Northern tall grasslands

Northern tall grasslands
	Tall grasses of Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders	List Canadian aspen forests and parklands; Mid-Continental Canadian forests; Western Great Lakes forests; Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition; Central tall grasslands;
Bird species	212[1]
Mammal species	63[1]
Geography
Area	76,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi)
Countries	United States and Canada
States/Provinces	Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered[2]
Global 200	Yes
Habitat loss	88.245%[1]
Protected	4.21%[1]

The Northern tall grasslands is one of 867 terrestrial ecoregions defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. This ecoregion largely follows the Red River Valley in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the American states of North Dakota and Minnesota.[2]

Climate

The Northern tall grasslands have a humid continental climate with moderate precipitation, usually between 450-700mm. Winters here are very cold, with a mean winter temperature of −12.5 °C (9.5 °F), and summers are warm, with a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F). The ecoregion's mean annual temperature is 2.5 °C (36 °F).[2]

Flora

Dominant grasses include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). In wetter areas, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) can be found.[2]

Fauna

Like other North American prairie ecoregions, the Northern tall grasslands once supported large herds of bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus canadensis), which were hunted by the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and coyote (Canis latrans). All of these save for the coyote have been largely eliminated from the region, though the bison and wolf are recovering. Other, more common species in the ecoregion include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), rabbit (Sylvilagus spp.), ground squirrel (Spermophilus spp.) and large populations of waterfowl.

Conservation

Some protected areas of this ecoregion include:

Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve

References

Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.
"Northern tall grasslands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2010-08-20.

External links

Media related to Northern tall grasslands at Wikimedia Commons

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[Atlas-1] Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J.; Ellison, K. (2010). Molnar, J. L. (ed.). The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-26256-0.

[WWF-2] "Northern tall grasslands". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 2010-08-20.