North American steppes, or What is prairie?

The prairies of the Great Plains of the northern part of the continent of America before they were developed by the Europeans occupied about 4,000 kilometers in length and about 800 kilometers in width. The inner-continental location and protection from the west of the precipitations of the Rocky Mountains was determined by their climatic features and limited vegetation. So what is a prairie? Of course, this is the steppe. They received their name from French immigrants. The meaning of the word "prairies" is meadows. Territorially they are located in the east of the Great Plains, in the middle west of Canada and the USA. In the north, prairies border on coniferous forests, in the west - with mountains, in the east - with forest-steppes, and in the south they gradually move into savannah and semidesert. The amount of precipitation in the territory of the North American steppes decreases in the direction from east to west. The most arid zones are located in the center. Therefore, the vegetation in the prairies is not homogeneous, it is located by three broad bands: tall grass, mixed and low grass.

Relief of North American prairies

What is the prairie of the Great Plains in terms of relief? This territory extends along the Cordillera. It is a fairly flat surface with zones of small hills. In fact, this plateau is a low plateau, which is a continuation of the Western Plains from the east to the west. The average heights of this zone are within 1.5 kilometers above sea level. The rivers diverge to the east and belong to the basin of two rivers: Missouri and Mississippi. Once this territory was the bottom of the ancient ocean, from the deposits of which it is composed. Prairies can be conditionally divided into four physico-geographical regions: three plateaus - Edwards, Missouri, Llano-Estacado - and the central part of the Great Plains.

Climate

The basic component of the entire climate in North America is the air currents that carry moisture from the Pacific Ocean. But on the prairie the water almost does not fall - it remains among the Rocky and Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. Dry winds rush through the steppes, without encountering obstacles, except for the moist flows from the Gulf of Mexico. In summer, these meetings end in storms and storms, in winter - heavy snowfalls. In general, constant strong winds are typical for prairies. The temperature here is continental - contrast. In summer - an average of 20-25 degrees of heat in winter - up to -25. There are frosts and up to -50 degrees. In the east, the climate is more humid - up to 600 mm of precipitation may fall a year. The western part is more arid, here the norms do not exceed 300 mm. Approximately every five years there are fires on the prairies. But the fire rushes, as a rule, very quickly, not seriously injuring the land.

Vegetable world of prairies

What is prairie in terms of plant life? Natural vegetation is forest-steppe and steppe. The first is expressed by grassy-grassy cover and aspen and birch pins. This zone is located along the Canadian border. Further south, on the chernozem soils, directly formed prairies. There is a short shrub (acacia and mesquite) and a low-flowed grassy cover. In the more southerly areas there are yuccas, cacti and agaves. Inside the prairies there are forest formations. In the north - birch. In the south - oaks, mesquite, acacia and juniper. Currently, the plant world of prairies is changing, because fertile soils are mostly developed by farmers and regularly irrigated.

Animal world of prairies

Prairie animals are interesting, but, like vegetation, they do not differ in variety. The most common relatives are squirrels - prairie dogs. Their name they received because of barking sounds, which convey each other danger signals. The meadow dogs live in large colonies. They live in burrows of rather complex construction. Dwellings can be located at a depth of 5 meters. These creatures are food for local predators: black-footed ferrets, Mexican falcon, coyote, badgers, rattlesnakes and rabbit owls. Previously, numerous herds of buffaloes lived on the prairies. At one time they were on the verge of extinction, because of merciless hunting for them. To date, these large animals are protected by law. Coyotes are still quite numerous. Among the birds, there are meadow grouse, Canadian geese and geese.

Extension of the prairies was promoted by fires and bison

How to know, perhaps today no one would have a question about what a prairie is, if not for the fires and all the same bison. Scientists believe that in these places the forests could have been growing for a long time, according to the soil and climatic conditions of the area. Elemental fires, burning out everything to the ground, and herds of animals, completely eating and trampling young growth, have done their work. Scientists draw their conclusions, based on similar processes in Africa, where elephants also contribute to the spread of steppe vegetation. That's how these spaces were formed ... Look at the prairie photos - how beautiful it is!