Prairies of the Great Plains

I have come across a lot of useful information about grasslands, grasses, and prairies so I want to start a post to share these resources with you. This list (although exhausting) is not intended to be exhaustive; there are a lot more great reference out there. If you find references that you would like to share with the rest of the class then either post them as a blog comment or send them to me so that I I have come across a lot of useful information about grasslands, grasses, and prairies so I want to start a post to share these resources with you.



Here is a potentially great new resource that I just uncovered.



Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/




Grasses

Grasses http://www.eoearth.org/article/Grasses?topic=49480



Presentation from UW Botany http://www.botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_400/Lecture/0pdf/30bPoaceaeBW.pdf




Grasslands

Overview of World Grasslands http://www.bcgrasslands.org/library/world.htm



Prairies



1) Tall Grass Prairie

Tall Grass Prairie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie

Splendor of the Grass http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/splendor-of-grass/

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_ange.pdf"

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANGE

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PAVI2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAVI2

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SONU2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SONU2



2) Mixed Grass Prairie

The Mixed Grass Prairie ecoregion http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/programs/legacy/pdfs/chapter6.pdf

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCSC

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SCSC

Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii now Pascopyrum smithii)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PASM



3) Short Grass Prairie

Southern Short Grass Prairie ecoregion http://fws-case-12.nmsu.edu/cwcs/pdfdocs/ch5_southern_shortgrass.pdf

Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BOGR2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BOGR2

Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides now Bouteloua dactyloides)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BODA2





Prairie Ecoregions (WWF)



Tall Grass Prairie

1) Northern Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Northern_tall_grasslands

2) Central Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Central_tall_grasslands

3) Flint Hills Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Flint_Hills_tall_grasslands



Mixed Grass Prairie Central and Southern mixed grasslands
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Central_and_Southern_mixed_grasslands



Short Grass Prairie

1) Northern Short Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Northern_short_grasslands

2) Western short grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Western_short_grasslands





Texas Grasslands

Grasslands http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/gqg01

Texas Grasses http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taes/tracy/610/



Prairie Issues

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands USGS (lots of good info here)
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/index.htm#contents

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands- Prairies Past and Present
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/pastpres.htm

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/grasses.htm

Tallgrass prairie: the invasion of woody shrubs
http://www.esa.org/esablog/field/tallgrass-prairie-the-invasion-of-the-woody-shrubs/

Declining grassland biodiversity
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Declining_grassland_biodiversity?topic=49480

The Tallgrass Prairie: An Endangered Landscape http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/prairie/review.pdf

Grassland Issues http://www.bcgrasslands.org/grasslands/grasslanddisturbances.htm



Powerpoint Presentation

Here is a link to the powerpoint presentation I showed in class.

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/prairies-of-the-great-plains