FOSS Ecoscenarios: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
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INTRODUCTION
Biome: Temperate Grassland
For thousands of years, the section of the country between the Rocky Mountains and the
Mississippi River was an endless sea of grass. This temperate grassland biome, also known as
prairie, is characterized by great expanses of flat or rolling land, covered by fairly rich soil.
Today less than 4 percent of the vast American prairie remains. Most of the prehistoric grasslands
of the United States have been converted to farms. What original prairie remains is found in the
Kansas Flint Hills at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve.
Ricardo Reitmeyer/Shutterstock
Temperate grasslands, also called prairie, used to cover a large section of the central
United States.
In the early 1900s, scientists began to notice that the prairie soil, once rich with nutrients, was no
longer very fertile. Years of cattle grazing and farming, followed by a drought, had caused the soil
to become dry and low in nutrients. By the 1930s, strong winds across the prairie swept up the
loose soil, creating huge dust and sand storms. These devastated areas of Kansas, Oklahoma, and
Texas infamously became known as the Dust Bowl.
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Scientists wanted to stabilize the soil so the land could be used again for agriculture. Healthy
grasslands reduce soil erosion and water runoff and provide a dependable supply of summer forage
for livestock and wildlife. By the 1940s, the US Congress approved the purchase of unproductive
farmland in hopes of restoring some of the original prairie habitat.
In 1996, 45 square kilometers (km2) of this land was protected as the Tallgrass Prairie National
Preserve. The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and the National Park Service jointly manage the
preserve. Managers have already reintroduced the American bison and black-footed ferrets to the
ecosystem.
The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve offers many ecosystem services. Temperate grasslands have
fertile soil and are an essential biome for human food production. In addition, grasses convert
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into plant biomass. The process of storing carbon, called
carbon sequestration, is a very important process for minimizing climate change.
Over 1 million people visit US National Grasslands each year. The preserve offers aesthetic beauty
in many forms, from vast rolling grassy hills to wildlife viewing.
The preserve supports a diverse community of animals, including insects, birds, rodents, and large
grazing animals like antelope and bison. Millions of migratory birds depend on the preserve for a
resting place as they migrate thousands of miles. Prairie ecosystems also provide habitat for
important pollinators that help pollinate crops throughout the central United States. Healthy
grasslands maintain soil biodiversity and prevent erosion.
The main management issue in Tallgrass Prairie National Reserve is rangeland fires. Native
Americans understood the importance of grass fires and would often set them on purpose. They
used them to clear lands and drive bison herds to areas where they were easier to kill. Until
settlers actively fought the fires to protect buildings and crops, grass fires swept across the prairie
every year.
People have different opinions about how to deal with grassland fires. Some people believe fire is
helpful to the ecosystem. They see fire as a natural management tool for wilderness areas. Others
worry about the dangers of fires getting out of control. They think fires should be put out
quickly. There are many benefits of using controlled burns to manage the health of a grassland
ecosystem, yet fire management can also cause threats to human life, property and air quality.
Ecosystem Services
• Aesthetic value: Grasslands provide aesthetic beauty in many forms from open public space to
wildlife viewing.
• Climate Regulation: Grasslands help regulate the global climate by storing greenhouse gases like
CO2.
• Disease control: Healthy grasslands reduce the risk of some human infectious diseases, such as
Lyme disease. When biodiversity is high, as in healthy grasslands, populations involved in the
transfer of a disease are usually kept low.
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• Erosion and storm control: Deep prairie root systems help dramatically reduce soil erosion. This
stabilized soil helps reduce the negative effects of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, drought,
and flooding.
• Food: Grasslands play an important role in human agriculture. The rich soil and flat landscapes
are ideal for growing staple crops such as wheat and corn. They are also good for grazing
livestock such as cattle.
• Genetic diversity: The preserve is home to the most endangered mammal species in the United
States: the black-footed ferret.
• Habitat refuge: Many organisms are dependent on temperate grasslands for habitat either all year
or during specific seasons. Millions of migratory birds depend on healthy grasslands as they
migrate thousands of miles each year.
• Natural Resources: Grasslands provide natural fibers for biofuels such as ethanol.
• Nutrient cycling: Grasslands detoxify waste and encourage healthy populations of decomposers.
Healthy grasslands help maintain balances in many nutrients cycle.
• Pollination: Pollination is a service for which there is no comparable human-made substitute.
Wild pollinators in grasslands help pollinate food crops. The value of pollination services from
wild pollinators in the United States alone is estimated at $4 billion to $6 billion every year.
• Primary production: Many ecosystem services benefit from the primary productivity of
temperate grasslands.
• Recreation and Tourism: Over 1 million visitors enjoy US National Grasslands each year. Many
outdoor activities that can occur in the preserve include bird watching, hiking, and camping.
These activities produce income for neighboring towns.
• Soil biodiversity: Grasslands create, preserve, and renew the fertility of soil.
• Water cycling: Grasslands maintain the water cycle and precipitation levels, thus keeping local
climates stable.
• Water regulation: Grasslands purify water as root systems and soils act as huge filters that collect
toxic chemicals.
ABIOTIC DATA
The temperate climate of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has seasonal changes in temperature,
with warm summers and cold dry winters. Prevailing winds blow across the grasslands throughout
the year, making the grasslands even drier. The growing season in this ecosystem is between April
and September.
Temperate grasslands receive moderate amounts of precipitation. This often happens during
seasonal downpours followed by periods of drought.
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The preserve receives about 25 centimeters (cm) of precipitation annually. More precipitation falls
during the summer than winter. Precipitation can fall as rain or snow.
Summers are warmer, with average temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius (°C). Winters are
cooler, with average temperatures around 3°C.
Winds blow across the prairie at speeds up to 24 km per hour. Moving air increases the rate of
evaporation, forcing plants to use water more quickly than usual when it is windy.
Fire is a natural part of many ecosystems. Fire quickly breaks down organic material and returns
minerals to the soil. Fires start naturally from lightning strikes and move across a prairie quickly,
spread by high prairie winds.
Wildfire is an essential factor in maintaining the health of the prairie biome. The grasslands often
grow back with more plants than they had before the fire. In grasslands where fire is suppressed
(stopped by humans), shrubs and trees grow large and prevent the grass from receiving sunlight. In
addition, fire clears out old, diseased, and invasive plants that may be settling into the area. When
animals return after a fire, they spread over a larger area. This can minimize the spread of new
diseases.
BIOTIC DATA
Grasses dominate the vast prairie expanses of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Frequent
wildfires prevent large trees from taking over the landscape, although scattered trees can be found
near streams and springs.
Humans use grasslands as farmland to produce many of the food grains, like oats, wheat, and corn.
Earthworms and turkey vultures are common detritivores, and bacteria and fungi are
decomposers.
Annual primary productivity is the amount of energy provided by the producers to the ecosystem
each year. Temperate grasslands like Tallgrass Prairie have low annual primary productivity. The
primary productivity of temperate grasslands is lower than other biomes because of the cold and
dry winters.
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Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has lower primary productivity because of the cold, dry
winters of temperate grassland biomes.
Some of the dominant grasses are blue grama, side-oats grama, and buffalo grass. The grasses vary
in the level of nutrition they provide for animals. Many birds use grasses to build their nests.
These grasses are well adapted for life on the prairie. For example, they have both deep and
shallow roots. The shallow, fibrous roots allow the grasses to quickly absorb moisture before it is
wicked away by high winds. The deeper roots can survive wildfires and access water stored far
beneath the soil during dry periods.
Other range plants found growing among the grass are ragweed, sunflowers, prickly pear cactus,
sagebrush, and buckwheat. A few trees dot the landscape, such as the cottonwood, Osage orange,
and eastern red cedar. Trees are usually found growing along stream banks or natural springs.
Most sapling trees in the open grassland burn before they can grow large enough to withstand a
grass fire.
Some of the birds found in the preserve are western meadowlark, horned lark, ferruginous hawk,
golden eagle, turkey vulture, and the lesser prairie chicken. The larks and lesser prairie chickens
depend on the seeds produced by the grasses and other range plants. Prairie chickens were once
extremely abundant in the prairies, but their numbers have declined since the 1800s. As land was
cleared for agriculture, they were unable to survive. The use of herbicides and increased periods
of drought have also reduced their habitat.
Black-tailed prairie dogs live in a network of underground tunnels and chambers. Multiple
entrances help ventilate the town and provide escape routes from predators and wildfires. Prairie
dog towns covered an estimated 2.8 million km2 of the Great Plains in the late 1800s. One large
prairie dog town may cover thousands of acres. Today 90–95 percent have been lost to
agriculture or human development. Only 6,100 km2 of prairie dog towns exist today.
Prairie dogs are the primary food source of black-footed ferrets. The disappearance of prairie dog
towns means there is less food available for ferrets. As the prairie dog towns declined, so did the
populations of ferrets. Today the black-footed ferret is the rarest mammal in North America. The
Endangered Species Act protects endangered species like the black-footed ferret by outlawing
hunting of the animals and conserving important habitat.
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iStockphoto/dreamlite
Black-footed ferrets once lived throughout the
Great Plains.
Black-footed ferrets are making a slow comeback through
captive breeding programs.
Captive breeding programs at zoos around the United States are helping the ferret make a
comeback. In 1991, some black-footed ferrets were released into the wild in Wyoming, Montana,
and South Dakota. Today small populations of about 220 ferrets can be found in these states.
The American bison is the largest land animal in North America. Bison have roamed the prairie
since prehistoric times. During the 1700s and 1800s, an estimated 30–200 million bison roamed
the Great Plains. With the westward expansion, millions of bison were killed, mainly for their
hides. By 1885, there were only 500 bison left. Fortunately, conservation efforts have been able to
protect the remaining bison and their habitat. More than 65,000 bison now roam free in the
United States.
The preserve is also home to elk and pronghorn antelope. Pronghorns are extremely fast runners,
able to maintain speeds of 110 km per hour for up to 4 minutes. Other speedy residents include
the swift fox and black-tailed jackrabbit. Jackrabbits live in social groups of 25–30 hares. They are
active at night and rely on their speed and agility to avoid predators.
Art Explosion
Bison graze on the grasslands.
FOSS Populations and Ecosystems Course, Second Edition
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