Prairie Transfer Task PDF

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________ Prairie Transfer Task In North America, the prairie ecosystem used to exist across much of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mo...

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ___________________ Prairie Transfer Task In North America, the prairie ecosystem used to exist across much of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains. The prairie is composed of grasslands with few trees. Great Plains Prairie Ecosystem (before white Prairie settlement) Figure 2. The North American Prairie. Rick Bohn, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 Figure 1. Historical range of prairie in the United States. Zntrip, GPL Prairies have moderate rainfall and temperature and provide habitat for many birds, insects, mammals, reptiles, and plants. The Homestead Act of 1862 gave many Euro-Americans an opportunity to own land that was, until that point, the ancestral land of many Native American nations. The new landowners converted the land to agricultural use in farming or ranching. Today, most of the historical prairie has been converted to agriculture use for grazing livestock and growing crops. The prairie ecosystem is a critical habitat for many organisms. It has fertile soil and provides filtration for water as it moves underground. It serves as the traditional homeland of several Native American nations, and the land provides for their physical and spiritual well-being. Early Euro-Americans who settled in the area engaged in trade with Native Americans and in cattle herding across the open expanse of the Great Plains. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 1 Agricultural development of the prairie ecosystem is a major economic activity that provides many jobs as well as food to many Americans. Today, the area also provides recreational opportunities open to many. In this task, you will investigate: factors that affect biodiversity in the prairie. human interactions that cause changes in the ecosystem. solutions that take into consideration multiple criteria and/or constraints. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 2 The American bison once freely roamed the North American prairie and had a population of about 60 million. Figure 3. American Bison. Stephen Pribut, CC BY-SA 3.0 The graph below shows the estimated population of bison from 1800 to present, as well as major events that took place on the Great Plains during that time. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 3 Figure 4. Bison population and key events 1800-1900. Data Source: National Park Service openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 4 1. Use your understanding of ecosystems and the graph above to answer the following questions. A. How did the bison population change between 1800 and 1900? B. Based on the information presented in the graph, what are three ways that human activities may have impacted the bison population? 2. Scientists have identified the bison as a keystone species in the prairie ecosystem. A. Review the ecosystem model below that shows some of the interactions of the prairie ecosystem before the bison were removed. Remember that the red lines are positive relationships and the blue lines are negative relationships. For example, if the pronghorn population increases, the coyote population increases. What do you predict happened to the system when the bison were removed? B. Choose two interactions in the model and explain how you think the components changed without the bison. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 5  Figure 5. Model of the prairie ecosystem. Images generated using SageModeler (https://sagemodeler.concord.org/), developed at the Concord Consortium and Michigan State University. 3. Many scientists believe that maintaining and increasing biodiversity is an important part of conserving ecosystems. Since data from the 1800s is not readily available, scientists have investigated how bison affect biodiversity by studying similar areas in the prairie with and without bison. One group of scientists studied the kinds of plants present in areas with and without bison. The graph below highlights some of their findings. Forbs and shrubs are different kinds of plants. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 6  Figure 6. Average cover of plant types with and without bison. Data Source: Elson & Hartnett (2017) A. What do you notice about grass in areas with in and without bison? B. What could account for the difference? C. What do you notice about other kinds of plants in areas with and without bison? D. What could account for the difference? Based on the data, scientists predict that the biodiversity of herbivores (animals that eat plants) will be higher when bison are present. What reasoning would explain this prediction? Use data from the model and the graph to support your answer. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 7 4. A conservation plan called the American Prairie Reserve is an effort to preserve and restore the American prairie in Montana. The goal is to bring together 3.2 million acres of land by working with public, private, and Indigenous interest holders. By adding additional protected lands, this conservation plan has the potential to contribute to the goals of the 30 by 30 Initiative. Figure 7. American Prairie Reserve map. Data Source: American Prairie Reserve The figure (above) shows the American Prairie Reserve in Montana. The lands that the reserve wants to connect include the following: Land that has been leased or bought by the reserve Indian reservations National monuments National wildlife refuges Bureau of and management and other public land Private land Some of the lands are connected to each other, while others are disconnected. When the reserve buys private land they connect new lands and bison will graze on the public land. This can put them in competition with cattle. The law gives ranchers the right to allow cattle to feed and roam freely and graze on public lands. openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 8 Ranching has a long history in the area. Many residents feel a proud sense of ownership of the land and do not wish to have ranches sold to the reserve. Indigenous people in the area have a deep connection to bison, which provide and care for people through food, shelter, clothing, tools, and cultural teachings. Residents and tourists, including many Americans, and visitors from around the world, value the land in the American west for recreation and personal enjoyment. How might each of those interest holders – ranchers, Native Americans, residents and tourists – view the priorities and strategies of the American Prairie Reserve? Priority(ies) Valued Support or Opposition to Strategies Ranchers Native Americans Residents and Tourists 5. Considering evidence from the model of the ecosystem and the priorities of different groups, how does the conservation plan--to buy private land and connect to private and public land--address the priorities of the different interest holder groups. What compromises (trade-offs) will they have to make if the plan moves forward? How does it address priorities? What compromises will they have to make? Ranchers openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 9  Native Americans Residents and Tourists American Prairie Reserve 6. To meet the goals of the 30 by 30 Initiative to conserve more land and water, what recommendation would you make about whether or not connecting private and public land is a good solution? References Elson, A., & Hartnett, D. C. (2017). Bison Increase the Growth and Reproduction of Forbs in Tallgrass Prairie. American Midland Naturalist, 178(2), 245–259. https://doi-org.colorado.idm.oclc.org/10.1674/0003-0031-178.2.245 openscied.org 5/16/24 Page 10