Kevin Vo
BIOL 2406 – Environmental Biology
Natural Area Lab (Study of the Prairies)
Objectives:
1) To gain a further appreciation of ecosystems, habitat type and community structure.
2) To practice making observations in nature.
3) To identify native and introduced organisms of the state of Texas.
4) To visualize how development has changed north Texas natural environments.
Use the video Keep Texas Wild: Blackland Prairie, your knowledge and other internet resources to answer the questions.
Questions:
1) Where is the Blackland prairie located in Texas?
Blackland prairie extends from Red River in North Texas to San Antonio in South Texas.
2) Why is the prairie such an endangered biome in the United States? (2 pts.)
Prairie is an endangered biome since most of the land in the blackland prairies were converted to farmlands. Farming in the Blackland prairies also introduced new species of plants such as the coastal Bermuda grass and Johnson grass which became an invasive species in the Blackland prairie.
Also, the Blackland Prairie has been cleared to provide room for urban and infrastructure development.
3) What plants dominate the prairie area? List at least three. (2 pts.)
Tall dropseed grass
Yellow Indian grass
Big bluestem
Little bluestem
Maximilian sunflower
4) Why is disturbance important for the continuity of a prairie? (2 pts.)
The disturbance is critical and vital to the health and continuity of a prairie since it changes the competitive balance among the living organisms in a prairie. Period disturbance by fire or drought suppresses dense woody vegetations and allows tall grasses to grow and flourish in a prairie.
5) How can we prevent woody plants from growing in a prairie? (2 pts.)
Woody plants can be controlled in a prairie through controlled burning of woody plants, mechanical cutting or removal of woody plants, and selective application of herbicides. Also, a chemical can be applied to tree stumps to prevent the trees from re-sprouting.
6) List five species of wildflowers that bloom in a prairie. (2 pts.)
Purple coneflower
Indian Paintbrush
Cardinal Flower
Brown-eyed Susan
Prairie Verbena
7) List three endangered species found in Texas prairies? (2 pts.)
Texas Kangaroo rat
Golden-cheeked warbler
Texas poppy mallow
Texas horned lizard
8) If you were walking in a prairie, what would be some signs of animal or plant competition? (2 pts.)
Grasses in the prairie have long and widespread roots to enable them to compete for limited resources such as water and space.
Male bison are fighting for mating rights and territory.
Coyotes are dividing resources by claiming territories which they defend fiercely from other wolves and predictors.
9) Which example of symbiosis would you observe in a prairie? (2 pts.)
An example of parasitism in the Blackland prairie is ticks sucking blood for food from bison.
An example of commensalism the Blackland prairie is vines such as prairie rose, cross-vine, maypop, and trumpet creeper climbing a tree in the prairie to gain access sunlight needed for photosynthesis process.
An example of mutualism is grasses proving carbohydrates for the fungus that colonize the roots while the fungus increases the grasses capability to absorb nutrients and water from the soil.
10) What are the top predators in Texas prairies? List at least three. (2 pts.)
Coyote
Bobcat
Ferruginous hawk
Copperhead snake
11) What invasive species could be found in a Texas prairie? What is the problem with invasive species? (2 pts.)
Johnsongrass
Coastal Bermuda grass
Field bindweed
Chinese privet
Heavenly bamboo
Chinese tallow tree
Invasive species can outcompete the native species for the limited resources hence killing the native species or threaten to destroy the natural biodiversity of a given ecosystem.
12) What percentage of blackland prairie is left in Texas? (2 pts.)
Less than 1%.
13) List three habitat generalists that you would find in a Texas prairie. (Think about animals you could possibly find in your backyard too. Be specific, birds, snakes, insects are not acceptable answers) (2 pts.)
Coyotes
Bobcats
Racoon
14) Would you see fungi in a visit to a local natural area? What ecological service do fungi offer? (2 pts.)
Yes. Fungi are decomposers which break down inorganic materials and death organic matters into simple molecules which are absorbed by plants and other living organisms. Fungi are responsible for nutrient cycling in an ecosystem.
15) As environmentally conscious citizens, why is important to know about native habitats and species? (2 pts.)
To help protect the environment, you need to understand how various living organisms and non-living things interact with one another in a given habitat. Also, it provides you with an understanding of how native habitats and species affected by anthropogenic and environmental factors.