A grassland biome is one which is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous, non-woody plants rather than other vegetation such as trees or tall shrubs. Every continent on the Earth except for Antarctica has a grassland biome; each with its own popular name for its portion of grassland environment. For example they are called the steppes in Europe, the savannas in Africa, or the pampas in South America. In North America the temperate grassland biome is commonly know as the prairies.
The prairies owe their existence to their position in the middle interior of the large continent of North America where the climatic conditions are too dry for the development of forests yet moist enough to support plants unlike the vegetative sparseness deserts. Grasslands are generally thought to be the transition zone between forests which receive a lot of precipitation and deserts which receive very little precipitation. Even within the prairies, there are three noticeably different regions known as the shortgrass prairie, the mid-grass prairie and the tallgrass prairie. Each region is named corresponding to the height in which the occupying plants are able to grow.
The shortgrass prairie is the region with, as the name implies, the plants with the shortest height. This is due to the fact that it receives the least amount of precipitation of the three regions. It begins at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, which span the west coast of the North American continent, and extends east until it merges with the midgrass prairies.
The tallgrass prairie is found in the easternmost region of the North American prairies. This region receives the most precipitation of the three regions allowing plants to reach spectacular heights. Some of these grasses can grow over ten feet tall although the average is usually between six to eight feet. More impressive still is the amount of roots and plant material that exists underneath the ground. The plants may have roots systems deeper than the plant is tall with some roots extending twelve feet underground. This underground environment is seldom seen except for burrowing animals such as ground squirrels, mice, and prairie dogs which make their homes in these nutrient rich soils.
The prairie environment is approximately 8,000 years old, forming after the glaciers on the continent receded northward. For almost as long, beginning with the Native Americans, the prairies with their luscious soils so perfectly suited for agriculture have been converted and still to this day are used for agricultural land. All over the world grassland biomes have been cultivated to support the growth of cereal crops and the prairies are no exception.
Human activities have altered the prairies to such an extent that there are little natural prairies left. However, due to grazing, cutting, and natural or man-made fires, all of which prevent shrubs and trees from dominating the landscape, there are many prairies which are known as anthropogenic prairies because they are made and maintained by humans. These “anthropogenic prairies” are very different in terms of the species of plants and the types of animals that reside in them.
Areas where the buffalo, pronghorns, elk and wolves used to roam have been displaced by coyotes, red foxes and smaller herbivores like rabbits and hares which are more suited to the “new” anthropogenic prairie environment.
Today it is very difficult to find any large area of prairie that has not been disturbed in any way, shape, or form making the grassland ecosystem one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. The need to preserve such a valuable environment full of panoramic beauty and home to unique species of plants and animals has only recently been realized but hopefully will not be forgotten.
