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Wetlands of the Great Plains: Habitat Characteristics and Vertebrate Aggregations

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Ecology and Conservation of Great Plains Vertebrates

Part of the book series: Ecological Studies ((ECOLSTUD,volume 125))

Abstract

Grassland, the largest biome in North America, is characterized by the uniform presence of perennial grasses that originally supported extensive populations of native ungulates (e.g., buffalo [Bison bison], pronghorn [Antilocapra americana]) and burrowing mammals (Shelford 1949). The Great Plains, a component of the northern temperate grassland, encompasses about 20% (200 million ha) of the land mass in the 48 conterminous United States (Willson 1995). The region receives scant rainfall and exhibits extremes in climatic conditions within and among seasons and years. Although climatic conditions in the Great Plains do not favor the perpetuation of numerous, naturally occurring permanent wetlands, historic records indicate that ephemeral, temporary, and seasonal wetlands once were a prominent feature throughout the region.

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Authors
  1. Murray K. Laubhan
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  2. Leigh H. Fredrickson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Biological Service, 4512 McMurry Avenue, 80525-3400, Ft. Collins, CO, USA

    Fritz L. Knopf

  2. U.S. Forest Service, Region One, 59807, Missoula, MT, USA

    Fred B. Samson

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Laubhan, M.K., Fredrickson, L.H. (1997). Wetlands of the Great Plains: Habitat Characteristics and Vertebrate Aggregations. In: Knopf, F.L., Samson, F.B. (eds) Ecology and Conservation of Great Plains Vertebrates. Ecological Studies, vol 125. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-2703-6_2

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