Prairies+information

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**Rashay Archambault ** =====



biome: Grassland
ecosystem: Tallgrass Prairies in Southern Ontario



__Grasslands__
====Grasslands are known to be lands coverd with grass apposed to large trees and shrubs. In the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs. which spanned a period of about 25 million years, montains grew in the western North America and created a continental climate favorable to grasslands. A long time ago during the Ice ages the grasslands grew bigger in range as more hot and drier climates all over the world. Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants. However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica. In temperate latitudes, such as northwest Europe and the Great Plains and California in North America, native grasslands are dominated by perennial bunch grass species, whereas in warmer climates annual species form a greater component of the vegetation====



__Tallgrass Prairies in Ontario__
====In the earlier Ontario people stress a lot about the forest nature of the land and created the thought of vast and unbroken forest. Close to 8,300 years ago when the climate was abit warmer and drier than they are today. Slowly the climate became abit colder and more damp which made some re-invasion of the forest which led to the mosaic of the prairies and savanna that were encounterened first by the explorer from Europe. The prairies continued where a combination of the soil type, also fire and microclimate started to favor grasslands over forest. In the spring time the soil can be very saturated but by the time it was mid-summer the soil turned very dry. During the winter the tempature in the priaiers are average -10 degrees and around the summer the average is 15 degress.====

__Threats to the Tallgrass priaires in Ontario[[image:http://www.ojibway.ca/burn.jpg width="283" height="215" align="right" caption="prescribed burn at Ojibway prairie"]]__
====Since tallgrass prairies have dry lands its easy for fires to start. The fires are also caused by lightning. Without the burning trees and shurbs will invade prairies causing a quick transition to forest species. And damage the habitat of animals. Widespread alteration of the natural habitat has been affected in diminished population and ranges on lots of animals, In the prairies there are a disproportinate amout of threated also endangered species in the prairies. Animals such as; balck bears, ferruginous hawks, northern leopard frogs, northern pike, carp, german cockroachs and snails.====

__How can we help it?__
====The prairies are the most altered of the ecozone. The thing that covers almost all the land is agriculture. Other then the big amont of land given over for farming needs and farmes that comprise half then 10% of the four million people and 80% og that population is living in urban spaces. If we used less of that land for urban ares and used it for farming and wild life habitats, the prairies would be in better space and wouldnt be dried up and warmer then it should be====

__Conclusion__
====In conclusion, i think the tallgrass priaires can be saved if we take action and save it now while we have the change from it drying up and it not being there for future generations. By helping the area stay at it's normal tempature, the threatened and endagered animals will be safer and have a place to live. By using the areas we already have and not destroying the nature and the species, less damage will be caused to certain biomes. ====

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