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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #343484
Title: North American Grasslands & Biogeographic Regions

Author
item STARRS, PAUL - University Of Nevada
item HUNTSINGER, LYNN - University Of California
item Spiegal, Sheri

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/17/2017
Publication Date: 12/1/2018
Citation: Starrs, P.F., Huntsinger, L., Spiegal, S.A. 2018. North American Grasslands & Biogeographic Regions. In: Squires, V.R., Dengler, J., Feng, H. Hua, L. (Eds). Grasslands of the World: Diversity, Management and Conservation. CRC Pres. Boca Raton, Florida. Pages 239-272.

Interpretive Summary: North American grasslands are the product of a long interaction among land, people, and animals. Covering over one billion hectares across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, a defining trait of the realm is its vast surface area. From subtropical grasslands interspersed with wetlands in the southern coastal plains to the thorny shrubs, bunchgrasses, and bare ground of the hot deserts, grasslands of the continent comprise a magnificent diversity of soils, flora, fauna, and uses. North American grasslands were grazed, in some places intensively, for thousands of years by wildlife preceding the introduction of European livestock in the sixteenth century. With that introduction came seed from all over the world, and the shifts in the patterns and types of grazing, together with the plow, have precipitated profound changes across the system. This chapter provides an overview of North American grasslands past and present, with a focus on eight major grassland types and their physiography, morphology, and human interactions.

Technical Abstract: North American grasslands are the product of a long interaction among land, people, and animals. Covering over one billion hectares across Canada, the United States, and Mexico, a defining trait of the realm is its vast surface area. From subtropical grasslands interspersed with wetlands in the southern coastal plains to the thorny shrubs, bunchgrasses, and bare ground of the hot deserts, grasslands of the continent comprise a magnificent diversity of soils, flora, fauna, and uses. North American grasslands were grazed, in some places intensively, for thousands of years by wildlife preceding the introduction of European livestock in the sixteenth century. With that introduction came seed from all over the world, and the shifts in the patterns and types of grazing, together with the plow, have precipitated profound changes across the system. This chapter provides an overview of North American grasslands past and present, with a focus on eight major grassland types and their physiography, morphology, and human interactions.