Welcome!

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:

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! (spot the

differences)

The Big Four: Big Bluestem Little Bluestem Eastern Gamma

Grass Switchgrass

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

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 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 Grasses grow from

their roots. Trees grow from their

twigs. Cutting or burning

above ground kills trees but not grasses.

Ways an ecosystem helps people.

Why is our prairie important? Ecosystem services

Prairie Ecosystem services

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 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 . . .