How does precipitation affect plants in the grasslands?

Rain has a huge impact on grasslands. It can flood them but it can also provide the perfect amount of water to keep the grasslands alive.

Climate change impacts to grasslands and prairie bioregions include increased seasonal, annual, minimum, and maximum temperature and changing precipitation patterns. Because these ecosystems are relatively dry with a strong seasonal climate, they are sensitive to climatic changes and vulnerable to shifts in climatic regime. For example, model simulations show that regional drought in the Prairie Pothole Region may result in loss of valuable habitat for breeding waterfowl, from an area that historically has produced 50-80% of the continent’s ducks. DRY and hotter conditions may also lead to the encroachment of new species, and a greater risk of wildfire.