1. Prairies

2. Prairie Classification
Prairies are grasslands that have few trees if any
Prairies are classified according to the height of their plants or the amt. of water they get

4. Dry Prairie
Short Grasses
Low Rainfall
Highlands
Sandy/poor soil

5. Mesic Prairie Tall grass prairie
Mixed prairie has qualities of both short grass prairies and tall grass prairies.
Tall grass prairie
Wet prairie
Tall Grasses and forbes can be 6+ feet
Good soil
Low lands/wetlands

6. Important Abiotic Factors
Fires are natural and needed in prairies
started by
Native Americans
Lightning
Spontaneous Combustion (mold)
Kill off trees
Kill off invading/non-native species
Provide fertilizers
Open up ground to sunlight for new growth
Help seeds to germinate
Heat/chemicals

7. Abiotic Factors (continued)
Fires
Low moisture
High winds
Cold winters
Violent Storms
Soil Type

8. Biotic Factors Competitive Plants Bison and large grazers Prairie Dogs
1st to sunlight wins
Bloom times (pollinators)
Competition for nutrients and water
Bison and large grazers
Prairie Dogs
Invasive species

9. Human Influence Prairies produce more topsoil than any other biome
Mesic and wet prairies make the best farmland in the world
Less than 1% of the worlds prairies remain
It has all been turned into farmland
Bread Basket (USA), Nile river valley (Africa), Black earth region (Russia), Pamplona Region (Spain).
All were grasslands/prairies

10. Parts of a grass

11. The End