Central and Southern mixed grasslands
Encyclopedia
The Central and Southern mixed grasslands are a prairie
ecoregion
of the central United States
, part of the North America
n Great Plains
.
through central Kansas
and western Oklahoma
to north-central Texas
, covering 282,000 km2. 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.
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.
. 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.
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
, the 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.
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the central United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, part of the North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
.
Setting
This is a large grassland area with very few trees running north-south from central NebraskaNebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
through central Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and western Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
to north-central Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, covering 282,000 km2. This is a transition zone between the Central tall grasslands
Central tall grasslands
The Central tall grasslands are a prairie ecoregion of the Midwestern United States, part of the North American Great Plains.-Setting:This ecoeregion covers a large area of southern Minnesota, most of Iowa, a small part of eastern South Dakota and a narrow strip through eastern Nebraska and...
and Central forest-grasslands transition
Central forest-grasslands transition
The Central forest-grasslands transition are a prairie ecoregion of the central United States, part of the North American Great Plains.-Setting:...
ecoregions to the east and the Western short grasslands
Western short grasslands
The Western short grasslands is a temperate grassland ecoregion of the United States.-Setting:This ecoregion largely corresponds with the geographical region known as the High Plains...
to the west, while to the north lie the Northern mixed grasslands which have a cooler temperature and a much shorter growing season.
Flora
These grasslands contain a rich mixture of prairie grasses of medium height and thus distinct from tallgrassTallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tallgrass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with...
and shortgrass prairie
Shortgrass prairie
The shortgrass prairie ecosystem of the North American Great Plains is a prairie that includes lands from the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains east to Nebraska and Saskatchewan, including rangelands in Alberta, Wyoming, Montana, North, South Dakota, and Kansas, and extending to the south...
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.
Fauna
This prairie is used as grazing land for cattle but is also home to wild American bisonAmerican Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...
. 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
Cheyenne Bottoms
Cheyenne Bottoms is one of 29 places in the United States on the List of Ramsar wetlands of international importance. It is located east of US Highway 281, midway between Hoisington and Great Bend in Kansas....
near Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, Kansas
Great Bend, named for its location at the historic big bend of the Arkansas River, is the most populous city in and the county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 15,995.-History:...
and Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
in Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
particularly important for migrating sandhill crane
Sandhill Crane
The Sandhill Crane is a large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird references habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills in the American Midwest...
s and other wader
Wader
Waders, called shorebirds in North America , are members of the order Charadriiformes, excluding the more marine web-footed seabird groups. The latter are the skuas , gulls , terns , skimmers , and auks...
s. The region is home to a large number of reptiles.
Threats and preservation
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 BowlDust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
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
Wichita Mountains
The Wichita Mountains are located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The mountains are a northwest-southeast trending series of rocky promontories, many capped by 540 million-year old granite. These were exposed and rounded by weathering during the Permian Period...
and the Great Salt Plains Lake
Great Salt Plains Lake
Great Salt Plains Lake is a reservoir located within the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, Oklahoma in the United States named because of the salt flats in the area and for the Salt Fork Arkansas River, which is dammed to form the lake....
; in Nebraska the Platte River State Park
Platte River State Park
Platte River State Park is a state park of Nebraska, USA, situated on the southern bluffs above the Platte River. It is located west of Louisville, Nebraska, and midway between Omaha and Lincoln. The park has a relatively steep, rolling topography compared to the surrounding region. Combined...
near Louisville, Nebraska
Louisville, Nebraska
Louisville is a city in Cass County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 1,046 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Louisville is located at ....
and the Rainwater Basin
Rainwater Basin
The Rainwater Basin is a 4,200 mi.2 region of shallow lakes, marshes and other wetlands located south of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. In the spring and fall months, millions of migratory birds pass through the region to feed and rest...
s to the south; in Kansas the Cheyenne Bottoms, the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is located in south central Kansas near the town of Stafford. It lies mostly in northeastern Stafford County, but small parts extend into southwestern Rice and northwestern Reno Counties. Its proximity to the Central Flyway migration route and the salt marshes on...
, near the town of Stafford
Stafford, Kansas
Stafford is a city in Stafford County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,042.-Geography:Stafford is located at...
, the Red Hills
Red Hills
The Red Hills is the name of a physiographic region located mostly in Clark, Comanche and Barber counties in southern and central Kansas. This undulating terrain of red-tinted sediments, a product of the underlying geology, does not fit the conventional description of the Great Plains landscape of...
and Smoky Hills
Smoky Hills
The Smoky Hills are an upland region of hills in the central Great Plains of North America. They are located in the central United States, encompassing north-central Kansas and a small portion of south-central Nebraska. The hills are a dissected plain covered by tallgrass and mixed-grass prairie...
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
Black-capped Vireo
The Black-capped Vireo, Vireo atricapilla, is a small bird native to the United States and Mexico. It has been listed as an endangered species in the United States since 1987. The IUCN lists the species as vulnerable....
, and the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge
The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges. It is located in Alfalfa County in northern Oklahoma, north of Jet The Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States system of National Wildlife Refuges. It is located in...
are fairly large protected areas.