Prairie Educational Resources

I have come across a lot of useful information about grasslands, grasses, and prairies so I want to start a post to share these resources with you. This list (although exhausting) is not intended to be exhaustive; there are a lot more great reference out there. If you find references that you would like to share with the rest of the class then either post them as a blog comment or send them to me so that I can post them.

Here is a potentially great new resource that I just uncovered.

Encyclopedia of the Great Plains
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/


Grasses

Grasses http://www.eoearth.org/article/Grasses?topic=49480

Presentation from UW Botany http://www.botany.wisc.edu/courses/botany_400/Lecture/0pdf/30bPoaceaeBW.pdf


Grasslands

Overview of World Grasslands http://www.bcgrasslands.org/library/world.htm

Prairies

1) Tall Grass Prairie

Tall Grass Prairie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallgrass_prairie

Splendor of the Grass http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/splendor-of-grass/

Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)

http://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_ange.pdf"

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ANGE

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PAVI2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=PAVI2

Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SONU2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SONU2

2) Mixed Grass Prairie

The Mixed Grass Prairie ecoregion http://outdoornebraska.ne.gov/wildlife/programs/legacy/pdfs/chapter6.pdf

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=SCSC

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SCSC

Western Wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii now Pascopyrum smithii)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=PASM

3) Short Grass Prairie

Southern Short Grass Prairie ecoregion http://fws-case-12.nmsu.edu/cwcs/pdfdocs/ch5_southern_shortgrass.pdf

Blue Grama (Bouteloua gracilis)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BOGR2

http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=BOGR2

Buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides now Bouteloua dactyloides)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BODA2



Prairie Ecoregions (WWF)

Tall Grass Prairie

1) Northern Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Northern_tall_grasslands

2) Central Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Central_tall_grasslands

3) Flint Hills Tall Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Flint_Hills_tall_grasslands

Mixed Grass Prairie

Central and Southern mixed grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Central_and_Southern_mixed_grasslands

Short Grass Prairie

1) Northern Short Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Northern_short_grasslands

2) Western short grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Western_short_grasslands



Texas Grasslands

Grasslands http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/gqg01

Texas Grasses http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/taes/tracy/610/

Prairie Issues

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands USGS (lots of good info here)
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/index.htm#contents

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands- Prairies Past and Present
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/pastpres.htm

Regional Trends of Biological Resources- Grasslands
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/habitat/grlands/grasses.htm

Tallgrass prairie: the invasion of woody shrubs
http://www.esa.org/esablog/field/tallgrass-prairie-the-invasion-of-the-woody-shrubs/

Declining grassland biodiversity
http://www.eoearth.org/article/Declining_grassland_biodiversity?topic=49480

The Tallgrass Prairie: An Endangered Landscape http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/prairie/review.pdf

Grassland Issues http://www.bcgrasslands.org/grasslands/grasslanddisturbances.htm

Powerpoint Presentation

Here is a link to the powerpoint presentation I showed in class.

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/prairies-of-the-great-plains

Ecoregions of the Southern High Plains

Ecoregions

According to the WWF, an ecoregion is a relatively large unit of land or ocean that contains geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities with boundaries that approximate the original extent of natural communities prior to major land use change. Ecoregions (i) share a large majority of their species and ecological dynamics,(ii)share similar environmental conditions, and (iii)interact ecologically in ways that are critical for their long-term persistence.

Different groups have attempted to identify and classify ecoregions. At a global scale, WWF has divided the world into 867 distinct terrestrial ecoregions. The US EPA has classifed 106 ecoregions in the United States.

According to the WWF, most of the Llano Estacado falls within the Western Short Grasslands ecoregion. At a finer scale, some of the EPA ecoregions in the area include Rolling Sand Plains, Canadiian/Cimmaron High Plains, Llano Estacado, Shinnery Sands, and Arid Llano Estacado ecoregions.


Readings

Ecoregions http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecoregion

Western Short Grasslands http://www.eoearth.org/article/Western_short_grasslands

Ecoregions of Texas (EPA) http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ecoregions_of_Texas_(EPA)

FYI

Here is a link to a Powerpoint Presentation that compares the WWF ecoregions of Texas to the ecoregions of Malaysia.

http://www.slideshare.net/MarkMcGinley/wwf-ecoregions-of-texas-and-malaysia

The Llano Estacado

The local region surrounding Lubbock is known as the Llano Estacado. There are a lot of people with interests in this region who know much more about it than I do, so rather than me introducing the topic to you during class I would like you to read the following article and view the following Powerpoint Presentation.

Readings

Llano Estacado http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ryl02

Powerpoint Presentation

Here is a link to a powerpoint presentation on the Habitats of the Llano Estacado prepared by Sibley Nature Center in Midland.

To access this presentation click on this link http://www.sibleynaturecenter.org/habitats/index.html

and then click on the link "Habitats of the Llano Estacado".

Biomes

Biomes organize the biological communities of the earth based on similarities in the dominant vegetation, climate, geographic location, and other characteristics. Aspects of the physical environment such as precipitation, temperature, and water depth, have a strong influence on the traits of species living in that natural environment, and thus biological communities experiencing similar environmental conditions often contain species that have evolved similar characteristics. There is no single classification of biomes that is agreed upon by all scientists because different scientists wish to emphasize different characteristics by their definition. Historically however, biomes have been identified and mapped based on general differences in vegetation type associated with regional variations in climate and terrain.

Readings

Biome http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biome?topic=58073

Terrestrial biomes http://www.eoearth.org/article/Terrestrial_biome

Deserts http://www.eoearth.org/article/Deserts

Desert biome http://www.eoearth.org/article/Desert_biome?topic=58071

Grassland biome http://www.eoearth.org/article/Grassland_biome?topic=58071

Forest biome http://www.eoearth.org/article/Forest_biome?topic=58074

Rainforest http://rainforests.mongabay.com/

The Influence of the Physical Environment on the Dominant Plant Type

Here is a link to a slideshow I prepared exploring the physical environment (primarily precipitation and temperature) affect the dominant plant types. This seems like a great place for us to start out exploration.

Deserts, prairies, and forests http://www.slideshare.net/secret/aVrFdv9S7038HJ

The Physical Environment: Global Patterns

Introduction

The physical environment can have a profound influence on ecology at a variety of levels. For example, the physical environment can act as a strong selective presssure to produce adaptations or can influence the rates of nutrient cycling through an ecosystem. For our simple purposes here, the two most important components of the physical environment are temperature and precipitation. I suggest that we can predict a lot about what is going on ecologically in an environment if we know something about temperature and precipitation patterns.

From watching the nightly news we all know how difficult it is for the local weatherperson to accurately predict what the weather is going to be like tomorrow. Fortunately, it is much easier to understand broad patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation.

Temperature



The dominant global temperature pattern is that it tends to get cooler as you move away from the poles. The cause of this is relatively simple. Because the earth is so far from the sun, the light rays hitting the earth are basically paralell to each other. Because of the curvature of the earth, sunlight hitting the earth near the equator falls over a smaller area than sunlight hitting near the poles. Because the same amount of light energy is hitting a smaller area near the equator, the concentration of energy/area is greater near the equator than the pole thus resulting in higher temperatures.

Elevation is another factor that influences global temperatures. Because there is less insulating atmosphere above areas of high elevation temperatures tend to decrease as you go up in elevation.

Large bodies of water can mediate temperature variations. For example, seasonal and daily variation in temperatures are much lower in areas near the ocean (maritime climates) than they are in areas far from the ocean (continental climates).

Global temperature patterns can also be affected by patterns of ocean circulation. For example, the west coast of continents are often cooled by cool water flowing from the poles to the tropics while the east coasts of continents can be warmed by warmer water from the tropics to the poles (e.g., the Gulf Stream). If you have ever been to the beach in southern California you surely noticed how cold the water was; east coast beaches at similar latitudes have much warmer water.

Precipitation

In order to understand global precipitation patterns you need to understand global patterns of atmospheric circulation. Hopefully, after studying the article on atmospheric circulation you will be able to explain-

1. why there tends to be high precipitation in tropical regions and

2. why precipitation tends to be low at 30 degrees North and South of the equator.

Patterns of precipitation can also be influenced by the presence of mountains. As air masses containing moisture hit a mountain they are forced upward. Because rising air cools and cool air







holds less moisture, precipitation occurs on the windward side of mountains. Once the air mass has passed over the mountain in falls to lower elevations and gets warmer. Because most of the moisture has been lost as precipitation on the windward side of the mountain and the warmer air holds more moisture there is very little precipitation on the leward side of the mountain resulting in a "rainshadow desert".

Let's think about Lubbock!

Let's see if we can use our newfound understanding of some of the factors influencing temperature and precipitation to make predictions about what the climate should be like in Lubbock. What information do we need about the geographic location of Lubbock to help us understand the climate? First, we need to know the latitude; Lubbock is located approximately 33 degrees north. Second we need to know something about the proximity to the ocean. As an old beach boy, I can guarantee you that we are a long, long way from the ocean in Lubbock. Third, where is Lubbock in relation to mountains? Lubbock is located to the east of the southern extension of the Rockies.

Why is all of this important?

1. What can we learn from the latitude of 33 degrees North? This latitude is still close enough to the equator to be warm so we expect relatively high temperatures. Because Lubbock lies near the 30 degree zone of low precipitation we would predict relatively low precipitation. At 30 degrees North we would predict that Lubbock would receive predominately winds from the west.

2. From the continental location of Lubbock we would predict fairly extreme daily and seasonal fluctuations of temperatures.

3. Because Lubbock lies in the Westerlies most of the precipitation that is arriving in Lubbock comes from the Pacific Ocean. Because these winds have passed over the Rockies we would predict that Lubbock would lie in a rainshadow, again causing low precipitation.

How did we do. If anyone has ever been in Lubbock (especially in the spring time) you would know that the wind almost always blows in from the west. Temperatures are relatively warm but there is fairly large seasonal and daily variations in temperature. Lubbock has a semi-arid climate and receives on average about 18 inches of precipitation per year. Thus, with just a little bit of knowlege about the factors that influence global patterns of temperature and precipitation we were able to fairly accurately the climate in Lubbock. Thus, I would expect that organisms native to Lubbock should be well adapted to the low precipitation, continental climate of the region (the short grass prairie was the dominant vegetation type presettlement).

See use these patterns to understand climate in your town (note climate patterns in Texas are complicated in central and eastern Texas becasue of the influence of air masses coming up from the Gulf). Compare the temperature and precipitation of your town with that if very divergent locations around the globe.


Further Reading

If you would like some more detailed information about factors affecting climate and the atmosphere you can check out the Atmosphere Chapter in Michael Pidwirny's online Physical Geography textbook http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/contents.html.

Powerpoint Presentation

Click here to see the powerpoint presentation "Factors Influencing the Physical Environment".
http://www.slideshare.net/secret/EaVq4nm5KuSsBI

Expected Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course a fully engaged student should be able to

- describe global patterns of variation in temperature and precipitation and be able to explain the causes of these patterns

- for any location in the world, use your knowledge of the factors that affect global patterns to preict the local climate

EoE Student Science Communication Project

The Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE- http://www.eoearth.org/) is an online source of information about the environment. The EoE differs from most other online sources because all articles are written by experts in the field and all articles are peer-reviewed before they are published. The EoE recently published its 7000th article and currently receives about 400,000 visitors each month.

The Student Science Communication Project (SSCP) at the EoE (http://www.eoearth.org/article/Student_Science_Communication_Project) allows undergraduate and graduate students to collaborate with scientists to write articles that can be submitted for review and if accepted, ultimately published in the EoE. Students at Texas Tech were among the first to participate in the SSCP and thus far Tech students have authored over 30 published articles!

Most of your writing assignments this semester will be aimed at producing information that can be submitted to the EoE. When your articles are published you will have something notable to add to your resume, or at least have something for your parents to hang on the fridge.

Syllabus

Course Syllabus
Advanced Fieldcraft: Prairies and Rainforests

EVHM 3350-H01
Spring 2012
T-Th 11:00 - 12:20 English and Philosophy room 304

Instructor: Dr. Mark McGinley
Room 215 McClelland Hall mark.mcginley@ttu.edu

Office Hours: T-Th- 10-11 or by appointment

I encourage you to make an appointment to meet with me if you need to see me. The easiest ways to do this are (1) to talk to me either before or after class or (2) to send me an email listing times when you are available to meet with me and then I will let you know which works best for me.

Course Outline
The effects of the current drought in Texas have reinforced how strongly physical factors can influence the ecology and society of a region. This course will examine how the physical environment influences the ecology, history, society, and environmental issues. We will contrast two distinctly different parts of the world, our local region, the semi-arid High Plains of Texas, with the wet, tropics of South East Asia. Students will work to develop educational materials that will be on public display. Students in this course will participate in the Encyclopedia of Earth's (EoE http://www.eoearth.org/) Student Science Communication Project. See an example of published student work at http://www.eoearth.org/article/Rivers_of_Texas) and develop material for the South East Asian Bat Conservation Research Unit (http://www.seabcru.org/). This course is writing intensive, as students will write articles that will be submitted for review for inclusion in the EoE and SEABCRU website. This course may include local field trips (but unfortunately, no trips to the rainforests). This course may be repeated for credit with approval from NHH program director.

THIS COURSE FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF THE HONORS SEMINAR REQUIREMENT FOR NON-EVHM MAJORS AND FULFILLS 3 HOURS OF BIOLOGY CREDIT

Student Absence for Observation of Religious Holy Days
A student who is absent from classes for the observation of a religious holy day shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment scheduled for that day within a reasonable time after the absence if, not later than the fifteenth day after the first day of the semester, the student had notified the instructor of each scheduled class that the student would be absent for a religious holy day.

Academic Integrity
Texas Tech University faculty strive to foster a spirit of complete honesty and high standards of integrity. Any attempt by students to present as their own work any work not honestly performed is regarded by faculty and administration as a most serious offence and renders offenders liable to serious consequences, possibly suspension from the university. “Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, falsifying academic records, misrepresenting facts, and any act designed to give an unfair academic advantage to a student. A detailed list of offenses is available in the Code of Student Conduct, found in Part IX, pp. 20-21 in the current Student Handbook, available on line at:
http://www.studentaffairs.ttu.edu?publications/SA_handbook_2005-2006.pdf.

Any student who, because of a disability, may require special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make any necessary arrangements. Students should present appropriate verification from Student Disability Services during the instructor’s office hours. Please note instructors are not allowed to provide classroom accommodations to a student until appropriate verification from Student Disability Services has been provided. For additional information, you may contact the Student Disability Services office at 335 West Hall or 806-742-2405.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, a fully-engaged student will be able to:

1. Discuss basic concepts in population, community, and ecosystem ecology. Assessed by performance in class discussions/activities and written assignments.

2. Read and discuss papers from the ecological literature. Assessed by performance in class discussions/activities and written assignments.

3. Compare and contrast the characteristics of organisms living in prairie and rainforest ecosystems. Assessed by performance in class discussions/activities and written assignments.

4. Write effectively about organisms, ecological communities and ecosystems, and environmental issues. Assessed performance on written papers.

5. Critique and evaluate the writing of others. Assessed on performance in writing workshops.

Grading
Participation in class discussion and activities 25%
Participation in writing workshops 15%
Writing assignments 60%

It is extremely important that all assignments be turned in on time!!!

Course Blog
I have created a blog for this course. This blog will be an important means of communication between us so I encourage you to check the blog early and often. The blog is located at http://prairiesandrainforests2013.blogspot.com/. Hopefully, most of your questions about the details of the class will be answered somewhere on the blog. In addition, I will list specific “expected learning outcomes” for each lesson to help you focus your study efforts. Please regularly check the blog to learn about upcoming readings, activities, and assignments.

Required Reading
There is no required textbook for this course. I will assign readings throughout the semester on the course blog http://prairiesandrainforests2013.blogspot.com/.

Books About Writing
Writing well is important for effective communication. Thus, improving your writing skills is an important component of this course. Here are a couple of references that would be useful for you to have on your shelf (and use) throughout your college career. (these books are not required).

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves. The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. By Lynne Truss.