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Temperate Grasslands

• Prairies, (N. Am. [Great Plains,Palouse, California])

• Steppes (Russia - !raine ["un#ar$-Rumania])

• Pampas (Ar#entina - ru#ua$)

• %eldt (S. Afri&a)' N tusso&!#rasslands

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Temperate #rasslands

prairies, steppes, pampas, eldt*..

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Nort+Ameri&an#rasslands

Abilene

Calgary

CheyenneOmaha

Chicago

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Palouse prairie

easternas+in#ton,and /re#on,0da+o

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California #rasslands

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Classif$in#t+eAmeri&an

prairie

aoe1Carpenter, 2345.

elo1Clements and eaer, 2363.

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7ean annual temperature andpre&ipitation in S prairies

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Temperature re#imes

(Great Plains stations)

Cal#ar$

C+e$enne

/ma+a

C+i&a#o

Ailene

  T  e  m  p  e  r  a  t  u  r  e

  (  °  C

  )

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Pre&ipitation re#imes(est- east transe&t)

Cheyenne

Omaha

Chicago

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T+e prairie-forest oundar$

=ud$!o su##ested t+att+e forest -

#rassland oundar$in t+e midest

&orresponds it+ adr$ness ratio> of 2.2

-2.9 (?dotted line)

=ud$!o dr$ness ratio alues, N. Ameri&a

Hare (1980) Atmos.-Ocean 18, 127-153.

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Pa&ifi& air mass dominan&e period

(mont+s of t+e $ear)

12 months

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Soils

• @oessi& parent material - deriedfrom aeolian reor!in# of #la&ial and

fluio#la&ial deposits in nort+ernNort+ Ameri&a and urope durin# late#la&ial periods.

• @imited areas of #la&ial, fluio#la&ial,and alluial deposits

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C+ernoBemF7ollisol profiles

7elaniBation

Cal&ifi&ation

mied-#rass s+ort #rass

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Soil mosai&in +umidprairies

(+umi&#le$s in

+ollos' soil

erosion onrid#es)

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Soil &atena in

dr$ prairies

12

3

SolonetBi& solod profile

9. SolonetB

6. Solod

tetural ='

NaH

 saturation of= and C +oriBons

2. C+ernoBem

depression

Na, g, etc

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C+ernoBem-solonetB

mosai& in#raBedsteppe,

Rumania S S

S

S

C

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Some &ommon #rass spe&ies

2. Andropo#on #erardii  (i# luestem)9. =outeloua &urtipendula  (sideoats #rama)6. S&+iBa&+$rium s&oparius  (little luestem)4. Ioeleria ma&rant+a  (J)8. =outeloua #ra&ilis  (lue #rama)

1 2 3 !

"

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Grass-&limate relations(+i#+l$ s&+emati&)

K9m tall

K2m tall

K5.8m tall

. 0llinois.$omin#

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Topo#rap+$ and plant &oer1 mied#rass prairies (un#raBed)

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Grass p+enolo#$

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Cardinal temperatures for net

p+otos$nt+esis, C4 and C6 plants

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C! grasses#a) less tolerantof lotemperatures

(e.#. floerin#in+iited $ni#+t T L26MC) ) more

tolerant ofmoisturedefi&its

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C4#rasses

inre#ional#rass

flora $% &% '%

"%

!%

3%

2%

1%

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Polar and

tropi&al sour&eareas forprairie #rasses

Note1 no pre-7io&ene#rass fossils !nonfrom plains area.

Con&lusion1 Prairiesdeeloped in lee ofrisin# Cordillera in mid-Tertiar$.

C3Agropyron, (lymus )oeleria, *oa, +tipa 

  se-ges

.outeloua, .uchloe An-ropogon 

C4

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Prairie fors• Strelets! reports 2O5 spp of floerin# plants

from t+e !rainian steppes (onl$ 95 of +i&+are #rasses).

• 0n t+e tall-#rass prairies of Nort+ Ameri&aED5 spp ma$ e in floer at on&e.

• ;ors +ae ariale drou#+t toleran&es andp+enolo#ies.

• ;loerin# times ran#e from 7ar&+ (e.#.TulipaF"$a&int+a  in steppes) - SeptF/&t (e.#.

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Some N. Ameri&an prairiefors

1 2 3

! "

2. Amorp+a &anes&ens 9. As&lepias  tu,erosa 6. "elenium autumnale 4. %er,ena stri&ta  8. Aster lae)is 

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Annualprodu&tionof plant

iomass inprairie

#rasslandsnote1

5-O5 elo-#round

   2   5   5   5   !  &  a   l  m  -   9   a

  -   2

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=iomass(un#raBedprairie)

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GraBers

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Consumption1

relatiel$ smallinta!e $ s+oot#raBers s. root

su&!ers(predominantl$

nematodes)=T is t+is a

produ&t of+istori&alfa&torsJ

   2   5   5   5   !  &  a   l  m  -   9   a

  -   2

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Rapid de&line in

#raBerpopulations inlast 955 $ears

as a result of+aitat

destru&tion

and +untin#.

2355=uffalo - almost etin&t'Gop+ers - 3O de&line

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=uffalo #raBin#1 7anitoa

0n allies and +umid situations, t+e #rass #ros to a#reat +ei#+t, +i&+ fattens our +orses in a s+ort

time, ut t+e uffalo usuall$ ma!es &+oi&e of t+e+ill$, dr$ #round to feed on, t+e lades of #rass on+i&+ are small, s+ort and tender. +en a numerous+erd of t+ese animals sta$ an$ len#t+ of time in onepla&e, t+e #round is asolutel$ arren t+ere for t+eremainder of t+e season*Q

mfreille (2D35)

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=uffalo #raBin#1 Nort+

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as t+ere a #raBin#

seuen&eJ

Antelope reported

to follo uffalo't+e$ appear toprefer +eail$-#raBed land it+

dense populationsof fors.

Antilo&apra ameri&ana 

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ColoniBation of old &o$ote urros$ #op+ers - effe&ts of do#tonQ

on nei#+ourin# e#etation

astern Colorado prairies1 urro entran&es s+on $ arros

/1% mpre- post-

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ffe&ts ofdo#ton a#eon lo&al plant

&oer1#rassland

repla&ed $

+era&eouss+uland

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Carniores

=urroin# ol Iit fo =ad#er

P+oto &redits1 Gre# @asle$, =ill Standle$

(all +ole nesters)

H sift fo, &o$ote, olf, ears

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Pre-Pleisto&ene fauna

• Sele&tion of prairie flora for toleran&e of+ea$ #raBin# a produ&t of radiation ofdierse +eriore assemla#e in 7io-Plio&ene.

• 0n t+e Plio&ene t+e N. Ameri&an plains ere

+ome to D #enera of +orses, 29 #enera ofantelopes' &amelids, pe&&aries, tapirs andr+ino&eroses (plus a dierse #roup of&arniores)

• T+in! of a Neras!an Seren#eti.

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Plio&ene plains fauna

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;ire on t+e prairies

Are t+e tall-#rassprairies a &limati&

&lima, or is fire t+epredominant#eneratie andmaintainin# fa&torJ

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T+e ar#ument in faour of fire1

0 gre up in the timbere- uplan- peninsula orme- by the 4unction o the issouri an- ississippi 5i6ers7 The prairiebegan a e miles to the north an- e8ten-e- ar into oa7The broa- rolling uplan-s ere prairie, hate6er their agean- origin, the stream9cut slopes ere timbere-:77 ;romgran-parents hear- o the early -ays hen people -are-not buil- their houses beyon- the shelter o the oo-e-slopes, until the plough stoppe- the autumnal prairie ires7n later iel- or in llinois, in the O=ars, in )entucy, met parallel con-itions o 6egetation limits coinci-ent ithbreas in relie7 ga6e up the search or climatic

e8planation o the humi- prairies7>

Carl +auer, 1?'?7 Agricultural Origins an- @ispersals7

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A prairie lands&ape in 0llinois,s+oin# t+e restri&tion of oodland to

moister (and more fire-proof) alle$ottoms

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Prairie fires1 Teast+e 0ndians of t+e interior +ae anot+er intoleralemet+od, . . . +i&+ is to fire t+e plains andforests . . . ot+ to drie t+e mosuitoes aa$ and att+e same time drie liBards and li!e t+in#s from t+e

eart+ to eat. T+e$ also !ill deer $ en&ir&lin# fires'depried of pastura#e, t+e animals are for&ed tosee! it +ere t+e 0ndians ma$ trap t+emQ.

CaeBa de %a&a, A.N. Rela&iUn (2849)S+ipre&!ed $ a +urri&ane on t+e &oast of Teasit+ +is &re in 289D' CaeBa de %a&a lied it+ t+e0ndians in Teas from 289O-2868.

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Prairie fires1 t+e

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Prairie fires1 /!la+oma

[/&t. 94, 2O43] $esterda$ e &ould see t+e smo!e of

t+e Prairie urnin# in eer$ dire&tion ut toda$ it #ot&lose to us. 0t as t+e or! of t+e /sa#esQ

ood+ouse, S.. :ournals (2339)

[/&t 62, 2O69] 0t as t+e time +en +untin# parties of0ndians set fire to t+e prairies' t+e +era#e . . . as int+at par&+ed state, faorale to &omustion . . .Q

0rin#, .A. A Tour on t+e Prairies (2O68)

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Fire season

Spring Late-summer

Flame height (L, m) 1.9±0.4 0.7±0.1

Intensity (I; !"m)1 1#$0±%#0 1#0±#0

Litter &'nsumpti'n()

100 91±#

II #%9.*+L#.174

Data: Copeland et al! 2002 Restoration Ecology 

;ire and prairie restoration

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;ire and prairie restoration

Data: Copeland et al! 2002 Restoration Ecology !

Native plant species All plant species

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;ire and prairie restoration

Data: Copeland et al! 2002 Restoration Ecology !

Flowering times

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Prairies in t+e late Vuaternar$

$ollen%ie&e'

+ere ere t+e prairiesQ at @G7J

7ost @G7 pollen assem,la#es in sout+ern GreatPlains +a)e no modern analo#ues ,

utNeFIansas K open sualpine forestFpar!landJ

C.Teas K sa#erus+ steppeJnort+ern 7ei&o-N7 K WuniperFpin$on oodlandJ

()ee *$oaceae+ and *p'ai'ie ,o'-)+

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/pollen/viewer/webviewer.htmlhttp://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/pollen/viewer/webviewer.html

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Climati&&+an#eprodu&es a

s+iftin#prairie -forest

e&otone(&f. "$psit+ermal)

"%% m

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Re&ent (and futureJ) &limate &+an#e int+e prairies (7oon @a!e, N