Welcome!
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Please go get your
interactive notebook.
Please read the
board.
Prairie Ecology
200 years ago, 6.5 million acres in Texas + 2.5
million acres in Louisiana
100 cards = 100%
2,3,4’s – area which has been covered with
invasives
5,6,7,8,9,10, Jacks, Queens – converted to
ranching/farming
Kings & A hearts – urbanization
A hearts clubs and diamonds – prairie
that’s still there but degraded.
A Spades – the ink in the middle is what’s
left in pristine condition
LESS THAN 1% OF THE ORIGINAL
GULF COASTAL PRAIRIE IS LEFT!
0-2 min threats
PRAIRIE ECOLOGY
How prairies work!
Prairie potholes and
pimple mounds
Prairie pothole:
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Shallow depression which holds water longer after
a rain.
Helps a prairie absorb more water.
Provides habitat for different prairie plants.
Oak motts – clusters of oak trees
Prairies are Grasslands!
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The Big Four:
Big Bluestem
Little Bluestem
Eastern Gamma Grass
Switchgrass
(spot the differences)
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Prairie grasses reach
deep underground!
1 acre of dried roots
in a prairie can =
mass of a school bus!
Prairies need a “hair cut” to keep the
trees out, or they will become forests.
Grazers
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Bison nip the top of plants
and migrate away. These
wild animals never put their
heads down for long.
Cattle eat the plant to the
root. These domesticated
animals keep their heads
down a long time.
How might this affect
prairie grasses?
Fire is critical to prairie ecosystems
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Returns nutrients to soil
(warmed soil promotes
growth of Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria!)
Helps certain seeds
germinate
Help control
pathogens/insects
Keeps trees out of prairies
Fire keeps trees out of prairies
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Grasses grow from their
roots.
Trees grow from their twigs.
Cutting or burning above
ground kills trees but not
grasses.
Why is our prairie important? Ecosystem
services
Ways an ecosystem helps people.
Prairie Ecosystem services
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Root systems store lots of CO2, protecting us from
climate change.
Open land and root systems absorb rains,
protecting us from floods.
Open land allows rainwater to refill underground
aquifers.
Plants produce oxygen.
Home for pollinators which help our agricultural
crops too.
Check for understanding
How does a prairie pothole help a prairie?
What is the name of the original prairie in this area?
Name an animal that lives on our prairie.
Name one of the big four grasses from our prairie.
What is the biggest threat to our prairie today?
Why does fire keep trees out of a prairie?
Besides fire, how else are trees kept out of prairies?
Give an example of an ecosystem service.
Paste Prairie notes into your
notebook
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Copy and complete these statements on the left side
of the page:
The
biggest threat to our prairie is
________________.
Prairies are important to me because . .
One question I have about the prairie is
...