The steppe is a biome.
The stage is the biome of herbaceous vegetation that includes a flat and extensive territory. This biome is common in territories with an arid continental climate with little rainfall (less than 500 millimeters annually) and a wide thermal variation between summer and winter.
In the steppe there are abundant bushes and low grasses that grow in reddish soil (due to the large amount of iron oxide). It is possible to distinguish between various types of steppe according to their geographical location and characteristics.
Types of steppe
The Asian steppe is linked to the semi-arid continental climate. Its vegetation is xeric, with plants with deep roots capable of subsisting with little water. This steppe is inhabited by rodents, migratory birds, horses, antelopes and other species of animals.
The North American steppe is that which occupies the great plains from northern Mexico to southern Canada . States such as Colorado , Montana , Nebraska , Texas , and Wyoming have large tracts of steppe, whose climate is less harsh compared to the Asian steppe.
The subtropical steppe appears in places such as Sicily ( Italy ) or Almería ( Spain ), while the Argentine Pampas region and the Chilean Magellanic Pampas present characteristics similar to this biome.
Horses are characteristic animals of different steppes.
Flora and fauna
The steppe is usually characterized by very hot summers and cold or cool winters. During spring, the ground must thaw; The combination of the action of the sun and humidity is ideal for various seeds that remain dormant in the summer months to germinate.
After a few weeks, the ground is covered with very fast-growing grasses. It is worth mentioning that the steppe displays great color once it blooms, making spring its most beautiful season on a visual level.
When summer arrives, the intense heat of the sun causes the flowers to wilt and the color palette of the steppe darkens. The fragile stems break with the autumn frosts, and that is the moment in which the seeds break off and fall to the ground; Winter causes them to be covered with snow, and thus the cycle of the steppe flora closes.
Since the insolation of the steppe is similar to that of the desert, trees are scarce and, therefore, its fauna must be prepared for exposure to humidity and violent variations in temperature, which explains why its animals tend to dig extensive galleries to build underground nests; Such is the case of the prairie dog squirrel and the badger (a medium-sized mammal that feeds on meat and has very short legs and tail), among other species.
On the other hand, there are species that reach high speeds in their movement to evade their predators; Some of them are the horse and the coyote of the North American steppe, which is capable of running at 64 kilometers per hour.
Among the animals that are most abundant in the steppes of the Asian continent are the horse , sheep and camel , which have been domesticated since ancient times. In Australia , on the other hand, the predominant species is the kangaroo , while in South America , it is the rhea (a smaller ostrich than the one from Africa) and the guanaco .
Other uses of the term steppe
In another sense, the concept of steppe is used to name different plants of the genera Cistus and Halimium . Also known as rockrose , steppe is found in Mediterranean scrublands and is among the pioneer plants in the recovery of soils devastated by forest fires.
Estepa , finally, is a municipality in the Spanish province of Seville that has more than 12,000 rooms.