A grassland is a piece of land covered with abundant grass.
A grassland is a surface that has soil covered in abundance of grass . Grass generally grows wild, without any person shaping it or keeping it under control.
For example: “That's not a garden, it's a pasture,” “The body was found in a pasture and was covered by vegetation,” “My mother doesn't let me play in the pasture because she says there may be vermin there.”
The grassland as an ecosystem
The grassland, on the other hand, is a type of ecosystem in which herbs abound. These are ecosystems that may have arisen through the action of nature or as a result of human action to obtain suitable land for animal husbandry or recreation.
Experts say that more than 25% of our planet's surface is covered by grasslands. The only area in which grasslands are not recorded is Antarctica , due to climatological conditions.
Generally, a grassland arises in areas that, due to their level of precipitation, allow the development of grasses but not trees that make up a forest . It should be noted that, according to certain characteristics, grasslands can receive specific names and be classified as steppes , pampas , savannahs or prairies .
The grassland can be understood as an ecosystem.
Farmland
When the land has been modified by man with the aim of providing food for his animals, we speak of cultivated grasslands . Thanks to these pastures, cows, sheep and other livestock can feed themselves directly, eating the herbs grown there.
Cultivated grasslands can come in different types, some of which are:
- Meadow : it is a flat or gently relief terrain , irrigated or humid, in which grass is planted for animals to consume and forage is conserved when there is a surplus. Normally, this type of grassland is found in relatively warm and humid areas, where drought is not common. Its plants belong to the perennial green herbaceous class, they have a moderate height and their roots do not reach great depths;
- Dehesa : this is a clear forest of cork oaks and holm oaks, among other species of trees, with bushes or grasslands, dedicated to human activities related to livestock, hunting and forestry exploitation to obtain products such as mushrooms, cork and wood. . In its etymology we find that the term derives from defense , given that at the time of the Reconquista, which lasted for several centuries until the year 1492 , shepherds built fences to protect their livestock;
- Pasture : the cultivation of any product that feeds animals, such as grass, silage, and hay. To provide them with the necessary protein supplements, cereals and fabaceae are also used (also called legumes , they are a family that includes perennial herbs, shrubs and trees whose fruit is a legume). The grass is usually completely vegetal, but domestic livestock can feed on products processed by man;
- Lawn : This term can also be used synonymously with grass, grass and grass. It is a type of grassland that forms a dense cover and is usually used to decorate gardens and meadows, or as a base for practicing recreational activities and sports, such as football and rugby. Grass can occur in a large number of species, which are divided into those of humid and temperate climates (such as agrostis tenuis , fescue rubra and poa nemoralis ) and those of subtropical or dry climates (among which are the cynodon dactylon and zoysia japonica ).