INTRODUCTION TO THE PRAIRIES

Where are the Prairies located? Go to link below for information from NASA

Description of the Prairies  Divided into 3 types of grasses: tall grass (true prairie), mixed (mid) grass, and short grass.  tall-grass prairie formed a narrow band from Canada south to the Gulf Coast Prairie in Texas on the East side  Mid/mixed prairie formed a band from Canada south to Texas in the middle between the tall and short grass prairies  Short grass prairie is bordered by the mountains on the West side

Tall, mixed and short grasses Short-grass prairie Tall-grass prairie Mixed-grass prairie

Climate of the Prairies  Variable climate with periodic droughts, usually bunched into spans of multiple years  Semi-arid, precipitation varies from east to west  320mm Greeley Colorado-900mm Kansas City, Kansas  Dominated by four seasons, temps vary from north to south  Temps to -40 in the winter in the North and +110 in the Summer in the South Grasslands of the World, Suttie, Reynolds, Batello, 2005

Human Impacts  Before European influence prairies were basically not impacted by Native Americans  Due to modern agriculture and urbanization experts estimate 70-95% of the native prairies have been converted to other uses.

Fauna of Prairies-Past  At time of early exploration bison, pronghorn (antelope) were dominant herbivores.  Estimated that million bison and antelope present on prairies  Also habitat for small mammals prairie dogs, jack rabbits, ground squirrels, gophers and voles  Habitat for invertebrates grasshoppers, beetles, ants and sap feeders  Birds included western meadowlark, grasshopper sparrow, horned lark, chestnut-collared longspur, hawks, eagles and owls Pronghorn (antelope) Western Meadowlark Bison

Fauna of the Prairies-Present  Cattle have replaced bison, pronghorn numbers dramatically reduced  Prairie dog numbers reduced by 98%  Prairies provide stopping grounds for migrating birds  Populations of white tail deer and coyotes have greatly expanded their range and increased their numbers skolaiimages.com free-extras.com

Flora of the Prairies  Native grasses have been nearly replaced by agricultural crops: wheat, corn, soybeans, millet, rye, flax etc.  The prairies used to include many grasses some of which included: big blue-stem, little blue-stem, Indian grass, switch grass, needle and thread, wheat grass, blue grama and buffalo grass.  Some trees on the prairie included: cottonwood, ash, juniper, aspen, oak and others  Most of the cottonwoods have been reduced in number due to dams placed along the Upper Missouri Basin, urbanization and agriculture. Blue Grama Grass Cottonwood Tree

Activities  Students may choose from the following list:  Prepare a short presentation or report on the contents of the prairie of the past  Prepare a short presentation or report on where native (pristine) prairie can be found in your area or an area near you  Prepare a photo album of prairie flora or fauna or both  Compile a presentation or report on one of the types of prairie include range (original and current), contents and climate  Research and prepare report on organization and agencies involved with preserving native prairies  Prepare a short presentation or report on the Tribal Nations of the Great Plains  Presentations and reports will be evaluated using included rubric