this Spark an idea?
Grasses
Grasslands consist mostly of different grass varieties.
As the name of the biome denotes, the dominant plant type in grasslands are grasses. A wide range of grass varieties thrive in grasslands, many of which are survivors of the Miocene era. Sources from Hamilton Nature.org report that most varieties of grass come from the Poaceae family of plants and possess slender blades, and make up more than 50% of the plant life found in temperate grasslands. One such variety of grassland grass is yellow-eyed Grass, which produces tiny yellow flowers atop its blade-like stems. Hamilton Nature states that most grass varieties produce tiny flowers throughout grassland regions.
Flowers
Thistle flower varieties can be found in temperate grasslands.
Wild flowers, or "forbs" are common throughout grassland areas, and those that formed during the Miocene era still exist today. For example, various strains of thistle formed in temperate grasslands of the United States during this period. The thistle flower is spiny, pink in color and sits atop a wispy spring-green stem. They thrive in the marshy areas of temperate grasslands, where their roots grow in the shallow, black soil. Other wildflower varieties that have survived since this developmental stage in Earth's existence include asters and poppies.
Trees and Shrubs
Acacia trees can be found in dry, savanna grasslands.
Although the Miocene era led to the recession of trees to create grasslands, some tree varieties still thrive in the grassland biome. In the savanna grassland regions such trees include acacia, which is considered a pest in parts of the United States. Shrubby plants can be found in temperate grasslands in the United States, but these grasslands do not support trees.
Tags: temperate grasslands, found temperate, found temperate grasslands, grass varieties, grassland regions
