Northern tall grasslands

Northern tall grasslands
Ecology
Biome	Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders	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, South Dakota and Manitoba
Conservation
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 gerardii), 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.

See Also

Prairie Tallgrass prairie

Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Hoekstra, J. M.; Molnar, J. L.; Jennings, M.; Revenga, C.; Spalding, M. D.; Boucher, T. M.; Robertson, J. C.; Heibel, T. J. et al. (2010). Molnar, J. L.. ed. The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520262560. http://www.nature.org/multimedia/maps/. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Terrestrial Ecoregions - Northern tall grasslands (NAO812)". http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0812_full.html. Retrieved 2010-08-20.