Steppe (noun, “STEP”)
A steppe is a flat, dry grassland.
These grassy plains occur in temperate regions with a dry climate. Steppes contain mostly grasses — often short — and shrubs. Because of the dry conditions, few trees can grow in this ecosystem. With few trees to block gusts, wind sweeps almost constantly across these flatlands. Trees occur along rivers and streams that may cut through the plains.
The Eurasian steppe is the largest in the world. It lies just south of Siberia. It extends over 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) across Europe and Asia. These vast plains provide good pasture for livestock. The region is home to herd animals such as saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) and Przewalski’s horses (Equus przewalskii). Predators — such as the corsac fox (Vulpes corsac) — also hunt here, feeding on birds and other small prey.
Another example of a steppe lies in North America — the Great Plains. This steppe lies east of the Rocky Mountains. As air from the west moves up and over the mountains, water vapor condenses and falls as rain. This leaves the air on the eastern side — the “rain shadow” side — very dry. This dry air descends to the plains below and cannot support forests. But it does support grasses, which form the steppe.
Grazing herd animals make their home here. The American bison (Bison bison) is one example. Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana) are another. Pronghorns are the fastest land animals in North America. They sprint up to 96 kilometers (60 miles) per hour. That’s fast enough to keep pace with many cars.
Sometimes, humans turn steppes into farmland. Crops that tolerate the dry climate — such as wheat, barley, and oats — thrive for a while. However, once the natural grasses get plowed under, the region can become even drier. Soil nutrients can dwindle without natural vegetation to anchor them in place. This can reduce crop production over time.
In a sentence
Once extinct, the rare Przewalski’s horses were successfully reintroduced to the huge Mongolian steppes in the 1990s.