A prairie is an area of flat,
predominantly treeless course grassland, especially in a
large plain with deep, fertile, soil. It is a region
inhabited by extensive grasses and forbs and lacks the
presence of large vegetation. There are tall grass,
short grass, and mixed grass prairies. The specific
location in which each type of prairie exists is
dependent on an area's soil conditions, water, and the
frequency and extent of fire, drought, and, grazing.
A short grass prairie lies in the
rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. The conditions that
are given off by the rain shadow, low levels of rain
fall, cause the land to have a very low diversity of
vegetation therefore giving the short grass prairie the
look of a barren desert. These short grass prairies
constitute many of the shrub lands and deserts of the
western United States.
A tall grass prairie contains no
trees, but if trees do occur, they are widely
distributed throughout the land, otherwise the prairie
is dominated by grasses. Fire is a very important factor
in order for the tall grass prairie to survive and is
sometimes needed by the vegetation that resides there to
grow and disperse their seeds, for without it the
prairie would no longer exist.
A mixed grass prairie is composed
of grass that is tall to medium height. These grasses
are specifically adapted to constantly changing
conditions, such as wet, damp and very dry conditions,
for the soil is also in the same conditions. Since the
grass varies in height, it allows for a wide variety of
wildlife to inhabit the land, for every species of
wildlife that live there need a different type/height of
grass to survive.
