Download Biome Slides - GEO

Scientific and Natural Areas
found in Minnesota major
biomes
"Biome" is a term used to
describe a biological
community. Usually, biomes
occur over large areas and
include many similar plant
communities and the animals
that live in them.
Minnesota Ecosystem
MINNESOTA
ECOLOGICAL
CLASSIFICATION
SYSTEM
Coniferous
ECS
Deciduous
Prairie
MINNESOTA BIOME PATTERNS
AS INFLUENCED BY:
-TEMPERATURE
-PRECIPITATION
BIOMES
THE BIG PICTURE
PRAIRIE
Types of Prairies
There are three general types of prairie in Minnesota: wet, mesic (having
moderately moist soil) and dry.
Wet Prairies occur in shallow wetlands that are dry enough to support
prairie grasses like big bluestem and switchgrass. Prairie cordgrass and bluejoint are often the dominant species. Wetland wildflowers are abundant,
including New England aster, giant sunflower and gay-feather. Wetland
alterations such as draining and filling have made wet prairies extremely rare in
the metro region.
Mesic Prairies are found on dark, rich soils prized for agriculture. They
have a dense cover of tall grasses such as big bluestem and Indian grass
along with forbs such as purple prairie clover and heart-leaved alexander. They
were found along the Mississippi River from St. Anthony Falls to Anoka and
Sherburne counties.
Dry Prairies are more sparsely vegetated grasslands, sometimes with
exposed patches of bare sandy or gravelly soil. Dry prairies vary according to
soil, substrate and topography, and they are divided into three major subtypes:
Barrens prairie is the least common type of dry prairie, mainly occurring on
sand dunes in Anoka County. They have sparse cover of grasses and sedges
scattered or in clumps. Sand reedgrass, porcupine grass, little bluestem, rigid
sunflower and hairy puccoon are typical species.
Sand-gravel prairie is the most common type of dry prairie, occurring
throughout the region but especially on mixed sand and gravel soil in southern
Washington County, Anoka County and along Mississippi and Minnesota river
terraces. Sand-gravel prairies have many species in common with mesic prairies
such as big bluestem, little bluestem, butterfly milkweed, leadplant and purple
prairie clover, but they are generally sparser and shorter in stature.
Bedrock bluff prairie is found on rocky bluffs and has often been called "goat
prairie." It is most common in southern Washington County. Little bluestem, side
oats-grama, hairy grama and plains muhly dominate particularly dry slopes and
rock ledges.
BIG BLUESTEM
SIDE OATS
GRAMMA
INDIAN GRASS
DECIDUOUS
FOREST
CONIFER
FOREST
WET CONDITIONS WITHIN EACH
MAJOR BOME PRODUCE
WETLANDS
MINNESOTA
WETLANDS
Bogs, or peatlands, are wetlands whose soils are made up of peat (the partially
decomposed remains of plants and animals). Northcentral Minnesota has extensive
peatlands.
Shallow and Deep marshes are the most familiar to us. These open areas provide food
and resting areas for migratory birds and wildlife. In southern and western Minnesota
these types of wetlands may be called prairie potholes.
Prairie potholes are shallow depressions formed by retreating glaciers. They provide
excellent habitat and breeding grounds for migratory birds.
Shrub and Wooded swamps are shrubby or forested wetlands found along the edges
of lakes, rivers, and streams. Common wooded swamps are the black ash and black
spruce forests.
Seasonal Basins or flats are small, isolated wetlands that contain water only
seasonally. Once the water recedes they can be cropped in agricultural areas or logged
in floodplain forests. These wetlands are important places for amphibians to reproduce
and provide habitat for rare plant species. Seasonal basins or flats are found throughout
Minnesota.
Wet meadows are low-lying grassy areas with saturated soils often found near streams,
lakes and marshes. They include low prairies, sedge meadows and rare calcareous
fens.
NW edge of
Red Lake
MINNESOTA
BIOMES:
SPECIAL PLACES
ALGIFIC SLOPES
GOAT PRAIRIES
OAK SAVANNAS
GALLERY FOREST
ALGIFIC SLOPES
ALGIFIC SLOPES
Take a trip to an Ice Age Refuge
Portions of Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois contain unusual geology. The
karst region, referred to as the “Driftless Area” escaped the last glaciers leaving the
Paleozoic age (500,000 year old) bedrock subject to erosion. In addition to the
curious topography of steep slopes and cliffs, there are unique habitats, the algific
(cold air) talus (loose rock) slopes. These slopes remain cool throughout the year
and are home to rare species of plants and animals. Established in 1989, Driftless
Area National Wildlife Refuge is helping to recover two federally listed species: the
endangered Iowa Pleistocene snail and threatened Northern monkshood. Although
the Refuge was established to protect the snail and flower an entire rare community
of plants and animals is preserved on these sites.
ALGIFIC SLOPES
The northern monkshood
threatened species.
GOAT PRAIRIES
GOAT PRAIRIES
OAK SAVANNAS
OAK
SAVANNA
GALLERY FORESTS
MINNESOTA RIVER
GALLERY FOREST
HOW ACCURATE ARE
THE PRE-SETTLEMENT
VEGETATION MAPS?
SOILS