Central and Southern mixed grasslands: Difference between revisions
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#REDIRECT [[Central Great Plains (ecoregion)]] |
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| name = Central and Southern mixed grasslands |
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| image = |
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| image_size = |
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| country = [[United States]] |
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| state = [[Nebraska]] |
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| state1 = [[Kansas]] |
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| state2 = [[Oklahoma]] |
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| state3 = [[Texas]] |
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| bird_species = 228<ref name = "Atlas"> |
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{{cite book |last1 = Hoekstra |first1 = J. M. |last2 = Molnar |first2 = J. L. |last3 = Jennings |first3 = M. |last4 = Revenga |first4 = C. |last5 = Spalding |first5 = M. D. |last6 = Boucher |first6 = T. M. |last7 = Robertson |first7 = J. C. |last8 = Heibel |first8 = T. J. |last9 = Ellison |first9 = K. |title = The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference |publisher = [[University of California Press]] |editor1-last = Molnar |editor1-first = J. L. |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-520-26256-0 |url=http://www.nature.org/ourscience/sciencefeatures/conservation-atlas-1.xml }}</ref> |
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| mammal_species = 88<ref name = "Atlas"/> |
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| habitat_loss = 50.68 |
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| habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/> |
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| protected = 0.48 |
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| protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/> |
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| area = |
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| biome = [[Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands]] |
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| map = Central and Southern Mixed Grasslands map.svg |
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}} |
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The '''Central and Southern mixed grasslands''' are a [[prairie]] [[ecoregion]] of the central [[United States]], part of the [[North America]]n [[Great Plains]]. |
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==Setting== |
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This is a large [[grassland]] area with very few trees running north-south from central [[Nebraska]] through central [[Kansas]] and western [[Oklahoma]] to north-central [[Texas]], covering 282,000 km<sup>2</sup>. This is a transition zone between the [[Central tall grasslands]] and [[Central forest-grasslands transition]] ecoregions to the east and the [[Western short grasslands]] to the west, while to the north lie the [[Northern mixed grasslands]] which have a cooler temperature and a much shorter growing season.<ref>{{NatGeo ecoregion|id=na0803|name=Central and Southern mixed grasslands}}</ref> |
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==Flora== |
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These grasslands contain a rich mixture of prairie grasses of medium height and thus distinct from [[tallgrass prairie|tallgrass]] and [[shortgrass prairie]]s on either side of this ecoregion. There are wildflowers among the grasses but very few trees and shrubs. The grasslands are heavily grazed and frequently disturbed by drought and fire. |
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==Fauna== |
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This prairie is used as grazing land for cattle but is also home to wild [[American bison]]. The grasslands are home to a number of prairie birds while the wetlands of the region are important stopovers for birds migrating between North America and Mexico with the [[Cheyenne Bottoms]] near [[Great Bend, Kansas]] and [[Platte River]] in [[Nebraska]] particularly important for migrating [[sandhill crane]]s and other [[wader]]s. The region is home to a large number of reptiles. |
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==Threats and preservation== |
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Most of the grasslands have been converted for agriculture with only about 5% of natural habitat remaining. Indeed this area was so heavily overcultivated that it was damaged during the 1930s [[Dust Bowl]] period in which the topsoil was blown away in dust storms. The grasslands have since recovered but are cropland and managed grazing ranges rather than unspoilt pasture. The small remaining blocks of intact habitat include: in Oklahoma the [[Wichita Mountains]] and the [[Great Salt Plains Lake]]; in Nebraska the [[Platte River State Park]] near [[Louisville, Nebraska]] and the [[Rainwater Basin]]s to the south; in Kansas the Cheyenne Bottoms, the [[Quivira National Wildlife Refuge]], near the town of [[Stafford, Kansas|Stafford]], the [[Red Hills, Kansas|Red Hills]] and [[Smoky Hills]] areas. These consist of patches of intact grassland on the rangeland and most is unprotected, although the [[Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge]], which is a refuge for bison and [[Black-capped Vireo]], and the [[Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge]] are fairly large protected areas. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{coord |38|N|98|W|type:forest_region:US_scale:5000000|display=title}} |
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[[Category:Grasslands of the Great Plains (U.S.)| 1]] |
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[[Category:Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands in the United States]] |
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[[Category:Ecoregions of the United States]] |
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[[Category:Flora of the Plains-Midwest (United States)| ]] |
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[[Category:Nearctic ecozone]] |
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Latest revision as of 05:18, 15 September 2014
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