Northern Short Grass Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Northern Short Grass - Research Paper Example The common animals of the region are bison, cattle, pronghorn, sharp tailed grouse and dung beetle. The grassland soil is probably the richest in the world. The soil of the short grass land is an amalgamation of metamorphic and igneous outwash, limestone, sandstone, shale and loess. The important soil types are mollisols and alfisol. In the past few decades the shortgrass ecosystem has been declared as an endangered habitat due to human invasion. Some of the terms that will be frequently used in this research paper are defined below: Johnson (2001) defines the below mentioned terms in the book â€Å"A Walk in the Prairie†. Prairie: Prairie is a word used for grasslands in North America. The climate of the prairie habitat does not allow the growth of trees. It allows only the growth of small plants (Johnson, 2001). Grassland: A biome where only grass and small plants grow and where the climate is not suitable for the growth of tall trees (Johnson, 2001). Shortgrass: It is a typ e of prairie where the amount of precipitation is very low and because of which the plants in the region are not taller than a person’s knee (Johnson, 2001). Tallgrass: It is another kind of prairie where the amount of precipitation is sufficient for the growth of tall plants (Johnson, 2001). ... According to Malin prairies are the large area of grassland or natural meadows. They have their own type of vegetation which contains less tress and more grass, flowers and other herbs. The height of the grass in the grasslands varies depending upon the type of soil and the amount of precipitation. Grasslands are those areas which, on one hand, are too moist for the deserts and on the other hand are too dry for the growth of forest type of vegetation. They exist due to the seasonal droughts, continuous grazing by the herbivores and occasional fires. These three factors play an important role in preventing the growth of large trees and shrubs. The three types of grasslands are tropical, temperate and cold. However we will restrict ourselves to the discussion of temperate grasslands since shortgrass prairie of the Northern America falls in this category. The aim of this paper is to discuss the shortgrass prairies in North America. The methodology of the research is based on exploration of the relevant literature for a detailed understanding of the topic. Authentic websites and peer reviewed articles and books have been consulted. Several problems related to the area under discussion have been brought into light for a better future of the short grasslands of North America. Maps, diagrams and charts have been included for a detailed understanding of the topic. Pic. 1: Map of grasslands in North America (Source: FAO. 2005) http://www.fao.org/docrep/008/y8344e/y8344e0d.htm Tinker and Hild (2005) describe the location of the grasslands in North America which are found in the east of Rocky Mountains from Nebraska and Wyoming southward through the high plains. The North American grasslands spread in the east between the Great Lakes and Ohio River going as far as Indiana