DOCSLIB.ORG

Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln USGS Staff -- Published Research US Geological Survey 2004 Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future Fred B. Samson United States Forest Service Fritz L. Knopf United States Geological Survey Biological Resources Division Wayne Ostlie The Nature Conservancy, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub Part of the Earth Sciences Commons Samson, Fred B.; Knopf, Fritz L.; and Ostlie, Wayne, "Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future" (2004). USGS Staff -- Published Research. 45. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usgsstaffpub/45 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the US Geological Survey at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in USGS Staff -- Published Research by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Great Plains Ecosystems: Past, Present, and Future Fred B. Samson, Fritz L. Knopf, & Wayne R. Ostlie 6 SPECIALCOVERAGE ...eat Plains ecosystems: _ _ t, present, and future HH[[~dIed B. Samson, Fritz L. Knopf, and e R. Ostlie sts that the main bodies of North American prairie (i.e., the tall- grass, mixed, and shortgrass) are among the most endangered resources on the con- tinent. The purpose of this paper is to provide a past and present biological base- line by which to understand North American prairies and to provide a platform for future conservation. Events both immediate to the end of the Pleistocene and his- toric suggest that the present grassland conditions are different from those within which most of the grassland organisms evolved. Our analysis suggests that few grassland landscapes remain adequate in area and distribution to sustain diversity sufficient to include biota and ecological drivers native to the landscape. A robust and history-based scenario to conserve Great Plains grasslands is to 1) identify areas large enough to sustain an ecological system with all its biodiversity, 2) reverse significant losses in area of native grasslands, 3) ensure that restoration matches the grassland previously existing at that site, 4) refocus the profession of range management, and 5) establish a more meaningful agency design for grassland and natural resource management. Key Words biological diversity,conservation planning, ecological drivers, grasslands,manage- ment, prairie, restoration ittlequestion exists that the main bodies of North for the GreatPlains (Risser 1996), majorhurdles remain Americanprairie (i.e., thetallgrass, mixed, and short- to understandingand integratingthe varietyof social, grass) are amongthe continent'smost endangered,and economic,and biological issues into efficientprairie con- tallgrassis a globally endangeredresource (Rickletts et servation. In this paperwe offer a platformfor conserva- al. 1999). Loss of NorthAmerican prairie has had a pro- tion built on principlesthat 1) prairieconservation must found and negativeeffect on nativeprairie plants and ani- be based on an understandingof history,2) conservation mals (Samsonand Knopf 1994, 1996 and others). prioritiesmust be based on more sophisticated(especial- Society can protectportions of endangeredecosystems in ly geospatial)information, 3) environmentallegislation non-usepreserves, but in the long run,partnerships withoutecological understandingmay do more harm amongagencies, nongovernmentalorganizations, and pri- thangood, and 4) just as naturalresources are lost vate landownerswill play a majorrole in the conserva- throughecosystem dysfunction, so are capabilitiesto tion of nativebiota and ecosystems(Raven 1990). supportresource conservation lost withoutprofessional Althougha frameworkfor conservationis developing organizationand natural-resourceagency change. Address for Fred B. Samson: United States Forest Service, 200 East Broadway, Missoula, MT 59812, USA; e-mail: [email protected]. Address for Fritz L. Knopf: United States Geological Survey Biological Resources Division, 2150-C Center Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA. Address for Wayne R. Ostlie: The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North FairfaxDrive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203, USA. Wildlife Society Bulletin 2004, 32(1):6-15 Peer refereed Great Plains ecosystems * Samson et al. 7 Prairiesthrough time icant in all areas. Since the 1920s in the United States, changesin farmingpractices and federalagriculture poli- Prairie losses cy have exacerbatedthe loss of nativegrasslands and A comparisonof the prairiesof the past with those of soils (Barnes1993). the presentprovides a measureof 1) the loss or changein Land-coverestimates based on recentthematic the extentof dominantecosystems, 2) informationon imageryplace grasslandsystems loss acrossthe Great whetherthe frequencyand extentof majorecological Plainsat 70%,with tallgrassprairie regions retaining as drivers(herbivory and fire) have changed,3) an indica- little as 13%of the historicextent (Table 1). Mixed tion of the presenceand impactof disturbances(human- prairie(29%) and shortgrassprairie (52%) have retained relatedactions), and 4) a basis to developconservation strategies to [P]rairieconservation requires: 1) new technology...to maintainor restoreecosystems, com- munities,species, and the ecological prioritizeand set context to save prairie,2) ecologically processesthat maintain systems and based initiativesto reverse significantlosses in area and habitatfor species conservation condition of native of standard- (Hauflerat el. 2002). grasslands,3) rethinking Flannery(2001:348) wrote that the ized tools in the range managementprofession, and time has come "to summarizewhat 4) a new naturalresource agency.... we have learnedof the (evolution- ary/ecological)forces shapingthis New Worldand to look towardsthe greatissues and largerproportions of the historicextent. Althoughsimple dilemmasthat North America will face in comingcen- estimatesof remainingprairie can shed light on the status turies."Flannery further suggests it may be worthcon- of biodiversity,they alone do not providea clear and sideringthe reintroductionof NorthAmerican megafauna accurateprognosis for long-termpersistence. Factorsof (>1,000 kg) by parkmanagers into theirreserves ( i.e., patchsize, condition,and landscapecontext play a major the elephant[Loxodonta and Elaphus spp.] as a replace- role in determiningwhether an ecological systemor mentfor the mammoth,camel [Camelusspp.], Chacoan species will remainviable for an extendedperiod of time. peccary [Catagonus wagneri], llama [Lama spp.], and lion [Pantheraleo]). The purposeof restoringthe struc- tureof vertebratecommunities is to reestablishthe eco- Table 1. Summary by geographic unit (Bailey 1996) of estimated extent driversthat influencedthe habitat and decline in Great Plains prairie systems in North America by 2003. logical originally Historic extent of prairievegetatopm is based on Kuchler (1964). mosaic. It is, however,unlikely that elephants, camels, or othersurrogates for the Pleistocenemegafauna can be Remaining introducedto the NorthAmerican prairie to restorehabi- Biogeographic unit extent (km2) Percent of historic tat and animaldiversity, or even thatthis courseof action Great Plains bioregion 988,420 30.1 would be desirable. Tallgrassprairie province 82,680 13.4 The arrivalof Euro-Americanson the GreatPlains Northern tallgrass prairie 4,070 2.4 4.4 triggereda series of eventsthat altered the characterof Central tallgrass prairie 8,360 the and its no set of events Osage plains/Flint hills prairie 26,480 37.6 region biodiversity.Perhaps Crosstimbers/Southern 26.3 had a and more on the tallgrass 40,140 greater significantimpact grass- Gulf Coast & marshes 3,630 9.5 lands of the GreatPlains than the UnitedStates prairies Mixed prairie province 608,010 29.1 HomesteadAct of 1862 and the accompanyingCanada Aspen parkland 45,880 24.8 DominionLand Act of 1872 (Ostlieet al. 1997). Under Fescue-mixed prairie 39,260 31.0 this act in the UnitedStates, nearly 1.5 millionpeople Dakotas mixed prairie 24,820 25.8 acquiredover 800,000 km2of land,primarily in the Great Northern Great Plains steppe 357,060 62.9 Plainsregion. Central mixed prairie 121,090 54.1 TheseActs, coupledwith landmade availablethrough Edwards Plateau 19,900 21.0 51.6 an arrayof otherfederal acts and directsale of landsto Shortgrass prairie province 280,800 Central 140,530 64.3 landowners,resulted in a loss of shortgrass prairie private pronounced Southern 140,270 54.9 native most often conversionto shortgrass prairie prairie, through agricul- Black Hills province 5,280 18.3 ture. The impactwas greatestin the tallgrassportion of Tamaulipanthornscrub province 11,650 7.9 the Plains,where soils were highly arable,but was signif- 8 Wildlife Society Bulletin 2004, 32(1):6-15 Ecological drivers Analysisof RNV can help describedynamic changes Challengesother than loss and fragmentationof native in vegetationand identifythose vegetationtypes that grasslandsexist in the conservationof GreatPlains sys- were importanthistorically but are less commonor rare tems. An essentialissue in conservationtoday is the role today (Haufleret al. 1996). For example,historically, the of ecological drivers(Knopf and Samson 1997). mixedprairie may have occurredas a relativelynarrow Emphasison landscapepattern alone and not the ecologi- transitionzone betweenthe tallgrassprairie and short- cal driversthat provide an evolutionaryand ecological grassprairie (Bessey 1893), extendingsouth from eastern contextfor species
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Key Points for Sustainable Management of Northern Great Plains Grasslands
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications Department of Natural Resource Management 2019 Looking to the Future: Key Points for Sustainable Management of Northern Great Plains Grasslands Lora B. Perkins Marissa Ahlering Diane L. Larson Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/nrm_pubs Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Environmental Sciences Commons REVIEW ARTICLE Looking to the future: key points for sustainable management of northern Great Plains grasslands Lora B. Perkins1,2 , Marissa Ahlering3, Diane L. Larson4 The grasslands of the northern Great Plains (NGP) region of North America are considered endangered ecosystems and priority conservation areas yet have great ecological and economic importance. Grasslands in the NGP are no longer self-regulating adaptive systems. The challenges to these grasslands are widespread and serious (e.g. climate change, invasive species, fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, and anthropogenic chemical loads). Because the challenges facing the region are dynamic, complex, and persistent, a paradigm shift in how we approach restoration and management of the grasslands in the NGP is imperative. The goal of this article is to highlight four key points for land managers and restoration practitioners to consider when planning management or restoration actions. First, we discuss the appropriateness of using historical fidelity as a restoration or management target because of changing climate, widespread pervasiveness of invasive species, the high level of fragmentation, and altered disturbance regimes.
    [Show full text]
  • Historic Illinois and Percentage of Prairie
    Historic Illinois and Percentage of Prairie The tall grass prairie is found in the easternmost third of the Great Plains. It receives the most rainfall, averaging 30-40 inches a year. The tallgrass prairie is predominantly made up of Indian grass, switchgrass, and especially big blues stem, which can grow up to 12 feet high and a half an inch a day. The tallgrass prairie is the most lush , with much taller and denser grasses than the western prairie. An acre of intact tallgrass hosts somewhere between 200 and 400 species of native plants—3 out of 4 of them wildflowers. Each week from April to September, about a dozen new kinds of flowers come into bloom. An acre of good tallgrass may have 5 to 10 acres of leaf surfaces and produce 5000 pounds of forage a year. Grazing cattle typically gain 2-3 pounds a day on these grasslands. Today, what was the tallgrass prairie is now the ‘cornbelt’. http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/~kenr/percentprairie.gif Illinois Symbols The land that became the state of Illinois was covered by prairie grasses. Big Bluestem may have been the most widespread and abundant grass throughout the true prairie. Big Bluestem grows in such tall and dense stands that it often prevents other grasses from growing around it by shading them out. In the past this resulted in large areas of almost pure big bluestem in the prairies. Big bluestem grows to the height of between three and twelve feet (one to three meters). It has tall slender stems. The grass is green throughout most much of the summer ; the stem turns to blue-purple as it matures; thus the name bluestem.
    [Show full text]
  • Central Mixedgrass Prairie Ecological System (Central Shortgrass Prairie Ecoregion Version)
    CENTRAL MIXEDGRASS PRAIRIE ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM (CENTRAL SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE ECOREGION VERSION) ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY ASSESSMENT Draft of June 29, 2007 Prepared by: Karin Decker Colorado Natural Heritage Program Colorado State University 254 General Services Building Fort Collins, CO 80523 Table of Contents A. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 3 A.1 Classification Summary ........................................................................................... 3 A.2 Ecological System Description ................................................................................ 5 A.2.1 Environment....................................................................................................... 5 A.2.2 Vegetation & Ecosystem.................................................................................... 6 A.2.3 Dynamics ........................................................................................................... 8 A.2.4 Landscape......................................................................................................... 10 A.2.5 Size................................................................................................................... 11 A.3 Ecological Integrity................................................................................................ 12 A.3.1 Threats.............................................................................................................. 12 A.3.2 Justification of Metrics....................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Native Or Suitable Plants City of Mccall
    Native or Suitable Plants City of McCall The following list of plants is presented to assist the developer, business owner, or homeowner in selecting plants for landscaping. The list is by no means complete, but is a recommended selection of plants which are either native or have been successfully introduced to our area. Successful landscaping, however, requires much more than just the selection of plants. Unless you have some experience, it is suggested than you employ the services of a trained or otherwise experienced landscaper, arborist, or forester. For best results it is recommended that careful consideration be made in purchasing the plants from the local nurseries (i.e. Cascade, McCall, and New Meadows). Plants brought in from the Treasure Valley may not survive our local weather conditions, microsites, and higher elevations. Timing can also be a serious consideration as the plants may have already broken dormancy and can be damaged by our late frosts. Appendix B SELECTED IDAHO NATIVE PLANTS SUITABLE FOR VALLEY COUNTY GROWING CONDITIONS Trees & Shrubs Acer circinatum (Vine Maple). Shrub or small tree 15-20' tall, Pacific Northwest native. Bright scarlet-orange fall foliage. Excellent ornamental. Alnus incana (Mountain Alder). A large shrub, useful for mid to high elevation riparian plantings. Good plant for stream bank shelter and stabilization. Nitrogen fixing root system. Alnus sinuata (Sitka Alder). A shrub, 6-1 5' tall. Grows well on moist slopes or stream banks. Excellent shrub for erosion control and riparian restoration. Nitrogen fixing root system. Amelanchier alnifolia (Serviceberry). One of the earlier shrubs to blossom out in the spring.
    [Show full text]
  • Prairie Dog Empire: a Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters University of Nebraska Press 2005 Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie Paul A. Johnsgard University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons Johnsgard, Paul A., "Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie" (2005). University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters. 6. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/unpresssamples/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Nebraska Press at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Nebraska Press -- Sample Books and Chapters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Prairie Dog Empire 11 [First Page] 12 13 [-1], (1) 14 15 Lines: 0 to 22 16 17 ——— 18 * 388.16002pt PgVar ——— 19 Normal Page 20 * PgEnds: PageBreak 21 22 23 [-1], (1) 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Kim—UofNPress/Pagei//Prairie Dog Empire: A Saga of the Shortgrass Prairie / Paul A. Johnsgard 1 Other Titles by Paul A. Johnsgard 2 Published by the University of Nebraska Press 3 4 Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History 5 The Nature of Nebraska: Ecology and Biodiversity 6 This Fragile Land: A Natural History of the Nebraska Sandhills 7 Crane Music: A Natural History
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montana's Glaciated
    Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains Final Report Prepared for: Bureau of Land Management Prepared by: Stephen V. Cooper, Catherine Jean and Paul Hendricks December, 2001 Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains Final Report 2001 Montana Natural Heritage Program Montana State Library P.O. Box 201800 Helena, Montana 59620-1800 (406) 444-3009 BLM Agreement number 1422E930A960015 Task Order # 25 This document should be cited as: Cooper, S. V., C. Jean and P. Hendricks. 2001. Biological Survey of a Prairie Landscape in Montanas Glaciated Plains. Report to the Bureau of Land Management. Montana Natural Heritage Pro- gram, Helena. 24 pp. plus appendices. Executive Summary Throughout much of the Great Plains, grasslands limited number of Black-tailed Prairie Dog have been converted to agricultural production colonies that provide breeding sites for Burrow- and as a result, tall-grass prairie has been ing Owls. Swift Fox now reoccupies some reduced to mere fragments. While more intact, portions of the landscape following releases the loss of mid - and short- grass prairie has lead during the last decade in Canada. Great Plains to a significant reduction of prairie habitat Toad and Northern Leopard Frog, in decline important for grassland obligate species. During elsewhere, still occupy some wetlands and the last few decades, grassland nesting birds permanent streams. Additional surveys will have shown consistently steeper population likely reveal the presence of other vertebrate declines over a wider geographic area than any species, especially amphibians, reptiles, and other group of North American bird species small mammals, of conservation concern in (Knopf 1994), and this alarming trend has been Montana.
    [Show full text]
  • Area Requirements and Landscape-Level Factors Influencing
    The Journal of Wildlife Management 81(7):1298–1307; 2017; DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21286 Research Article Area Requirements and Landscape-Level Factors Influencing Shrubland Birds H. PATRICK ROBERTS,1 Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts, 204 Holdsworth Hall, Amherst, MA 01003, USA DAVID I. KING, U.S. Forest Service Northern Research Station, University of Massachusetts, 201 Holdsworth Hall, Amherst, MA 01003, USA ABSTRACT Declines in populations of birds that breed in disturbance-dependent early-successional forest have largely been ascribed to habitat loss. Clearcutting is an efficient and effective means for creating early- successional vegetation; however, negative public perceptions of clearcutting and the small parcel size typical of private forested land in much of the eastern United States make this practice impractical in many situations. Group selection harvests, where groups of adjacent trees are removed from a mature forest matrix, may be more acceptable to the public and could provide habitat for shrubland birds. Although some shrubland bird species that occupy clearcuts are scarce or absent from smaller patches created by group selection, some of these smaller patches support shrubland species of conservation concern. The specific factors affecting shrubland bird occupancy of these smaller patches, such as habitat structure, patch area, and landscape context, are poorly understood. We sampled birds in forest openings ranging 0.02–1.29 ha to identify species-specific minimum-area habitat requirements and other factors affecting shrubland birds. We modeled bird occurrence in relation to microhabitat-, patch-, and landscape-level variables using occupancy models. The minimum-area requirements for black-and-white warblers (Mniotilta varia), common yellowthroats (Geothlypis trichas), chestnut-sided warblers (Setophaga pensylvanica), eastern towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus), and gray catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis)were0.23 ha, whereas indigo buntings (Passerina cyanea) and prairie warblers (S.
    [Show full text]
  • 7. Shrubland and Young Forest Habitat Management
    7. SHRUBLAND AND YOUNG FOREST HABITAT MANAGEMENT hrublands” and “Young Forest” are terms that apply to areas Shrubland habitat and that are transitioning to mature forest and are dominated by young forest differ in “Sseedlings, saplings, and shrubs with interspersed grasses and forbs (herbaceous plants). While some sites such as wetlands, sandy sites vegetation types and and ledge areas can support a relatively stable shrub cover, most shrub communities in the northeast are successional and change rapidly to food and cover they mature forest if left unmanaged. Shrub and young forest habitats in Vermont provide important habitat provide, as well as functions for a variety of wildlife including shrubland birds, butterflies and bees, black bear, deer, moose, snowshoe hare, bobcat, as well as a where and how they variety of reptiles and amphibians. Many shrubland species are in decline due to loss of habitat. Shrubland bird species in Vermont include common are maintained on the species such as chestnut-sided warbler, white-throated sparrow, ruffed grouse, Eastern towhee, American woodcock, brown thrasher, Nashville landscape. warbler, and rarer species such as prairie warbler and golden-winged warbler. These habitat types are used by 29 Vermont Species of Greatest Conservation Need. While small areas of shrub and young forest habitat can be important to some wildlife, managing large patches of 5 acres or more provides much greater benefit to the wildlife that rely on the associated habitat conditions to meet their life requirements. Birds such as the chestnut- sided warbler will use smaller areas of young forest, but less common species such as golden-winged warbler require areas of 25 acres or more.
    [Show full text]
  • Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife
    Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife Scott W. Gillihan, David J. Hanni, Scott W. Hutchings, Tony Leukering, Ted Toombs, and Tammy VerCauteren Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Sharing Your Land with Prairie Wildlife Scott W. Gillihan, David J. Hanni, Scott W. Hutchings, Tony Leukering, Ted Toombs, and Tammy VerCauteren 14500 Lark Bunting Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory Lane Brighton, CO 80603 (303) 659-4348 www.rmbo.org AboutIntroduction the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (RMBO): Our mission is to conserve Rocky Mountain, Great Plains, and Intermountain West birds and their habitats through research, monitoring, education, and outreach. We conduct on-the-ground conservation in cooperation with other private organizations and government agencies responsible for managing areas and programs important for birds. We also work with private landowners and managers to encourage practices that foster good land stewardship. Much of our work is designed to increase understanding of birds and their habitats by educating children, teachers, natural resource managers, and the general public. Because birds do not recognize political boundaries, and may even spend most of their lives outside of the United States, RMBO works to bring a unified approach to conservation among states and countries, and many of our projects focus on issues associated with winter grounds, especially those in Mexico. At the core of our conservation work is bird population monitoring. Only through long-term monitoring can we identify which species are in need of help, and evaluate our success at protecting or recovering them. About this manual: This third edition of this manual (formerly entitled Sharing Your Land With Shortgrass Prairie Birds) is about how to help birds and other wildlife make a living from the land while you do the same.
    [Show full text]
  • A Prairie Ecosystem the Kansas Grassland Biome Is Divided Into Tallgrass, Mixed-Grass, and Shortgrass Prairies
    A Prairie Ecosystem The Kansas grassland biome is divided into tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairies. ​ ​Emporia, KS is located in the Tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Before settlement, the tallgrass prairie occupied a north-south strip which encompassed the eastern third of Kansas. The tallgrass prairie exists today since much the land is not farmable due to terrain (slope, rock layers, soil depth, etc.). The grasses can grow in excess of six feet tall during moist years if they reside in deep soils. The annual precipitation, or rainfall, in this region exceeds 30 inches. The original tallgrass prairie spanned almost 250 million acres. Today, about four percent remains with the largest areas being the Flint Hills of Kansas and the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. Examples of grasses found in tallgrass prairies include big bluestem, indian grass, switchgrass, and eastern gamagrass. The sun is the main source of energy for every living thing on earth. An organism that makes its own food from the sun is called a ​producer​. Examples of producers in the prairie are grasses and wildflowers because they use the sun to make their own food through a process called photosynthesis. An organism that depends on others for food is called a ​consumer​. Examples of consumers in the prairie include coyotes, snakes, mice and prairie chickens because they hunt or scavenge for their food. An organism that breaks down materials in dead organisms is called a decomposer​. Examples of decomposers in the prairie are worms. Recycling happens in the prairie through decomposition. Recycling means to reuse something once it has died or has been thrown away.
    [Show full text]
  • Where Are Shortgrass Prairies in Wyoming? Basically, Shortgrass Prairie Is Found in the Eastern One-Third of Wyoming, in the Rain Shadow of the Rocky Mountains
    Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Flashcards Shortgrass Prairie What is a shortgrass prairie? Short grass prairie habitat is flat to rolling terrain dominated by short grasses that form a nearly continuous carpet across the landscape. Grama grass and buffalo grass make up 70% to 90% of the plants growing on the short grass prairie. A few mid-grasses and forbs also grow there. Short grass prairie s is the westernmost and driest of the true North American grasslands. Average annual precipitation is 10 to 12 inches. Why are shortgrass prairies important? Shortgrass prairies provide essential habitat for many species of wildlife that live nowhere else. Grazing buffalo, deer, and pronghorn as well as burrowing mammals are the iconic animals of this landscape. However, the grasses are the real star of this ecosystem. They can withstand the harsh climate better than any other plants and help to protect the essential topsoil. Without the grasses, we’d have no plant or animal life, just dust. Where are shortgrass prairies in Wyoming? Basically, shortgrass prairie is found in the eastern one-third of Wyoming, in the rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. It becomes and replaced by sagebrush grasslands and foothills shrub land as the terrain rises westward toward the Rocky Mountains. rockies.audubon.org plt.wyomingplt.org Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Flashcards American Badger Black-tailed Jackrabbit Swift Fox Northern Pocket Gopher Ferruginous Hawk Short-eared Owl Page 1 A rockies.audubon.org plt.wyomingplt.org Shortgrass Prairie Ecosystem Flashcards Western
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature Conservancy's Prairie Wings Project
    The Nature Conservancy’s Prairie Wings Project: A Conservation Strategy for the Grassland Birds of the Western Great Plains1 Bob McCready,2 David Mehlman,3 Danny Kwan,4 and Becky Abel5 ________________________________________ In the second half of the nineteenth century, driven by grass prairies, have shown steeper, more consistent, the cultural mandate of manifest destiny and economic and more geographically widespread declines than any expansion, the North American west was rapidly set- other behavioral or ecological guild of North American tled and permanently altered by hundreds of thousands species (Knopf 1994). of residents from the eastern United States, Canada, Central Mexico and Europe. The first region to fill up In response, The Nature Conservancy’s Migratory Bird with new arrivals was the Great Plains, a “sea of grass” Program created the Prairie Wings project in 2000 with that stretched uninterruptedly, from the prairies of the goal of identifying and protecting critical grassland southern Canada across the middle of the United bird habitat across ten ecoregions (fig. 1) across the States, to the arid grasslands of Northern Mexico – an prairies of Canada, the United States and Mexico. area of both stunning continuity and biological There is an almost complete congruence between these complexity that is the largest biome on the continent. ten ecoregions and the five western Great Plains bird Although it is widely accepted that native peoples conservation regions (Prairie Potholes, Badlands and purposefully altered the prairie landscape primarily Prairies, Shortgrass Prairie, Central Mixed-grass Prairie, through the use of fire, in the last 150 years conversion and Chihuahuan Desert) as adopted by the North to agriculture, fragmentation from urban development, American Bird Conservation Initiative (U.S.
    [Show full text]