Grasslands Grasslands
Vocabulary

Terms and Definitions

annuals - plants with a one year life cycle

browser an animal that prefers to eat tender shoots, twigs, shrubs, and tree leaves

carbohydrates starches, sugars, and cellulose produced by plants during photosynthesis that release energy during digestion

cellulosethe chief component of plant tissues and fibers

compostingthe decay or break down of organic matter

fodder coarse, dry food, such as hay, fed to livestock

grazeran animal adapted to eating grasses

perennialsplants with a multi-year cycle that survive dry and cold weather by going dormant

ratites flightless, running birds, such as emus and ostriches, that have a flat breastbone without a keel

ruminants a group (suborder) of plant-eating hoofed mammals that have a multi-chambered stomach as part of their complex digestive tract which houses billions of micro-organisms to help digest cellulose