All the old prairies are dead. The Muricene's endless fields of skystalks, rich in sugar and moisture, are no more. The rat-grasses, kept alive by millions of grazers that spread its seeds, are nearly all extinct. The short but glorious reign of the loop-grass is nothing but a distant memory. In its place, what were once minor components of Apterra's open plains have risen to fill the ecological gap. The basket-grass family now comprises over 70% of floral biomass on the grassland, reining over the continental interiors of all three major continents. Multiple branches of the Canistrophyllaceae have independently evolved to suit this lifestyle, and there is a great diversity of morphologies in every basket-grassland region.
One clade of basket-grasses that were already at home on the prairie is the prairie-basket group. These were a rare and scattered presence on the old rat-grassland, where they supported a small population of basketbucks. When the prairie rat-grasses died out, the prairie-baskets were poised to take over. Even more than basket-grasses in general, this tribe - the Campocanistreae - can tolerate harsh sunlight, extreme heat, and dry soil. The Tapgrass (Profundorhizocanistrum) uses these features to survive in environments where similar grasses can't, such as the central Deltalands. It is also the most common plant in the stretch of dry grassland between Loxodia's two interior deserts, an area which would itself likely become desertified were it not for the deep, water-storing roots of the tapgrass. However, like the rest of its tribe, the tapgrass does not form additional rosettes; like skystalks, prairie-baskets reproduce only through their seeds, never vegetatively.
Cooler, wetter grasslands are dominated by another taxon pre-adapted to life in the Arthrocene ecosystem. The prairie-barrels, now known as the tribe Campodolieae, devote most of their energy into outward growth, meaning they don't conserve water as efficiently as their relatives. However, they are still more drought-tolerant than most other grasses. Prairie-barrels don't expand as aggressively as their giant keg-grass cousins, and they don't grow large enough to house micro-environments within themselves, but they still promote biodiversity on the basket-grassland in other ways. For example, the Netgrass (Campodolius) creates an interwoven web of roots that can reach up to three meters deep. This allows it to survive and quickly recover from the fires that frequently burn on the basket-grassland, pushing out new growth just hours after the flame has passed. It grows quickly for a short time, free of competition, bringing minerals and nitrogen from deep underground into its shallower rhizomes. As other grasses grow around it, the netgrass is gradually outcompeted, but it can survive in a dormant state underground until the next fire.
The thorny-barrel lineage, previously only found in forested regions, has also made a name for itself on the basket-grassland. These small, sharp-leaved barrels don't grow as fast as netgrasses, but they can survive being overshadowed by taller species and thus can grow for a longer period of time. When large herds of herbivores pass through an area, the Barbed-Wire Grass (Lappacanistrum), one of the most common members of this group, is often the only plant left standing, serving as a refuge for small ground-dwelling animals like swattermice and castlebugs until other plants regrow.
Many other grasses have a presence among these major players; unlike previous biomes, the basket-grassland is not prone to forming extensive monocultures. The jade skystalk is the most common woodlouse-grass on the prairie, making up more than a third of all plants in a few pockets of warm, high-rainfall habitat. Small, non-pseudotree chaingrasses also occur in modest numbers, as their seeds can sprout very quickly after heavy rain. This high plant diversity leads to an equally large number of animals finding success here; hundreds of bird and mammal species are found nowhere else.
The basketbucks (which now number over 20 species in the genus Doliopascus) have, of course, seen an incredible boon as their primary food source has become the most common grass on the planet. Though small-bodied species still exist, a new radiation of large basketbucks has evolved. The most massive of all is the Basketbeest (D. migratorius), a 150-kilogram grazer with a ravenous appetite. Each leg ends in a single load-bearing hoof, which reduces contact area with the ground (and consequently drag), making the basketbeest the second-fastest herbivore in its habitat, only slightly edged out by some steppesteppers. The other digits have not been lost completely; two large defensive claws hang from the lateral side of each wrist, and one points backward and inward from each ankle. Herds of basketbeest numbering in the thousands wander the basket-grassland, leaving a trail of barren earth in their wake. The great rivers of Inner Loxodia are no obstacle, as their waters are calm and large predators have yet to evolve in their depths. Even on land, there is only one carnivore that can threaten them.
The Crescentbeak (Gladiapteryx recurvatus) is a large bird in the terror kiwi family. At the base of its deep, powerful bill is a pair of sideways-facing, curved protrusions. These pseudotusks are not actually part of the beak, growing outward from the cheeks instead of forward from the rhamphotheca. They find their origin in the ossicone-like bony protrusions found in many terror kiwis as a sexual display feature; this species' only real innovation is the addition of a keratinous sheath. They sweep gently backward and come to a razor-sharp point, allowing them to stab deep into their prey's flesh. With little effort, a crescentbeak can inflict a fifteen-centimeter-deep puncture wound. If this jab is placed well, the victim will bleed out in less than two minutes. This is an extemely precise skill, as a poorly-timed attack could easily lead to the kiwi losing a "tusk". To prevent this, crescentbeaks have a very long childhood, with males and females both helping to train their offspring. Young of this species start life with blunt-tipped "tusks", allowing them to practice attacking their own parents before they move on to hunting actual prey. Once the next egg is laid, the older child will often help raise its younger sibling. Not only does this extend its own training period, but it also allows the adolescent crescentbeak to learn how to teach its own chicks later in life.
At the opposite end of the size spectrum, an equally ferocious hunter terrorizes the underground world. Native to Abeli's Founding Plains and Patchlands, the Bone-Crushing Ratweasel (Cuniculoccisor) is a genus descended from the scurmint. This was the only ratweasel to survive into the current epoch and itself nearly died out millions of years ago. Once the Ice Age ended, though, it diversified greatly, reclaiming its cousins' niches and more. The bone-crushers are the latest in this line of innovations, with a diet rich in burrowing animals. This species' slender profile allows it to infiltrate tunnels underneath its basket-grassland home, and its powerful molars can shatter the bones of the creatures it finds inside. This clade was the primary factor in the decline of groundgeese, and Patchland populations are currently locked in an arms race against the local popbirds. As the generations progress, the ratweasels will become more adept at snatching the kiwis from their burrows, while the scoopbills will keep building better-protected nests and employing more derived defensive behaviors.