Northern Mixed Grasslands

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Northern Mixed Grasslands (WWF ecoregion NA0810) View National Geographic WildWorld profile,(WildWorld home), View WWF Wildfinder animal species list (WildFinder home)

Prairie, eastern Nebraska (c) 2008 Steven J. Baskauf

Source of bioregions data: Olson, D. M. and E. Dinerstein. The Global 200: Priority ecoregions for global conservation. (PDF file) Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 89:125-126.

Distinctiveness (1=highest,4=lowest): 4 (nationally important)
As a transitional grassland between tallgrass and shortgrass prairies, this area shares species with surrounding ecoregions. The presence of many glacial pothole lakes makes it an important breeding area for waterfowl. *

Conservation Status (1=most endangered, 5=most intact): 1 (critical)
This is the most disturbed of North American grassland ecoregions, with only tiny remnant patches of intact habitat, all of which is disturbed. Up to 80% of the wetlands have been lost or degraded.*

Characteristic species*
(left of image) Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass), (right of image) Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem) (c) 2004 Maurice J. Kaurmann hires

Some views from the ecoregion

* Ricketts, T.H., E. Dinerstein, D.M. Olson, C.J. Loucks, et al. (1999) Terrestrial Ecoregions of North America: A Conservation Assessment. World Wildlife Fund - United States and Canada. Island Press, Washington, D.C. pp. 190-191.