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vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Degradation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Degradation</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Degradation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Human_use" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Human_use"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Human use</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Human_use-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Human use subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Human_use-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Bison_hunting" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bison_hunting"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Bison hunting</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bison_hunting-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Farming_and_ranching" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Farming_and_ranching"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Farming and ranching</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Farming_and_ranching-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Biofuels" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Biofuels"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Biofuels</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Biofuels-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Preservation" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Preservation"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Preservation</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Preservation-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Preservation subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Preservation-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Virgin_prairies" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Virgin_prairies"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1</span> <span>Virgin prairies</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Virgin_prairies-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Prairie_garden" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Prairie_garden"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>Prairie garden</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Prairie_garden-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Physiography" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Physiography"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Physiography</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Physiography-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" title="Table of Contents" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 64 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-64" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">64 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-af mw-list-item"><a href="https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%AArie" title="Prêrie – Afrikaans" lang="af" hreflang="af" data-title="Prêrie" data-language-autonym="Afrikaans" data-language-local-name="Afrikaans" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Afrikaans</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ar mw-list-item"><a href="https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B3%D9%87%D9%88%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A" title="سهوب البراري – Arabic" lang="ar" hreflang="ar" data-title="سهوب البراري" data-language-autonym="العربية" data-language-local-name="Arabic" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>العربية</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ast mw-list-item"><a href="https://ast.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prader%C3%ADes_de_Norteam%C3%A9rica" title="Praderíes de Norteamérica – Asturian" lang="ast" hreflang="ast" data-title="Praderíes de Norteamérica" data-language-autonym="Asturianu" data-language-local-name="Asturian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Asturianu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-az mw-list-item"><a href="https://az.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preri" title="Preri – Azerbaijani" lang="az" hreflang="az" data-title="Preri" data-language-autonym="Azərbaycanca" data-language-local-name="Azerbaijani" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Azərbaycanca</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-be mw-list-item"><a href="https://be.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D1%8D%D1%80%D1%8B%D1%8F" title="Прэрыя – Belarusian" lang="be" hreflang="be" data-title="Прэрыя" data-language-autonym="Беларуская" data-language-local-name="Belarusian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Беларуская</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bg mw-list-item"><a href="https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Прерия – Bulgarian" lang="bg" hreflang="bg" data-title="Прерия" data-language-autonym="Български" data-language-local-name="Bulgarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Български</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-bs mw-list-item"><a href="https://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerija" title="Prerija – Bosnian" lang="bs" hreflang="bs" data-title="Prerija" data-language-autonym="Bosanski" data-language-local-name="Bosnian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bosanski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praderia" title="Praderia – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Praderia" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9rie" title="Prérie – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Prérie" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-da mw-list-item"><a href="https://da.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A6rie" title="Prærie – Danish" lang="da" hreflang="da" data-title="Prærie" data-language-autonym="Dansk" data-language-local-name="Danish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Dansk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-de mw-list-item"><a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A4rie" title="Prärie – German" lang="de" hreflang="de" data-title="Prärie" data-language-autonym="Deutsch" data-language-local-name="German" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Deutsch</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-et mw-list-item"><a href="https://et.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preeria" title="Preeria – Estonian" lang="et" hreflang="et" data-title="Preeria" data-language-autonym="Eesti" data-language-local-name="Estonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Eesti</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-el mw-list-item"><a href="https://el.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%9B%CE%B5%CE%B9%CE%BC%CF%8E%CE%BD%CE%B1%CF%82" title="Λειμώνας – Greek" lang="el" hreflang="el" data-title="Λειμώνας" data-language-autonym="Ελληνικά" data-language-local-name="Greek" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ελληνικά</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praderas_de_Norteam%C3%A9rica" title="Praderas de Norteamérica – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Praderas de Norteamérica" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eo mw-list-item"><a href="https://eo.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerio" title="Prerio – Esperanto" lang="eo" hreflang="eo" data-title="Prerio" data-language-autonym="Esperanto" data-language-local-name="Esperanto" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Esperanto</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-eu mw-list-item"><a href="https://eu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larredi" title="Larredi – Basque" lang="eu" hreflang="eu" data-title="Larredi" data-language-autonym="Euskara" data-language-local-name="Basque" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Euskara</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%85%D8%B1%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A7%D8%B1" title="مرغزار – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="مرغزار" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fr mw-list-item"><a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_(Am%C3%A9rique_du_Nord)" title="Prairie (Amérique du Nord) – French" lang="fr" hreflang="fr" data-title="Prairie (Amérique du Nord)" data-language-autonym="Français" data-language-local-name="French" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Français</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fy mw-list-item"><a href="https://fy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%AArje" title="Prêrje – Western Frisian" lang="fy" hreflang="fy" data-title="Prêrje" data-language-autonym="Frysk" data-language-local-name="Western Frisian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Frysk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ko mw-list-item"><a href="https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%ED%94%84%EB%A0%88%EB%A6%AC" title="프레리 – Korean" lang="ko" hreflang="ko" data-title="프레리" data-language-autonym="한국어" data-language-local-name="Korean" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>한국어</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hy mw-list-item"><a href="https://hy.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D5%8A%D6%80%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%AB%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A5%D6%80" title="Պրերիաներ – Armenian" lang="hy" hreflang="hy" data-title="Պրերիաներ" data-language-autonym="Հայերեն" data-language-local-name="Armenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Հայերեն</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hi mw-list-item"><a href="https://hi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%80" title="प्रेरी – Hindi" lang="hi" hreflang="hi" data-title="प्रेरी" data-language-autonym="हिन्दी" data-language-local-name="Hindi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>हिन्दी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hr mw-list-item"><a href="https://hr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerija" title="Prerija – Croatian" lang="hr" hreflang="hr" data-title="Prerija" data-language-autonym="Hrvatski" data-language-local-name="Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Hrvatski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-io mw-list-item"><a href="https://io.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prato" title="Prato – Ido" lang="io" hreflang="io" data-title="Prato" data-language-autonym="Ido" data-language-local-name="Ido" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Ido</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-id mw-list-item"><a href="https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairi" title="Prairi – Indonesian" lang="id" hreflang="id" data-title="Prairi" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Indonesia" data-language-local-name="Indonesian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Indonesia</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ia mw-list-item"><a href="https://ia.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prataria" title="Prataria – Interlingua" lang="ia" hreflang="ia" data-title="Prataria" data-language-autonym="Interlingua" data-language-local-name="Interlingua" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Interlingua</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prateria_nordamericana" title="Prateria nordamericana – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Prateria nordamericana" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-he mw-list-item"><a href="https://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%A8%D7%99%D7%94" title="פרריה – Hebrew" lang="he" hreflang="he" data-title="פרריה" data-language-autonym="עברית" data-language-local-name="Hebrew" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>עברית</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kn mw-list-item"><a href="https://kn.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B2%AA%E0%B3%8D%E0%B2%B0%E0%B3%87%E0%B2%B0%E0%B2%BF" title="ಪ್ರೇರಿ – Kannada" lang="kn" hreflang="kn" data-title="ಪ್ರೇರಿ" data-language-autonym="ಕನ್ನಡ" data-language-local-name="Kannada" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ಕನ್ನಡ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-kk mw-list-item"><a href="https://kk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Прерия – Kazakh" lang="kk" hreflang="kk" data-title="Прерия" data-language-autonym="Қазақша" data-language-local-name="Kazakh" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Қазақша</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ht mw-list-item"><a href="https://ht.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preri" title="Preri – Haitian Creole" lang="ht" hreflang="ht" data-title="Preri" data-language-autonym="Kreyòl ayisyen" data-language-local-name="Haitian Creole" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Kreyòl ayisyen</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ky mw-list-item"><a href="https://ky.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Прерия – Kyrgyz" lang="ky" hreflang="ky" data-title="Прерия" data-language-autonym="Кыргызча" data-language-local-name="Kyrgyz" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Кыргызча</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-la mw-list-item"><a href="https://la.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prataria" title="Prataria – Latin" lang="la" hreflang="la" data-title="Prataria" data-language-autonym="Latina" data-language-local-name="Latin" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lv mw-list-item"><a href="https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C4%93rija" title="Prērija – Latvian" lang="lv" hreflang="lv" data-title="Prērija" data-language-autonym="Latviešu" data-language-local-name="Latvian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Latviešu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-lt mw-list-item"><a href="https://lt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerija" title="Prerija – Lithuanian" lang="lt" hreflang="lt" data-title="Prerija" data-language-autonym="Lietuvių" data-language-local-name="Lithuanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Lietuvių</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-hu mw-list-item"><a href="https://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9ri" title="Préri – Hungarian" lang="hu" hreflang="hu" data-title="Préri" data-language-autonym="Magyar" data-language-local-name="Hungarian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Magyar</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mk mw-list-item"><a href="https://mk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0" title="Прерија – Macedonian" lang="mk" hreflang="mk" data-title="Прерија" data-language-autonym="Македонски" data-language-local-name="Macedonian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Македонски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%AF%E0%B4%B1%E0%B4%BF" title="പ്രയറി – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="പ്രയറി" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ms mw-list-item"><a href="https://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie" title="Prairie – Malay" lang="ms" hreflang="ms" data-title="Prairie" data-language-autonym="Bahasa Melayu" data-language-local-name="Malay" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Bahasa Melayu</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-my mw-list-item"><a href="https://my.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E1%80%95%E1%80%9B%E1%80%B1%E1%80%9B%E1%80%AE%E1%80%99%E1%80%BC%E1%80%80%E1%80%BA%E1%80%81%E1%80%84%E1%80%BA%E1%80%B8%E1%80%95%E1%80%BC%E1%80%84%E1%80%BA" title="ပရေရီမြက်ခင်းပြင် – Burmese" lang="my" hreflang="my" data-title="ပရေရီမြက်ခင်းပြင်" data-language-autonym="မြန်မာဘာသာ" data-language-local-name="Burmese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>မြန်မာဘာသာ</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nl mw-list-item"><a href="https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie" title="Prairie – Dutch" lang="nl" hreflang="nl" data-title="Prairie" data-language-autonym="Nederlands" data-language-local-name="Dutch" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Nederlands</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC" title="プレーリー – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="プレーリー" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-no mw-list-item"><a href="https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A6rien" title="Prærien – Norwegian Bokmål" lang="nb" hreflang="nb" data-title="Prærien" data-language-autonym="Norsk bokmål" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Bokmål" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk bokmål</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-nn mw-list-item"><a href="https://nn.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A6rie" title="Prærie – Norwegian Nynorsk" lang="nn" hreflang="nn" data-title="Prærie" data-language-autonym="Norsk nynorsk" data-language-local-name="Norwegian Nynorsk" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Norsk nynorsk</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pl mw-list-item"><a href="https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preria" title="Preria – Polish" lang="pl" hreflang="pl" data-title="Preria" data-language-autonym="Polski" data-language-local-name="Polish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Polski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pradaria" title="Pradaria – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Pradaria" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ro mw-list-item"><a href="https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerie" title="Prerie – Romanian" lang="ro" hreflang="ro" data-title="Prerie" data-language-autonym="Română" data-language-local-name="Romanian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Română</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%8F" title="Прерия – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Прерия" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-simple mw-list-item"><a href="https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie" title="Prairie – Simple English" lang="en-simple" hreflang="en-simple" data-title="Prairie" data-language-autonym="Simple English" data-language-local-name="Simple English" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Simple English</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sk mw-list-item"><a href="https://sk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9ria" title="Préria – Slovak" lang="sk" hreflang="sk" data-title="Préria" data-language-autonym="Slovenčina" data-language-local-name="Slovak" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenčina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sl mw-list-item"><a href="https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerija" title="Prerija – Slovenian" lang="sl" hreflang="sl" data-title="Prerija" data-language-autonym="Slovenščina" data-language-local-name="Slovenian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Slovenščina</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sr mw-list-item"><a href="https://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%98%D0%B0" title="Прерија – Serbian" lang="sr" hreflang="sr" data-title="Прерија" data-language-autonym="Српски / srpski" data-language-local-name="Serbian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Српски / srpski</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sh mw-list-item"><a href="https://sh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prerija" title="Prerija – Serbo-Croatian" lang="sh" hreflang="sh" data-title="Prerija" data-language-autonym="Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски" data-language-local-name="Serbo-Croatian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fi mw-list-item"><a href="https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preeria" title="Preeria – Finnish" lang="fi" hreflang="fi" data-title="Preeria" data-language-autonym="Suomi" data-language-local-name="Finnish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Suomi</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-sv mw-list-item"><a href="https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A4rie" title="Prärie – Swedish" lang="sv" hreflang="sv" data-title="Prärie" data-language-autonym="Svenska" data-language-local-name="Swedish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Svenska</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tl mw-list-item"><a href="https://tl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parang_(damuhan)" title="Parang (damuhan) – Tagalog" lang="tl" hreflang="tl" data-title="Parang (damuhan)" data-language-autonym="Tagalog" data-language-local-name="Tagalog" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tagalog</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ta mw-list-item"><a href="https://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%AF%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B0%E0%AE%BF_%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%B5%E0%AF%86%E0%AE%B3%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%B3%E0%AF%8D" title="பிரெய்ரி புல்வெளிகள் – Tamil" lang="ta" hreflang="ta" data-title="பிரெய்ரி புல்வெளிகள்" data-language-autonym="தமிழ்" data-language-local-name="Tamil" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>தமிழ்</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-th mw-list-item"><a href="https://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9E%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5" title="แพรรี – Thai" lang="th" hreflang="th" data-title="แพรรี" data-language-autonym="ไทย" data-language-local-name="Thai" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>ไทย</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-tr mw-list-item"><a href="https://tr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preri" title="Preri – Turkish" lang="tr" hreflang="tr" data-title="Preri" data-language-autonym="Türkçe" data-language-local-name="Turkish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Türkçe</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%96%D1%8F" title="Прерія – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Прерія" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-vi mw-list-item"><a href="https://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90%E1%BB%93ng_c%E1%BB%8F_B%E1%BA%AFc_M%E1%BB%B9" title="Đồng cỏ Bắc Mỹ – Vietnamese" lang="vi" hreflang="vi" data-title="Đồng cỏ Bắc Mỹ" data-language-autonym="Tiếng Việt" data-language-local-name="Vietnamese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Tiếng Việt</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-wuu mw-list-item"><a href="https://wuu.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E8%8D%89%E5%8E%9F" title="大草原 – Wu" lang="wuu" hreflang="wuu" data-title="大草原" data-language-autonym="吴语" data-language-local-name="Wu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>吴语</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh-yue mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh-yue.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A4%A7%E8%8D%89%E5%8E%9F" title="大草原 – Cantonese" lang="yue" hreflang="yue" data-title="大草原" data-language-autonym="粵語" data-language-local-name="Cantonese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>粵語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a 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<div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="/wiki/Prairie_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Prairie (disambiguation)">Prairie (disambiguation)</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1273380762/mw-parser-output/.tmulti">.mw-parser-output .tmulti 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.thumbcaption{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .tmulti .trow>.thumbcaption{text-align:center}}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner span:not(.skin-invert-image):not(.skin-invert):not(.bg-transparent) img{background-color:white}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .tmulti .multiimageinner span:not(.skin-invert-image):not(.skin-invert):not(.bg-transparent) img{background-color:white}}</style><div class="thumb tmulti tright"><div class="thumbinner multiimageinner" style="width:312px;max-width:312px"><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:310px;max-width:310px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:231px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg/308px-James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg" decoding="async" width="308" height="231" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg/462px-James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg/616px-James_Woodworth_Prairie.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4032" data-file-height="3024" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:161px;max-width:161px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:105px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Wildflowers_on_Blackland_Prairie.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Wildflowers_on_Blackland_Prairie.jpg/159px-Wildflowers_on_Blackland_Prairie.jpg" decoding="async" width="159" height="106" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Wildflowers_on_Blackland_Prairie.jpg/239px-Wildflowers_on_Blackland_Prairie.jpg 1.5x, 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style="width:154px;max-width:154px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:101px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg/152px-Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg" decoding="async" width="152" height="101" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg/228px-Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg/304px-Great_plains_storm_-_Great_Sand_Dunes_National_Park.jpg 2x" data-file-width="6262" data-file-height="4175" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="width:154px;max-width:154px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:101px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg/152px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg" decoding="async" width="152" height="101" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg/228px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg/304px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7951.jpg 2x" data-file-width="6000" data-file-height="4000" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:154px;max-width:154px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:101px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Bison_Theodore_National_Park,_Sagebrush.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg/152px-Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg" decoding="async" width="152" height="101" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg/228px-Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg/304px-Bison_Theodore_National_Park%2C_Sagebrush.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3888" data-file-height="2592" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="width:154px;max-width:154px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:101px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg/152px-Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg" decoding="async" width="152" height="101" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg/228px-Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/57/Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg/304px-Cumulus_Clouds_over_Yellow_Prairie2.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2048" data-file-height="1360" /></a></span></div></div></div><div class="trow"><div class="tsingle" style="width:167px;max-width:167px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:92px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg/165px-Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg" decoding="async" width="165" height="93" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg/248px-Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg/330px-Slash_Pine_in_the_Prairie.jpg 2x" data-file-width="4912" data-file-height="2760" /></a></span></div></div><div class="tsingle" style="width:141px;max-width:141px"><div class="thumbimage" style="height:92px;overflow:hidden"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg/139px-Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg" decoding="async" width="139" height="93" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg/209px-Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg/278px-Prairie_Wisconsin.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3872" data-file-height="2592" /></a></span></div></div></div></div></div> <p><b>Prairies</b> are <a href="/wiki/Ecosystem" title="Ecosystem">ecosystems</a> considered part of the <a href="/wiki/Temperate_grasslands,_savannas,_and_shrublands" title="Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands">temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands</a> <a href="/wiki/Biome" title="Biome">biome</a> by ecologists, based on similar <a href="/wiki/Temperate_climate" title="Temperate climate">temperate climates</a>, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant <a href="/wiki/Vegetation_type" class="mw-redirect" title="Vegetation type">vegetation type</a>. Temperate grassland regions include the <a href="/wiki/Pampas" title="Pampas">Pampas</a> of <a href="/wiki/Argentina" title="Argentina">Argentina</a>, <a href="/wiki/Brazil" title="Brazil">Brazil</a> and <a href="/wiki/Uruguay" title="Uruguay">Uruguay</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Steppe" title="Steppe">steppe</a> of <a href="/wiki/Romania" title="Romania">Romania</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ukraine" title="Ukraine">Ukraine</a>, <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Kazakhstan" title="Kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a>. Lands typically referred to as "prairie" (a French loan word) tend to be in <a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America">North America</a>. The term encompasses the lower and mid-latitude of the area referred to as the <a href="/wiki/Interior_Plains" title="Interior Plains">Interior Plains</a> of <a href="/wiki/Canada" title="Canada">Canada</a>, the <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">Mexico</a>. It includes all of the <a href="/wiki/Great_Plains" title="Great Plains">Great Plains</a> as well as the wetter, hillier land to the east. From west to east, generally the drier expanse of <a href="/wiki/Shortgrass_prairie" title="Shortgrass prairie">shortgrass prairie</a> gives way to <a href="/wiki/Mixed_grass_prairie" title="Mixed grass prairie">mixed grass prairie</a> and ultimately the richer and wetter soils of the <a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie" title="Tallgrass prairie">tallgrass prairie</a>. </p><p>In the U.S., the area is constituted by most or all of the states, from north to south, of <a href="/wiki/North_Dakota" title="North Dakota">North Dakota</a>, <a href="/wiki/South_Dakota" title="South Dakota">South Dakota</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nebraska" title="Nebraska">Nebraska</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kansas" title="Kansas">Kansas</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Oklahoma" title="Oklahoma">Oklahoma</a>, and sizable parts of the states of <a href="/wiki/Montana" title="Montana">Montana</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wyoming" title="Wyoming">Wyoming</a>, <a href="/wiki/Colorado" title="Colorado">Colorado</a>, <a href="/wiki/New_Mexico" title="New Mexico">New Mexico</a>, <a href="/wiki/Texas" title="Texas">Texas</a> in the west, and to the east, <a href="/wiki/Minnesota" title="Minnesota">Minnesota</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wisconsin" title="Wisconsin">Wisconsin</a>, <a href="/wiki/Iowa" title="Iowa">Iowa</a>, <a href="/wiki/Missouri" title="Missouri">Missouri</a>, <a href="/wiki/Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Indiana" title="Indiana">Indiana</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Palouse" title="Palouse">Palouse</a> of <a href="/wiki/Washington_(state)" title="Washington (state)">Washington</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Central_Valley_(California)" title="Central Valley (California)">Central Valley</a> of <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a> are also prairies. The <a href="/wiki/Canadian_Prairies" title="Canadian Prairies">Canadian Prairies</a> occupy vast areas of <a href="/wiki/Manitoba" title="Manitoba">Manitoba</a>, <a href="/wiki/Saskatchewan" title="Saskatchewan">Saskatchewan</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Alberta" title="Alberta">Alberta</a>. Prairies may contain various lush <a href="/wiki/Flora" title="Flora">flora</a> and <a href="/wiki/Fauna" title="Fauna">fauna</a>, often contain rich soil maintained by <a href="/wiki/Biodiversity" title="Biodiversity">biodiversity</a>, with a temperate climate and a varied view.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Etymology">Etymology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Etymology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:United_States_Prairies.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/United_States_Prairies.svg/220px-United_States_Prairies.svg.png" decoding="async" width="220" height="136" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/United_States_Prairies.svg/330px-United_States_Prairies.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/United_States_Prairies.svg/440px-United_States_Prairies.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1023" data-file-height="633" /></a><figcaption>Approximate regional types of prairie in the United States <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r981673959">.mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{}</style><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:#00FF00; color:black;-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; print-color-adjust: exact;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Shortgrass_prairie" title="Shortgrass prairie">Shortgrass prairie</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:#00C000; color:black;-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; print-color-adjust: exact;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Mixed_grass_prairie" title="Mixed grass prairie">Mixed grass prairie</a></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r981673959"><div class="legend"><span class="legend-color mw-no-invert" style="background-color:#008000; color:white;-webkit-print-color-adjust: exact; print-color-adjust: exact;"> </span> <a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie" title="Tallgrass prairie">Tallgrass prairie</a></div></figcaption></figure><p> According to <a href="/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt" title="Theodore Roosevelt">Theodore Roosevelt</a>:<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style></p><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>We have taken into our language the word <i>prairie</i>, because when our backwoodsmen first reached the land [in the <a href="/wiki/Midwest" class="mw-redirect" title="Midwest">Midwest</a>] and saw the great natural <a href="/wiki/Meadow" title="Meadow">meadows</a> of <a href="/wiki/Tall_grass_prairie" class="mw-redirect" title="Tall grass prairie">long grass</a>—sights unknown to the gloomy forests wherein they had always dwelt—they knew not what to call them, and borrowed the term already in use among the French inhabitants.<sup id="cite_ref-west_1_p34_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-west_1_p34-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p><i>Prairie</i> (<style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1177148991">.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}</style><span class="IPA-label IPA-label-small">pronounced</span> <span class="IPA nowrap" lang="fr-Latn-fonipa"><a href="/wiki/Help:IPA/French" title="Help:IPA/French">[pʁɛʁi]</a></span>) is the <a href="/wiki/French_language" title="French language">French</a> word for "meadow", formed ultimately from the <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> root word <i>pratum</i> (which has the same meaning).<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Formation">Formation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Formation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Midewin1.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Midewin1.JPG/220px-Midewin1.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Midewin1.JPG/330px-Midewin1.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Midewin1.JPG/440px-Midewin1.JPG 2x" data-file-width="3820" data-file-height="2865" /></a><figcaption>Tallgrass prairie flora (<a href="/wiki/Midewin_National_Tallgrass_Prairie" title="Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie">Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie</a>)</figcaption></figure> <p>The formation of the <a href="/wiki/Canadian_Prairies" title="Canadian Prairies">Canadian Prairies</a> started with the uplift of the <a href="/wiki/Rocky_Mountains" title="Rocky Mountains">Rocky Mountains</a> near <a href="/wiki/Alberta" title="Alberta">Alberta</a>. The mountains created a <a href="/wiki/Rain_shadow" title="Rain shadow">rain shadow</a> which resulted in lower precipitation rates downwind.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <a href="/wiki/Parent_material" title="Parent material">parent material</a> of most prairie soil was distributed during the <a href="/wiki/Quaternary_glaciation" title="Quaternary glaciation">last glacial advance</a> that began about 110,000 years ago. The glaciers expanding southward scraped the landscape, picking up geologic material and leveling the terrain. As the glaciers retreated about 10,000 years ago, they deposited this material in the form of <a href="/wiki/Till" title="Till">till</a>. Wind-based <a href="/wiki/Loess" title="Loess">loess</a> deposits also form an important parent material for prairie soils.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Tallgrass prairie evolved over tens of thousands of years with the disturbances of grazing and fire. Native <a href="/wiki/Ungulate" title="Ungulate">ungulates</a> such as <a href="/wiki/Bison" title="Bison">bison</a>, <a href="/wiki/Elk" title="Elk">elk</a>, and <a href="/wiki/White-tailed_deer" title="White-tailed deer">white-tailed deer</a> roamed the expansive, diverse grasslands before <a href="/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas" title="European colonization of the Americas">European colonization of the Americas</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> For 10,000-20,000 years, native people used fire annually as a tool to assist in hunting, transportation, and safety.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Evidence of ignition sources of fire in the tall grass prairie are overwhelmingly human as opposed to lightning.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Humans, and grazing animals, were active participants in the process of prairie formation and the establishment of the diversity of <a href="/wiki/Graminoid" title="Graminoid">graminoid</a> and <a href="/wiki/Forb" title="Forb">forbs</a> species. Fire has the effect on prairies of removing <a href="/wiki/Tree" title="Tree">trees</a>, clearing dead plant matter, and changing the availability of certain nutrients in the soil from the ash produced. Fire kills the <a href="/wiki/Vascular_tissue" title="Vascular tissue">vascular tissue</a> of trees, but not prairie species, as up to 75% (depending on the species) of the total plant <a href="/wiki/Biomass" title="Biomass">biomass</a> is below the soil surface and will re-grow from its deep (upwards of 20 feet<sup id="cite_ref-weaver1968_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-weaver1968-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) <a href="/wiki/Root" title="Root">roots</a>. Without <a href="/wiki/Disturbance_(ecology)" title="Disturbance (ecology)">disturbance</a>, trees will encroach on a grassland and cast shade, which suppresses the <a href="/wiki/Understory" title="Understory">understory</a>. Prairie and widely spaced <a href="/wiki/Oak" title="Oak">oak</a> trees evolved to coexist in the <a href="/wiki/Oak_savanna" title="Oak savanna">oak savanna</a> ecosystem.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Ecology">Ecology</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Ecology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Prairie_grass.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Prairie_grass.JPG/220px-Prairie_grass.JPG" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Prairie_grass.JPG/330px-Prairie_grass.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Prairie_grass.JPG/440px-Prairie_grass.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1200" data-file-height="800" /></a><figcaption>Prairie grasses</figcaption></figure> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan,_Canada.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg/220px-Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="165" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg/330px-Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg/440px-Wheatfield_intersection_in_Southern_Saskatchewan%2C_Canada.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3136" data-file-height="2352" /></a><figcaption>Wheatfield intersection in the Southern <a href="/wiki/Saskatchewan" title="Saskatchewan">Saskatchewan</a> prairies, Canada</figcaption></figure> <p>Prairie ecosystems in the United States and Canada are divided into the easternmost <a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie" title="Tallgrass prairie">tallgrass prairie</a>, the westernmost <a href="/wiki/Shortgrass_prairie" title="Shortgrass prairie">shortgrass prairie</a>, and the central mixed-grass prairie. Tallgrass prairies receive over 30 inches of rainfall per year, whereas shortgrass prairies are much more arid, receiving only 12 inches or so, and mixed-grass prairies receive intermediate rainfall.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Wet, mesic, and dry prairie ecosystems can also form more locally due to soil and terrain characteristics. Wet prairies may form in low-lying areas with poor drainage; dry prairie can be found on uplands or slopes. Dry prairie is the dominant habitat type in the Southern Canadian agricultural and climatic region which is known as <a href="/wiki/Palliser%27s_Triangle" title="Palliser's Triangle">Palliser's Triangle</a>. It was once thought to be completely unarable, but is now one of the most important agricultural regions in Canada thanks to advances in irrigation technology.<sup id="cite_ref-thecanadianencyclopedia.ca_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-thecanadianencyclopedia.ca-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Biodiversity">Biodiversity</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Biodiversity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>The dominant plant life in prairies consists of <a href="/wiki/Grass" class="mw-redirect" title="Grass">grasses</a>, which may include 40 to 60 different grass species. In addition to grasses, prairies can include over 300 species of flowering plants.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The Konza Tallgrass Prairie in Kansas hosts 250 species of native plants and provides habitat for 208 birds, 27 mammals, 25 reptiles, and over 3,000 insects.<sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Some of the dominant grasses of prairies are <a href="/wiki/Sorghastrum_nutans" title="Sorghastrum nutans">Indian grass</a>, <a href="/wiki/Andropogon_gerardi" title="Andropogon gerardi">big bluestem</a>, <a href="/wiki/Bouteloua_curtipendula" title="Bouteloua curtipendula">side-oats grama</a>, <a href="/wiki/Elymus_canadensis" title="Elymus canadensis">Canada wildrye</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Panicum_virgatum" title="Panicum virgatum">switchgrass</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Prairies are considered to be <a href="/wiki/Fire_ecology" title="Fire ecology">fire-dependent ecosystems</a>. Regular <a href="/wiki/Controlled_burn" title="Controlled burn">controlled burning</a> by Native Americans, practices developed through observation of non-anthropogenic fire and its effects, maintained the biodiversity of the prairie, clearing away dead vegetation and preventing trees from shading out the diverse grasses and herbaceous plants. Prairies also depend on the presence of large grazing animals, particularly <a href="/wiki/Bison" title="Bison">bison</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Bison are important to the prairie ecosystem because they shape and alter the environment by grazing, trampling areas with their hooves, wallowing, and depositing manure.<sup id="cite_ref-20" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-20"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Bison eat more grass than flowering plants, increasing the diversity of plants in the prairie.<sup id="cite_ref-21" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-21"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Cattle are thought to prefer to eat flowering plants over grasses, but it is not known if that is because of inherent differences in the species or because farmed cattle tend to be confined in smaller areas.<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Bison dung is a vital source of nutrients for prairie soil, spreads seeds, and supports over 1,000 insect species, including specialist <a href="/wiki/Dung_beetle" title="Dung beetle">dung beetles</a> which cannot subsist on the feces of any other animal.<sup id="cite_ref-23" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-23"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Degradation">Degradation</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Degradation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In spite of long recurrent <a href="/wiki/Drought" title="Drought">droughts</a> and occasional <a href="/wiki/Rain" title="Rain">torrential rains</a>, the grasslands of the <a href="/wiki/Great_Plains" title="Great Plains">Great Plains</a> were not subject to great soil <a href="/wiki/Erosion" title="Erosion">erosion</a>. The root systems of native prairie grasses firmly held the soil in place to prevent run-off of soil. When the plant died, the <a href="/wiki/Fungus" title="Fungus">fungi</a> and <a href="/wiki/Bacteria" title="Bacteria">bacteria</a> returned its nutrients to the soil. These deep roots also helped native prairie plants reach water in even the driest conditions. Native grasses suffer much less damage from dry conditions than many farm crops currently grown.<sup id="cite_ref-24" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-24"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-25" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-25"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> When the eastern <a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie" title="Tallgrass prairie">tallgrass prairies</a> were plowed and turned into agricultural lands, the prairie grasses with their strong root systems were destroyed. In combination with severe droughts that resulted in the <a href="/wiki/Dust_Bowl" title="Dust Bowl">Dust Bowl</a>, a major ecological disaster in which winds picked up the dry, unprotected prairie soil and formed it into "black blizzards" of airborne dirt that blackened the skies for days at a time across 19 states and forced 400,000 people to abandon the <a href="/wiki/Great_Plains" title="Great Plains">Great Plains</a> ecoregion. The Dust Bowl was a major reason for the <a href="/wiki/Great_Depression" title="Great Depression">Great Depression</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-26" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-26"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-27" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-27"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Human_use">Human use</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Human use"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Bison_hunting">Bison hunting</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Bison hunting"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main articles: <a href="/wiki/Plains_tribes" class="mw-redirect" title="Plains tribes">plains tribes</a> and <a href="/wiki/Bison_hunting" title="Bison hunting">bison hunting</a></div> <p>Nomadic hunting has been the main human activity on the prairies for the majority of the archaeological record. This once included many now-extinct species of <a href="/wiki/Megafauna" title="Megafauna">megafauna</a>. </p><p>After the other extinctions, the main hunted animal on the prairies was the <a href="/wiki/Plains_bison" title="Plains bison">plains bison</a>. Using loud noises and waving large signals, Native peoples would drive bison into fenced pens called <a href="/wiki/Buffalo_pounds" class="mw-redirect" title="Buffalo pounds">buffalo pounds</a> to be killed with bows and arrows or spears, or drive them off a cliff (called a <a href="/wiki/Buffalo_jump" title="Buffalo jump">buffalo jump</a>), to kill or injure the bison <i>en masse</i>. The introduction of the horse and the gun greatly expanded the killing power of the plains Natives. That was followed by the policy of indiscriminate killing by European Americans and Canadians for both commercial reasons and to weaken the independence of plains Natives, and caused a dramatic drop in bison numbers from millions to a few hundred in a century's time, and almost caused their extinction. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Farming_and_ranching">Farming and ranching</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Farming and ranching"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Prairie_Homestead.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Prairie_Homestead.jpg/220px-Prairie_Homestead.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="149" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Prairie_Homestead.jpg/330px-Prairie_Homestead.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Prairie_Homestead.jpg/440px-Prairie_Homestead.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1600" data-file-height="1086" /></a><figcaption>The <a href="/wiki/Prairie_Homestead" title="Prairie Homestead">Prairie Homestead</a>, Milepost 213 on I-29, South Dakota (May 2010)</figcaption></figure> <p>The very dense soil plagued the first European settlers who were using wooden <a href="/wiki/Plow" class="mw-redirect" title="Plow">plows</a>, which were more suitable for loose forest soil. On the prairie, the plows bounced around, and the soil stuck to them. This problem was solved in 1837 by an <a href="/wiki/Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a> <a href="/wiki/Blacksmith" title="Blacksmith">blacksmith</a> named <a href="/wiki/John_Deere_(inventor)" title="John Deere (inventor)">John Deere</a> who developed a <a href="/wiki/Steel" title="Steel">steel</a> moldboard plow that was stronger and cut the roots, making the fertile soils ready for farming. Former grasslands are now among the most productive <a href="/wiki/Agricultural_land" title="Agricultural land">agricultural lands</a> on Earth.<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>The tallgrass prairie has been converted into one of the most intensive crop producing areas in North America.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_29-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Less than one tenth of one percent (<0.09%) of the original landcover of the tallgrass prairie biome remains.<sup id="cite_ref-30" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-30"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Much of what persists is in <a href="/wiki/Cemetery_prairies" class="mw-redirect" title="Cemetery prairies">cemetery prairies</a>, railroad rights-of-way, or rocky/sandy/hilly places unsuitable for agriculture.<sup id="cite_ref-:3_31-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-:3-31"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> States formerly with landcover in native tallgrass prairie including Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Missouri have become valued for their highly productive soils and are included in the <a href="/wiki/Grain_Belt#Corn_Belt" class="mw-redirect" title="Grain Belt">Corn Belt</a>. As an example of this land use intensity, Illinois and Iowa rank 49th and 50th, out of 50 US states, in total uncultivated land remaining.<sup id="cite_ref-auto_29-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-auto-29"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Drier shortgrass prairies were once used mostly for open-range ranching. With the development of <a href="/wiki/Barbed_wire" title="Barbed wire">barbed wire</a> in the 1870s and improved <a href="/wiki/Irrigation" title="Irrigation">irrigation</a> techniques, this region has mostly been converted to cropland and small fenced pastures. In southern Canada, Palliser's Triangle has been changed into one of the most important sources of wheat in the world as a result of improved methods of watering wheat fields (along with the rest of the Southern prairie provinces which also grow wheat, canola and many other grains). Despite those advances in farming technology, the area is still very prone to extended periods of drought, which can be disastrous for the industry if it is significantly prolonged.<sup id="cite_ref-thecanadianencyclopedia.ca_15-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-thecanadianencyclopedia.ca-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Biofuels">Biofuels</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Biofuels"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="/wiki/Biofuel" title="Biofuel">Biofuel</a></div> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Sawgrass_prairie.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Sawgrass_prairie.jpg/220px-Sawgrass_prairie.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="123" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Sawgrass_prairie.jpg/330px-Sawgrass_prairie.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/96/Sawgrass_prairie.jpg/440px-Sawgrass_prairie.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1888" data-file-height="1055" /></a><figcaption><a href="/wiki/Saw_grass" class="mw-redirect" title="Saw grass">Sawgrass</a> prairie in <a href="/wiki/Everglades" title="Everglades">Everglades</a></figcaption></figure> <p>Research by <a href="/wiki/G._David_Tilman" title="G. David Tilman">David Tilman</a>, ecologist at the <a href="/wiki/University_of_Minnesota" title="University of Minnesota">University of Minnesota</a>, suggests "<a href="/wiki/Biofuel" title="Biofuel">Biofuels</a> made from high-diversity mixtures of prairie plants can reduce global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Even when grown on infertile soils, they can provide a substantial portion of global energy needs, and leave fertile land for food production."<sup id="cite_ref-Tilman_32-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tilman-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Unlike corn and soybeans, which are both directly and indirectly major food crops, including livestock feed, prairie grasses are not used for human consumption. Prairie grasses can be grown in infertile soil, eliminating the cost of adding nutrients to the soil. Tilman and his colleagues estimate that prairie grass biofuels would yield 51 percent more energy per acre than ethanol from corn grown on fertile land.<sup id="cite_ref-Tilman_32-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Tilman-32"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Some plants commonly used are lupine, <a href="/wiki/Big_bluestem" class="mw-redirect" title="Big bluestem">big bluestem</a> (turkey foot), blazing star, <a href="/wiki/Switchgrass" class="mw-redirect" title="Switchgrass">switchgrass</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Prairie_clover" class="mw-redirect" title="Prairie clover">prairie clover</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Preservation">Preservation</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Preservation"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Because rich and thick <a href="/wiki/Topsoil" title="Topsoil">topsoil</a> made the land well suited for agricultural use, only 1% of tallgrass prairie remains in the U.S. today.<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Shortgrass_prairie" title="Shortgrass prairie">Shortgrass prairie</a> is more abundant. </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/List_of_protected_grasslands_of_North_America" title="List of protected grasslands of North America">List of protected grasslands of North America</a></div> <p>Significant preserved areas of prairie include: </p> <ul><li>Alderville Black Oak Savanna; <a href="/wiki/Rice_Lake_(Ontario)" title="Rice Lake (Ontario)">Rice Lake</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ontario" title="Ontario">Ontario</a><sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/American_Prairie_(nature_reserve)" title="American Prairie (nature reserve)">American Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Phillips_County,_Montana" title="Phillips County, Montana">Phillips</a> and <a href="/wiki/Blaine_County,_Montana" title="Blaine County, Montana">Blaine</a> counties, <a href="/wiki/Montana" title="Montana">Montana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Clymer_Meadow_Preserve" title="Clymer Meadow Preserve">Clymer Meadow Preserve</a>, <a href="/wiki/Hunt_County" class="mw-redirect" title="Hunt County">Hunt County</a>, <a href="/wiki/Texas" title="Texas">Texas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cypress_Hills_Interprovincial_Park" title="Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park">Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/Alberta" title="Alberta">Alberta</a> and <a href="/wiki/Saskatchewan" title="Saskatchewan">Saskatchewan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Goose_Lake_Prairie_State_Natural_Area" title="Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area">Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grundy_County,_Illinois" title="Grundy County, Illinois">Grundy County, Illinois</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grasslands_National_Park" title="Grasslands National Park">Grasslands National Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/Saskatchewan" title="Saskatchewan">Saskatchewan</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Hoosier_Prairie_State_Nature_Preserve" title="Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve">Hoosier Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lake_County,_Indiana" title="Lake County, Indiana">Lake County, Indiana</a></li> <li>James Woodworth Prairie Preserve, a <i>virgin prairie</i> owned by the <a href="/wiki/University_of_Illinois" class="mw-redirect" title="University of Illinois">University of Illinois</a>, <a href="/wiki/Glenview,_Illinois" title="Glenview, Illinois">Glenview, Illinois</a><sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Jennings_Environmental_Education_Center" title="Jennings Environmental Education Center">Jennings Environmental Education Center</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pennsylvania" title="Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Kissimmee_Prairie_Preserve_State_Park" title="Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park">Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/Okeechobee_County" class="mw-redirect" title="Okeechobee County">Okeechobee County</a>, <a href="/wiki/Florida" title="Florida">Florida</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Konza_Prairie" class="mw-redirect" title="Konza Prairie">Konza Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Manhattan,_Kansas" title="Manhattan, Kansas">Manhattan, Kansas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Midewin_National_Tallgrass_Prairie" title="Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie">Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie</a>, in <a href="/wiki/Will_County,_Illinois" title="Will County, Illinois">Will County, Illinois</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Indiana_Dunes_National_Park#Mnoké_Prairie" title="Indiana Dunes National Park">Mnoké Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Indiana_Dunes_National_Park" title="Indiana Dunes National Park">Indiana Dunes National Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/Porter,_Indiana" title="Porter, Indiana">Porter, Indiana</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nachusa_Grasslands" title="Nachusa Grasslands">Nachusa Grasslands</a>, a <a href="/wiki/The_Nature_Conservancy" title="The Nature Conservancy">Nature Conservancy</a> preserve near <a href="/wiki/Franklin_Grove" class="mw-redirect" title="Franklin Grove">Franklin Grove</a>, <a href="/wiki/Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wichita_Mountains_Wildlife_Refuge" title="Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge">Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge</a>, in <a href="/wiki/Comanche_County,_Oklahoma" title="Comanche County, Oklahoma">Comanche County, Oklahoma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Neal_Smith_National_Wildlife_Refuge" title="Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge">Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge</a>, <a href="/wiki/Iowa" title="Iowa">Iowa</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Nine-Mile_Prairie" class="mw-redirect" title="Nine-Mile Prairie">Nine-Mile Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Nebraska" title="Nebraska">Nebraska</a></li> <li>Ojibway prairie in <a href="/wiki/Windsor,_Ontario" title="Windsor, Ontario">Windsor, Ontario</a><sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Paynes_Prairie" class="mw-redirect" title="Paynes Prairie">Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/Alachua_County" class="mw-redirect" title="Alachua County">Alachua County</a>, <a href="/wiki/Florida" title="Florida">Florida</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Richard_Bong_State_Recreation_Area" title="Richard Bong State Recreation Area">Richard Bong State Recreation Area</a>, in <a href="/wiki/Kenosha_County,_Wisconsin" title="Kenosha County, Wisconsin">Kenosha County, Wisconsin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Russell_R._Kirt_Prairie" title="Russell R. Kirt Prairie">Russell R. Kirt Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/College_of_DuPage" title="College of DuPage">College of DuPage</a>, <a href="/wiki/Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a><sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_Aspen_Parkland" title="Tallgrass Aspen Parkland">Tallgrass Aspen Parkland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Manitoba" title="Manitoba">Manitoba</a> and <a href="/wiki/Minnesota" title="Minnesota">Minnesota</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_Prairie_National_Preserve" title="Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve">Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kansas" title="Kansas">Kansas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_Prairie_Preserve" title="Tallgrass Prairie Preserve">Tallgrass Prairie Preserve</a> 32,000 acres (130 km<sup>2</sup>), <a href="/wiki/Oklahoma" title="Oklahoma">Oklahoma</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Madison_Arboretum" title="University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum">University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum</a>, <a href="/wiki/University_of_Wisconsin%E2%80%93Madison" title="University of Wisconsin–Madison">University of Wisconsin–Madison</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wisconsin" title="Wisconsin">Wisconsin</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Zumwalt_Prairie" title="Zumwalt Prairie">Zumwalt Prairie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wallowa_County,_Oregon" title="Wallowa County, Oregon">Wallowa County, Oregon</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Virgin_prairies">Virgin prairies</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Virgin prairies"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><i>Virgin prairie</i> refers to prairie land which has never been plowed. Small virgin prairies exist in the American Midwestern states and in Canada. <a href="/wiki/Prairie_restoration" title="Prairie restoration">Restored prairie</a> refers to a prairie that has been reseeded after plowing or other disturbance. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Prairie_garden">Prairie garden</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Prairie garden"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A <i>prairie garden</i> is a <a href="/wiki/Garden" title="Garden">garden</a> consisting primarily of plants from a prairie. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Physiography">Physiography</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Physiography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1251242444">.mw-parser-output .ambox{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;border-left:10px solid #36c;background-color:#fbfbfb;box-sizing:border-box}.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+link+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+style+.ambox,.mw-parser-output .ambox+.mw-empty-elt+link+link+.ambox{margin-top:-1px}html body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .ambox.mbox-small-left{margin:4px 1em 4px 0;overflow:hidden;width:238px;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ambox-speedy{border-left:10px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ambox-delete{border-left:10px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ambox-content{border-left:10px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ambox-style{border-left:10px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ambox-move{border-left:10px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ambox-protection{border-left:10px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.5em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.5em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ambox .mbox-image-div{width:52px}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ambox{margin:0 10%}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .ambox{display:none!important}}</style><table class="box-Unreferenced_section plainlinks metadata ambox ambox-content ambox-Unreferenced" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><div class="mbox-image-div"><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Question_book-new.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/50px-Question_book-new.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="39" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/75px-Question_book-new.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/99/Question_book-new.svg/100px-Question_book-new.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="399" /></a></span></div></td><td class="mbox-text"><div class="mbox-text-span">This section <b>does not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources" title="Wikipedia:Citing sources">cite</a> any <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">sources</a></b>.<span class="hide-when-compact"> Please help <a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Prairie" title="Special:EditPage/Prairie">improve this section</a> by <a href="/wiki/Help:Referencing_for_beginners" title="Help:Referencing for beginners">adding citations to reliable sources</a>. Unsourced material may be challenged and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Burden_of_evidence" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">removed</a>.</span> <span class="date-container"><i>(<span class="date">June 2020</span>)</i></span><span class="hide-when-compact"><i> (<small><a href="/wiki/Help:Maintenance_template_removal" title="Help:Maintenance template removal">Learn how and when to remove this message</a></small>)</i></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg/220px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="147" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg/330px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg/440px-Chien_de_prairie_DSCF7999.jpg 2x" data-file-width="6000" data-file-height="4000" /></a><figcaption>A large area with fertile soil is a good habitat for <a href="/wiki/Prairie_dogs" class="mw-redirect" title="Prairie dogs">prairie dogs</a>.</figcaption></figure> <p>The originally treeless prairies of the upper Mississippi basin began in <a href="/wiki/Indiana" title="Indiana">Indiana</a> and extended westward and north-westward until they merged with the drier region known as the <a href="/wiki/Great_Plains" title="Great Plains">Great Plains</a>. An eastward extension of the same area, originally tree-covered, extended to central <a href="/wiki/Ohio" title="Ohio">Ohio</a>. Thus, the prairies generally lie between the <a href="/wiki/Ohio_River" title="Ohio River">Ohio</a> and <a href="/wiki/Missouri_River" title="Missouri River">Missouri</a> rivers on the south and the Great Lakes on the north. The prairies are a contribution of the glacial period. They consist of glacial drift deposited unconformably on an underlying rock surface of moderate or small relief. Here, the rocks are an extension of the same stratified <a href="/wiki/Palaeozoic" class="mw-redirect" title="Palaeozoic">Palaeozoic</a> formations already described as occurring in the Appalachian region and around the <a href="/wiki/Great_Lakes" title="Great Lakes">Great Lakes</a>. They are usually fine-textured limestones and shales lying horizontal. The moderate or small relief they were given by mature preglacial erosion is now buried under the drift. </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Fossil_Lake_(32450598614).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg/220px-Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="220" height="124" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg/330px-Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg/440px-Fossil_Lake_%2832450598614%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1920" data-file-height="1080" /></a><figcaption>View of sand dunes and vegetation at <a href="/wiki/Fossil_Lake_(Oregon)" title="Fossil Lake (Oregon)">Fossil Lake</a>, with the <a href="/wiki/Christmas_Valley_Sand_Dunes" title="Christmas Valley Sand Dunes">Christmas Valley Sand Dunes</a>, Feb. 21, 2017</figcaption></figure> <p>The most significant area of the prairies, from <a href="/wiki/Indiana" title="Indiana">Indiana</a> to <a href="/wiki/North_Dakota" title="North Dakota">North Dakota</a>, consists of till plains, that is, sheets of unstratified drift. The plains are 30, 50 or even 100 ft (up to 30 m) thick covering the underlying rock surface for thousands of square miles except where postglacial stream erosion has locally laid it bare. The plains have an extraordinarily even surface. The till is presumably made in part of preglacial soils, but it is largely composed of rock waste mechanically transported by the creeping ice sheets. Although the crystalline rocks from Canada and some of the more resistant stratified rocks south of the Great Lakes occur as boulders and stones, a great part of the <a href="/wiki/Till" title="Till">till</a> has been crushed and ground to a clayey texture. The till plains, although sweeping in broad swells of slowly changing altitude, often appear level to the eye with a view stretching to the horizon. Here and there, faint depressions occur, occupied by marshy sloughs or floored with a rich black soil of postglacial origin. Thus, by sub-glacial aggradation, the prairies have been leveled up to a smooth surface, in contrast to the higher and non-glaciated hilly country just to the south. </p><p>The great ice sheets formed terminal <a href="/wiki/Moraine" title="Moraine">moraines</a> around their border at various stages. However, the morainic belts are of slight relief in comparison to the great area of the ice. They rise gently from the till plains to 50, 100 or more feet. They may be one, two or three miles (5 km) wide and their hilly surface, dotted over with boulders, contains many small lakes in basins or hollows, instead of streams in valleys. The morainic belts are arranged in groups of concentric loops, convex southward, because the ice sheets advanced in lobes along the lowlands of the <a href="/wiki/Great_Lakes" title="Great Lakes">Great Lakes</a>. Neighboring morainic loops join each other in re-entrants (north-pointing cusps), where two adjacent glacial lobes came together and formed their moraines in largest volume. The moraines are of too small relief to be shown on any maps except of the largest scale. Small as they are, they are the chief relief of the prairie states, and, in association with the nearly imperceptible slopes of the till plains, they determine the course of many streams and rivers, which as a whole are consequent upon the surface form of the glacial deposits. </p><p>The complexity of the glacial period and its subdivision into several glacial epochs, separated by interglacial epochs of considerable length (certainly longer than the postglacial epoch) has a structural consequence in the superposition of successive till sheets, alternating with non-glacial deposits. It also has a physiographic consequence in the very different amount of normal postglacial erosion suffered by the different parts of the glacial deposits. The southernmost drift sheets, as in southern <a href="/wiki/Iowa" title="Iowa">Iowa</a> and northern <a href="/wiki/Missouri" title="Missouri">Missouri</a>, have lost their initially plain surface and are now maturely dissected into gracefully rolling forms. Here, the valleys of even the small streams are well opened and graded, and marshes and lakes are rare. These sheets are of early <a href="/wiki/Pleistocene" title="Pleistocene">Pleistocene</a> origin. Nearer the Great Lakes, the till sheets are trenched only by the narrow valleys of the large streams. Marshy sloughs still occupy the faint depressions in the till plains and the associated moraines have abundant small lakes in their undrained hollows. These drift sheets are of late Pleistocene origin. </p><p>When the ice sheets extended to the land sloping southward to the <a href="/wiki/Ohio_River" title="Ohio River">Ohio River</a>, <a href="/wiki/Mississippi_River" title="Mississippi River">Mississippi River</a> and <a href="/wiki/Missouri_River" title="Missouri River">Missouri River</a>, the drift-laden streams flowed freely away from the ice border. As the streams escaped from their subglacial channels, they spread into broader channels and deposited some of their load, and thus aggraded their courses. Local sheets or aprons of gravel and sand are spread more or less abundantly along the outer side of the morainic belts. Long trains of gravel and sands clog the valleys that lead southward from the glaciated to the non-glaciated area. Later, when the ice retreated further and the unloaded streams returned to their earlier degrading habit, they more or less completely scoured out the valley deposits, the remains of which are now seen in terraces on either side of the present flood plains. </p><p>When the ice of the last glacial epoch had retreated so far that its front border lay on a northward slope, belonging to the drainage area of the Great Lakes, bodies of water accumulated in front of the ice margin, forming glacio-marginal lakes. The lakes were small at first, and each had its own outlet at the lowest depression of land to the south. As the ice melted further back, neighboring lakes became confluent at the level of the lowest outlet of the group. The outflowing streams grew in the same proportion and eroded a broad channel across the height of land and far down stream, while the lake waters built sand reefs or carved shore cliffs along their margin, and laid down sheets of clay on their floors. All of these features are easily recognized in the prairie region. The present site of <a href="/wiki/Chicago" title="Chicago">Chicago</a> was determined by an Indian portage or carry across the low divide between <a href="/wiki/Lake_Michigan" title="Lake Michigan">Lake Michigan</a> and the headwaters of the <a href="/wiki/Illinois_River" title="Illinois River">Illinois River</a>. This divide lies on the floor of the former outlet channel of the glacial Lake Michigan. Corresponding outlets are known for <a href="/wiki/Lake_Erie" title="Lake Erie">Lake Erie</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lake_Huron" title="Lake Huron">Lake Huron</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Lake_Superior" title="Lake Superior">Lake Superior</a>. A very large sheet of water, named <a href="/wiki/Lake_Agassiz" title="Lake Agassiz">Lake Agassiz</a>, once overspread a broad till plain in northern <a href="/wiki/Minnesota" title="Minnesota">Minnesota</a> and North Dakota. The outlet of this glacial lake, called river Warren, eroded a large channel in which the <a href="/wiki/Minnesota_River" title="Minnesota River">Minnesota River</a> evident today. The <a href="/wiki/Red_River_of_the_North" title="Red River of the North">Red River of the North</a> flows northward through a plain formerly covered by Lake Agassiz. </p><p>Certain extraordinary features were produced when the retreat of the ice sheet had progressed so far as to open an eastward outlet for the marginal lakes. This outlet occurred along the depression between the northward slope of the Appalachian plateau in west-central New York and the southward slope of the melting ice sheet. When this eastward outlet came to be lower than the south-westward outlet across the height of land to the Ohio or Mississippi river, the discharge of the marginal lakes was changed from the Mississippi system to the <a href="/wiki/Hudson_River" title="Hudson River">Hudson</a> system. Many well-defined channels, cutting across the north-sloping spurs of the plateau in the neighborhood of <a href="/wiki/Syracuse,_New_York" title="Syracuse, New York">Syracuse, New York</a> mark the temporary paths of the ice-bordered outlet river. Successive channels are found at lower and lower levels on the plateau slope, indicating the successive courses taken by the lake outlet as the ice melted further and further back. On some of the channels, deep gorges were eroded heading in temporary cataracts which exceeded Niagara in height but not in breadth. The pools excavated by the plunging waters at the head of the gorges are now occupied by little lakes. The most significant stage in this series of changes occurred when the glacio-marginal lake waters were lowered so that the long escarpment of Niagara limestone was laid bare in western New York. The previously confluent waters were then divided into two lakes. The higher one, <a href="/wiki/Lake_Erie" title="Lake Erie">Lake Erie</a>, supplied the outflowing <a href="/wiki/Niagara_River" title="Niagara River">Niagara River</a>, which poured its waters down the escarpment to the lower, <a href="/wiki/Lake_Ontario" title="Lake Ontario">Lake Ontario</a>. That gave rise to <a href="/wiki/Niagara_Falls" title="Niagara Falls">Niagara Falls</a>. Lake Ontario's outlet for a time ran down the <a href="/wiki/Mohawk_Valley" title="Mohawk Valley">Mohawk Valley</a> to the Hudson River. At the higher elevation, it was known as <a href="/wiki/Glacial_Lake_Iroquois" title="Glacial Lake Iroquois">Lake Iroquois</a>. When ice melted from the northeastern end of the lake, it dropped to a lower level, and drained through the St. Lawrence area creating a lower <a href="/wiki/Base_level" title="Base level">base level</a> for the Niagara River and increasing its erosive capacity. </p><p>In certain districts, the subglacial till was not spread out in a smooth plain, but accumulated in elliptical mounds, 100–200 feet. high and 0.5 to 1 mile (0.80 to 1.61 kilometres) long with axes parallel to the direction of the ice motion as indicated by striae on the underlying rock floor. These hills are known by the Irish name, <a href="/wiki/Drumlin" title="Drumlin">drumlins</a>, used for similar hills in north-western <a href="/wiki/Ireland" title="Ireland">Ireland</a>. The most remarkable groups of drumlins occur in western <a href="/wiki/New_York_(state)" title="New York (state)">New York</a>, where their number is estimated at over 6,000, and in southern Wisconsin, where it is placed at 5,000. They completely dominate the topography of their districts. </p><p>A curious deposit of an impalpably fine and unstratified silt, known by the <a href="/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German</a> name bess (or <a href="/wiki/Loess" title="Loess">loess</a>), lies on the <a href="/wiki/Older_drift" class="mw-redirect" title="Older drift">older drift</a> sheets near the larger river courses of the upper Mississippi basin. It attains a thickness of 20 ft (6.1 m) or more near the rivers and gradually fades away at a distance of ten or more miles (16 or more km) on either side. It contains land shells, and hence cannot be attributed to marine or lacustrine submergence. The best explanation is that, during certain phases of the glacial period, it was carried as dust by the winds from the flood plains of aggrading rivers, and slowly deposited on the neighboring grass-covered plains. The glacial and <a href="/wiki/Aeolian_processes" title="Aeolian processes">eolian</a> origin of this sediment is evidenced by the angularity of its grains (a bank of it will stand without slumping for years), whereas, if it had been transported significantly by water, the grains would have been rounded and polished. Loess is parent material for an extremely fertile, but droughty soil. </p><p>Southwestern Wisconsin and parts of the adjacent states of Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota are known as the <a href="/wiki/Driftless_zone" class="mw-redirect" title="Driftless zone">driftless zone</a>, because, although bordered by drift sheets and moraines, it is free from glacial deposits. It must therefore have been a sort of oasis, when the ice sheets from the north advanced past it on the east and west, and joined around its southern border. The reason for this exemption from glaciation is the converse of that for the southward convexity of the morainic loops. While they mark the paths of greatest glacial advance along lowland troughs (lake basins), the driftless zone is a district protected from ice invasion by reason of the obstruction which the highlands of northern Wisconsin and Michigan (part of the Superior upland) offered to glacial advance. </p><p>The course of the upper Mississippi River is largely consequent upon glacial deposits. Its sources are in the morainic lakes in northern Minnesota. The drift deposits thereabouts are so heavy that the present divides between the <a href="/wiki/Drainage_basin" title="Drainage basin">drainage basins</a> of <a href="/wiki/Hudson_Bay" title="Hudson Bay">Hudson Bay</a>, <a href="/wiki/Lake_Superior" title="Lake Superior">Lake Superior</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_Mexico" title="Gulf of Mexico">Gulf of Mexico</a> evidently stand in no very definite relation to the preglacial divides. The course of the Mississippi through Minnesota is largely guided by the form of the drift cover. Several rapids and the <a href="/wiki/Saint_Anthony_Falls" title="Saint Anthony Falls">Saint Anthony Falls</a> (determining the site of <a href="/wiki/Minneapolis,_Minnesota" class="mw-redirect" title="Minneapolis, Minnesota">Minneapolis</a>) are signs of immaturity, resulting from superposition through the drift on the under rock. Further south, as far as the entrance of the Ohio River, the Mississippi follows a rock-walled valley 300 to 400 ft (91 to 122 m) deep, with a flood-plain 2 to 4 mi (3.2 to 6.4 km) wide. This valley seems to represent the path of an enlarged early-glacial Mississippi, when much precipitation that is today discharged to Hudson Bay and the <a href="/wiki/Gulf_of_St._Lawrence" title="Gulf of St. Lawrence">Gulf of St. Lawrence</a> was delivered to the Gulf of Mexico, for the curves of the present river are of distinctly smaller <a href="/wiki/Radii" class="mw-redirect" title="Radii">radii</a> than the curves of the valley. <a href="/wiki/Lake_Pepin" title="Lake Pepin">Lake Pepin</a> (30 mi [48 km] below <a href="/wiki/Saint_Paul,_Minnesota" title="Saint Paul, Minnesota">St. Paul</a>), a picturesque expansion of the river across its flood-plain, is due to the aggradation of the valley floor where the <a href="/wiki/Chippewa_River_(Wisconsin)" title="Chippewa River (Wisconsin)">Chippewa River</a>, coming from the northeast, brought an overload of fluvio-glacial drift. Hence, even the father of waters, like so many other rivers in the Northern states, owes many of its features more or less directly to glacial action. </p><p>The fertility of the prairies is a natural consequence of their origin. During the mechanical transportation of the till, no vegetation was present to remove the minerals essential to plant growth, as is the case in the soils of normally weathered and dissected peneplains. The soil is similar to the Appalachian piedmont which though not exhausted by the primeval forest cover, are by no means so rich as the till sheets of the prairies. Moreover, whatever the rocky understructure, the till soil has been averaged by a thorough mechanical mixture of rock grindings. Hence, the prairies are continuously fertile for scores of miles together. The true prairies were once covered with a rich growth of natural grass and annual flowering plants, but today, they are covered with farms. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1184024115">.mw-parser-output .div-col{margin-top:0.3em;column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .div-col-small{font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .div-col-rules{column-rule:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .div-col dl,.mw-parser-output .div-col ol,.mw-parser-output .div-col ul{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .div-col li,.mw-parser-output .div-col dd{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}</style><div class="div-col" style="column-width: 15em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Great_Plains" title="Great Plains">Great Plains</a></li></ul> <dl><dd><ul><li><a href="/wiki/Shortgrass_prairie" title="Shortgrass prairie">Shortgrass prairie</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mixed_grass_prairie" title="Mixed grass prairie">Mixed grass prairie</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie" title="Tallgrass prairie">Tallgrass prairie</a></li></ul></dd></dl> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Prairies_Ecozone" title="Prairies Ecozone">Prairies Ecozone</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Interior_Plains" title="Interior Plains">Interior Plains</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Canadian_Prairies" title="Canadian Prairies">Canadian Prairies</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Geography_of_North_America" title="Geography of North America">Geography of North America</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/North_American_Prairies_province" title="North American Prairies province">North American Prairies province</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aspen_parkland" title="Aspen parkland">Aspen parkland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Buffalo_Commons" title="Buffalo Commons">Buffalo Commons</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coastal_plain" title="Coastal plain">Coastal plain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coastal_prairie_(disambiguation)" class="mw-redirect mw-disambig" title="Coastal prairie (disambiguation)">Coastal prairie</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dust_Bowl" title="Dust Bowl">Dust Bowl</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Field_(agriculture)" title="Field (agriculture)">Field</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flooded_grasslands_and_savannas" title="Flooded grasslands and savannas">Flooded grasslands and savannas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Flood-meadow" title="Flood-meadow">Flood-meadow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Grassland" title="Grassland">Grassland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Heath" title="Heath">Heath</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Meadow" title="Meadow">Meadow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Outback" title="Outback">Outback</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pampas" title="Pampas">Pampas</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Pasture" title="Pasture">Pasture</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plain" title="Plain">Plain</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prairie_dog" title="Prairie dog">Prairie dog</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prairie_madness" title="Prairie madness">Prairie madness</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Prairie_restoration" title="Prairie restoration">Prairie restoration</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Puszta" title="Puszta">Puszta</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rangeland" title="Rangeland">Rangeland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Savanna" title="Savanna">Savanna</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Steppe" title="Steppe">Steppe</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Panicum_virgatum" title="Panicum virgatum">Switchgrass</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Temperate_grasslands,_savannas,_and_shrublands" title="Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands">Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Veld" title="Veld">Veld</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Water-meadow" title="Water-meadow">Water-meadow</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wet_meadow" title="Wet meadow">Wet meadow</a></li></ul> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output 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Retrieved <span class="nowrap">22 February</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Plants+in+Prairie+Communities&rft.pub=University+of+Minnesota&rft.date=1995&rft.aulast=Robison&rft.aufirst=Roy&rft.au=Donald+B.+White&rft.au=Mary+H.+Meyer&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.extension.umn.edu%2Fdistribution%2Fhorticulture%2FDG3238.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APrairie" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.aldervillesavanna.ca/">"Alderville First Nation Black Oak Savanna"</a>. <i>www.aldervillesavanna.ca</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.aldervillesavanna.ca&rft.atitle=Alderville+First+Nation+Black+Oak+Savanna&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aldervillesavanna.ca%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APrairie" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://prairie.bios.uic.edu/">"James Woodworth Prairie Preserve"</a>. University of Illinois.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=James+Woodworth+Prairie+Preserve&rft.pub=University+of+Illinois&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fprairie.bios.uic.edu%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APrairie" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ojibway.ca/complex.htm">"Ojibway Prairie Complex - Parks & Recreation - City of Windsor"</a>. <i>www.ojibway.ca</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=www.ojibway.ca&rft.atitle=Ojibway+Prairie+Complex+-+Parks+%26+Recreation+-+City+of+Windsor&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ojibway.ca%2Fcomplex.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APrairie" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://cod.edu/academics/programs/biology/natural_areas/index.aspx">"Russell R. Kirt Prairie"</a>. <i>cod.edu</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=cod.edu&rft.atitle=Russell+R.+Kirt+Prairie&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fcod.edu%2Facademics%2Fprograms%2Fbiology%2Fnatural_areas%2Findex.aspx&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3APrairie" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Prairie&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output 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data-file-height="430" /></a></span></div> <div class="side-box-text plainlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikisource" title="Wikisource">Wikisource</a> has the text of the 1905 <i><a href="/wiki/New_International_Encyclopedia" class="mw-redirect" title="New International Encyclopedia">New International Encyclopedia</a></i> article "<b><a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_International_Encyclop%C3%A6dia/Prairie" class="extiw" title="s:The New International Encyclopædia/Prairie">Prairie</a></b>".</div></div> </div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.theprairieenthusiasts.org">The Prairie Enthusiasts</a> – grassland protection and restoration in the upper <a href="/wiki/Midwestern_United_States" title="Midwestern United States">Midwest</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.prairieplains.org">Prairie Plains Resource Institute</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.texasprairie.org/">The Native Prairies Association of Texas</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.museum.state.il.us/muslink/prairie/htmls/eco_importance.html">Importance of fire within the prairie</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090205190536/http://moprairie.org/">Missouri Prairie Foundation</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150402140903/http://www.prairiepublic.org/television/prairie-public-on-demand/america%E2%80%99s-grasslands">America's Grasslands</a> Documentary produced by <a href="/wiki/Prairie_Public_Television" title="Prairie Public Television">Prairie Public Television</a></li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist 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navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:Vegetation" title="Template:Vegetation"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:Vegetation" title="Template talk:Vegetation"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:Vegetation" title="Special:EditPage/Template:Vegetation"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="Phytogeography:_Vegetation_classification117" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/Phytogeography" title="Phytogeography">Phytogeography</a>: <a href="/wiki/Vegetation_classification" title="Vegetation classification">Vegetation classification</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Physiognomy</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Forest" title="Forest">Forests</a>, <a href="/wiki/Woodland" title="Woodland">woodlands</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/Arboretum" title="Arboretum">arboretum</a></i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Shrubland" title="Shrubland">Shrublands</a>, <a href="/wiki/Heath" title="Heath">heath</a>, scrubs, <a href="/wiki/Thicket" title="Thicket">thickets</a>, <i>fruticetum</i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Dwarf-shrub" class="mw-redirect" title="Dwarf-shrub">Dwarf-shrubland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Subshrub" title="Subshrub">subshrublands</a>, dwarf-scrubs, <i>suffruticetum</i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Herbaceous" class="mw-redirect" title="Herbaceous">Herbaceous communities</a>, <a href="/wiki/Grassland" title="Grassland">grasslands</a>, <a href="/wiki/Steppe" title="Steppe">steppes</a>, <a class="mw-selflink selflink">prairies</a>, <i>herbetum</i></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Savanna" title="Savanna">Savannas</a>, <a href="/wiki/Aspen_parkland" title="Aspen parkland">parklands</a></li> <li>Scarcely vegetated areas, <a href="/wiki/Desert_vegetation" class="mw-redirect" title="Desert vegetation">desert vegetation</a> (<a href="/wiki/Desert" title="Desert">Desert</a>, <a href="/wiki/Barren_vegetation" title="Barren vegetation">Barren vegetation</a>)</li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Latitude</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Tropical" class="mw-redirect" title="Tropical">Tropical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Subtropical" class="mw-redirect" title="Subtropical">Subtropical</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Temperate" class="mw-redirect" title="Temperate">Temperate</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Subarctic_climate" title="Subarctic climate">Subpolar</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Polar_climate" title="Polar climate">Polar</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Climatic<br />regime</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Pluvial" title="Pluvial">Pluvial</a>, <a href="/wiki/Rainforest" title="Rainforest">rainy</a>, ombrophilous</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Cloud_forest" title="Cloud forest">Cloudy</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Seasonal" class="mw-redirect" title="Seasonal">Seasonal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Drought" title="Drought">Drought</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Altitude</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Montane" class="mw-redirect" title="Montane">Montane</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Submontane" class="mw-redirect" title="Submontane">Submontane</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Lowland" class="mw-redirect" title="Lowland">Lowland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Coastal" class="mw-redirect" title="Coastal">Coastal</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Leaves</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li>Loss of leaves <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Deciduous" title="Deciduous">Deciduous</a>, caducifolious</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Semi-deciduous" title="Semi-deciduous">Semi-deciduous</a>, semicaducifolious</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Evergreen" title="Evergreen">Evergreen</a>, perennifolious</li></ul></li> <li>Leaf hardness <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Sclerophyll" title="Sclerophyll">Sclerophyll</a>, stiff leaves</li> <li>Orthophyll, hyptiophyll leaves</li></ul></li> <li>Leaf form <ul><li>Aciculifolious, needle-leaved</li> <li>Latifolious, <a href="/wiki/Broad-leaved" class="mw-redirect" title="Broad-leaved">broad-leaved</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Substrate</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Terrestrial_vegetation" class="mw-redirect" title="Terrestrial vegetation">Terrestrial vegetation</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Aquatic_vegetation" class="mw-redirect" title="Aquatic vegetation">Aquatic vegetation</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Riparian" class="mw-redirect" title="Riparian">Riparian</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Mangrove" title="Mangrove">Mangrove</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Swamp" title="Swamp">Swampy</a></li></ul></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">See also</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd hlist" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Biogeographic_realm" title="Biogeographic realm">Biogeographic realms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Biome" title="Biome">Biomes</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Floristic_kingdom" class="mw-redirect" title="Floristic kingdom">Floristic kingdoms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Natural_region" title="Natural region">Natural region</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Physiographic_region" title="Physiographic region">Physiographic region</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plant_habit" class="mw-redirect" title="Plant habit">Plant habits</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Plant_life-form" title="Plant life-form">Plant life-forms</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vegetation" title="Vegetation">Vegetation</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-label="Navbox580" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="row" 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