Prairie Grasslands

The North American prairies once extended across 3 million km² from Canada to Texas — seas of grass maintaining a complex ecosystem of bison (60 million), prairie dogs (5 billion), wolves, pronghorn, and thousands of plant species. The deep, rich soil (mollisol) formed over 10,000 years of grass growth and decay. European settlers recognized the prairie soil's extraordinary fertility and converted virtually all of it to cropland within a century. Over 99% of tallgrass prairie has been destroyed — the most complete ecosystem destruction of any biome in North America. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s resulted from inadequate farming practices on the fragile converted soil. Efforts to restore prairie fragments and reintroduce bison herds are ongoing.