Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Str. 34, A-5020 Salzburg, Austria.
Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Straße 2-4, Gartenhaus D-14195 Berlin, Germany.
Curr Biol. 2021 Oct 11;31(19):R1195-R1201. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.060.
Grasslands comprise one of Earth's dominant biomes, accounting for up to 40% of its terrestrial area (Figure 1). The fundamental components of grassland habitats are grasses and grass-like plants, but diverse assemblages of other plant life forms and diverse animal communities also contribute to grassland biodiversity. Grasses have evolved traits allowing them to cope with climatic extremes, specific soil conditions, fires, and herbivory, all of which sustain grasslands by limiting the establishment, survival, growth, and dominance of woody vegetation. Grasslands occur in almost all climatic zones, except the poles, extreme arid zones, and the highest mountains (Figure 1). Temperate grassland habitats include Eurasian steppes, North American prairies, the pampas lowlands of South America, and Patagonian steppe. Tropical and subtropical grasslands (savannas) occur mostly in Africa and Australia, but are also found in the north of South America, in the southern United States, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
草原是地球主要的生物群系之一，占陆地面积的 40%（图 1）。草原栖息地的基本组成部分是草和类草植物，但多种多样的其他植物生活形态和多样的动物群落也为草原生物多样性做出贡献。草类植物进化出了一些特性，使它们能够应对气候极端、特定土壤条件、火灾和食草动物的影响，所有这些特性都通过限制木本植被的建立、生存、生长和优势来维持草原。草原几乎存在于所有气候带，除了极地、极干旱带和最高的山脉（图 1）。温带草原栖息地包括欧亚大草原、北美的大草原、南美洲的潘帕斯低地和巴塔哥尼亚草原。热带和亚热带草原（稀树草原）主要分布在非洲和澳大利亚，但也分布在南美洲北部、美国南部、南亚和东南亚。
