Steppe
 |
A steppe in Western Kazakhstan in early spring |
In physical
geography, a
steppe ( -
step', -
step), pronounced in English as
step, is a
plain without
trees (apart from those near rivers and lakes); it is similar to a
prairie, although a prairie is generally considered as being dominated by tall grasses, while short grasses are said to be the normal in the steppe. It may be semi-
desert, or covered with
grass or
shrubs, or both depending on the
season and
latitude. The term is also used to denote the
climate encountered in regions too dry to support a
forest, but not dry enough to be a desert. They are usually found in areas of the world less prone to moisture. The soil is considered too moist to be a desert, but too dry to support normal forest life. The climate of steppes can be summarized by hot summers and cold winters, averaging 250-500 mm (10-20 inches) of rain per year.
Plant life is usually greater than one foot tall, including the
blue grama and
buffalo grass,
cacti,
sagebrush,
speargrass, and other small relatives of the
sunflower.
Animal life includes but isn't limited to the
Corsac Fox,
Mongolian Gerbil,
Saiga Antelope,
Northern Lynx, and the
Saker Falcon.
The world's largest zone of steppes, which is often referred to as "the
Great Steppe", is found in central
Russia and neighbouring countries in
Central Asia. The
Pontic steppe stretches from the
Ukraine in the west to the
Ural Mountains and the
Caspian Sea. To the east of the Caspian Sea, the steppes extend through
Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan and
Kazakhstan to the
Altai,
Koppet Dag and
Tian Shan ranges. To the north, on the eastern side of the
Urals, is the forested
West Siberian Plain taiga, extending nearly as far as the
Arctic Ocean.
Another large steppe area is located in the central
United States and western
Canada. The
High Plains steppe is the westernmost part of the
Great Plains region.
Ecology and conservation of Steppe-Land birds by Gerard Bota et al. International Symposium on Ecology and Conservation of Steppe-land birds. Lynx Edicions 2005. 343 pages. ISBN 84-87334-99-7
