Nearctica - Ecology - Biogeograpy - Biomes, Ecoregions, and Habitats

Biomes - Grasslands and Savannah

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General Topics

Ecologists prefer to use the term "grasslands" to "prairie". Grasslands are typically areas where either low total annual rainfall (10-20 inches) or uneven seasonal occurrence of rainfall favor grasses and herbaceous plants to trees. Special soil conditions or geology sometimes also favor grasslands over other types of vegetation, and grasslands occur outside of the Great Plains (e.g. the savannah regions of Florida). The most obvious example of grasslands in North America are the prairies of the Great Plains region of the continent. The North American Great Plains have largely disappeared because of agriculture, particularly in the east. The prairie region of the central United States is variable in its composition and appearance depending in large (but not complete) part on the amount of annual percipitation. On the eastern edge of the Great Plains, prairie consists of tall grasses and a tremendous diversity of other herbaceous plants. At the edge of this "tallgrass" prairie with the woodlands of the eastern United States, a form of mixed habitat called savanna occurs. In a savanna the tallgrass prairie is either inter-digitated with patches of woods, or trees may occur as scattered individuals in the grassland. Some tallgrass prairies are referred to as "fire disclimax communities" meaning that fire is necessary to prevent trees from pushing out the grasses and forbs. Fire is a natural part of their environment and controlled burning can be an important conservation measure. Annual rainfall declines as one goes westward in the Great Plains. Grasses decrease in size and the number of herbaceous plants declines in numbers and diversity. On the western edge of the Great Plains the praire is referred to as "short-grass prairie" eventually giving way to the shrublands and deserts of the western United States and Canada. This page has been divided into a number of categories.

General

National Grasslands System

Grassland Restoration

Burning

Plants and Animals

You might also want to visit a list of organizations involved in grassland conservation and research. There is also a page on suppliers of native plants and seeds, some of them dealing in prairie plants.

GENERAL

The Tallgrass Prairie of Illinois. Kennth R. Robertson. This site is a wonderful introduction to the tallgrass prairie of the eastern Great Plains of North America. It includes information on the basics of prairie biology and formation, the plants and animals, where to find tallgrass prairie in Illinois, prairie restoration, and much more. Highly recommended.

Prairie Basin Wetlands of the Dakotas: A Community Profile. Harold Kantrud et al. This site is an online manual on the ecology of wetland habitats in the prairie region of North and South Dakota. Included are discussions of the plants and animals, geology, climate, water quality, and other factors affecting wetland habitats.

A Landowner's Guide: Conservation of Canadian Prairie Grasslands. Environment Canada. A Landowner's Guide is a large online manual designed to assist landowners in protecting Canadian grassland regions in their care. Topics included in the manual are descriptions of Canadian prairies, grassland conservation and management, and a number of appendices covering such things as financial incentives, sources of expert assistance, and much more. Highly recommended.

Wildlife Habitat: A Handbook for Canada's Prairies and Parklands. Environment Canada. This is an online manual with extensive information on the conservation and management of prairire and other habitats for wildlife conservation.

50 Years of Change in Illinois Hill Prairies. Kenneth Robertson et al. A very extensive article on the hill prairies of Illinois. Hill prairies are island-like patches of prairie occurring on southwestern hill slopes.

Great North American Prairie Ecosystem. Sierra Club. A non-technical introduction to North American prairies.

Virtual Tour Wolf Road Prairie. Save the Prairie Society. Take a virtual tour through the Wolf Road Praire in northern Illinois. You'll find a map and as you click on the numbers on the map you will be presented with pictures and information about you will see there.

Grand Prairie Friends. Grand Prairie Friends is concerned with the conservation and restoration of Grand Prairie in east-central Illinois. At this site you can find a short introduction to prairies, articles on prairie gardening and restoration, and links to other prairie sites.

Edge of the Prairie. Becknell and Lucas Media. This is a wonderful site about the sand prairies and oak savanna of northern Illinois and western Indiana. Find out about the different habitat types (ecotypes) of prairie and the animals that live there. You'll also find links to other prairie related sites on the web.

Public Prairies of Missouri. Missouri Department of Conservation. Information and maps of the prairies of Missouri.

KONZA_LTER WEB SERVER. Kansas State University. A compendium of databases of technical information about Konza Prairie in Kansas.

The Prairie Enthusiasts. News on the prairie regions of Wisconsin and Illinois, some information on prairie plants, links, and society business.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Save the Dunes Council. Information on Indiana Dunes National Seashore and some of the plants and animals that live there.

Prairie Restoration and Resource Guide. Nicole Telkes. Despite its name, this site is a set of links to prairie related web sites.

NATIONAL GRASSLANDS

Interactive Map of National Forests and Grasslands. U.S.D.A. Forest Service. This is a clickable map of the national forests and grasslands of the United States. Click on the map to narrow the search region. You will eventually reach descriptive material about each national forest and national grassland in the United States.

National Grasslands by Name. U.S.D.A. Forest Service. This page has a list of the U.S. National Grasslands. Presumably there will be information about each in the future, but at the time of this review, it was empty.

RESTORATION

Looking for a source for wild prairie seeds? Visit Commercial - Natural Gardening - Native Plants and Seeds in Nearctica.

Prairie Parcel Restoration. Lawrence C. Cwik. An excellent and comprehensive manual on techniques for restoring small pieces of prairie. Information includes selecting a site, soil prepartion, planting, watering, plant identification, burning, and more.

Prairie Establishment and Landscaping. William McClain, Illinois Department of Natural Resources. A very extensive site on the creation and restoration of prairies with special emphasis on Illinois and the surrounding region. Some of the topics included at the site are prairie establishment, planting and translantation techniques, weed control, and maintanence. This site is particularly appropriate for individuals.

Prairiesource.com. A great site for anyone interested in prairie restoration. You'll find a prairie wildflower reference guide, an extensive bibliography, a newsletter on problems and solutions associated with prairie restoration, and links to other prairie sites on the web.

Establishment of Seeded Grasslands for Wildlife Habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region. Harold Duebbert et al. An online manual of methods you can use to create grassland habitats in the northern prairie region of North America.

The Oak Openings/Oak Savanna Project in NW Ohio. University of Toledo. Description of a project to restore oak savanna in northwest Ohio with several articles and a gallery of photographs of native plants.

Ecology at Fermilab. Fermilab. A short introduction to prairie restoration at Fermilab in Illinois and the animals found there.

Meadowbrook Prairie Restoration. Urbana Park District. Meadowbrook Prairie is an urban park in Urbana, Illinois that is being restored back to the tallgrass prairie habitat typical of the region in past times. You'll find a history of the project and before and after pictures.

Savanna Restoration Bibliography. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center. A searchable bibliography of literature related to the restoration of savanna habitats. A savanna is defined as the transition habitat between true prairie and is characterized by either interlaced patches of prairie and woodland or grassland with scattered trees.

BURNING

Prescribed Burning Guidelines in the Northern Great Prairies. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An online manual on the use of controled burning for the management and conservation of prairie habitats in the northern Great Plains.

PLANTS AND ANIMALS

List of Plant Species at Three Natural Blacksoil Prairie Remnants in Central Illinois. Kenneth Robertson. A list of the plant species found in three tallgrass prairie remnants in central Illinois.

Prairie Raptors: A Landowner's Guide. Environment Canada. An online manual on the raptors (hawks, owls) of Canada's prairies and other grasslands with information on their conservation and appendices with lists of contacts and rehabilitation centers.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - U.S. Geological Survey. Included at this marvelous site is a section on grassland species of birds including identification hints, distribution maps, calls, biologies, and much more.