Konza Prairie: A Tallgrass Natural History

Konza Prairie: A Tallgrass Natural History
- Used Book in Good Condition
Slightly over a century ago, the tallgrass prairie in North America stretched over most of what is now Iowa, Illinois, southern Minnesota, northern Missouri, and the eastern edges of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma. Today, only a few scattered patchesâ€”less than one percentâ€”remain of the endless, flat, silent land that greeted the pioneers and finally fell to their plows. Konza, an area of over 8,600 acres in the Flint Hills in Kansas, is the largest remaining undisturbed tract of tallgrass prairie in the nation.

Konza Prairie is the extraordinary and often lyrical story of this tallgrass ecosystem. Biologist O.J. Reichman, a compelling writer, vividly portrays this often poorly understood environment as a living laboratory where organismsâ€”from monarch butterflies to the striking big bluestem grass itselfâ€”interact with the physical world of the prairie.

In separate chapters, Reichman provides an absorbing natural-history introduction to such topics as the tallgrass ecosystem; the dynamic geological processes which created the seemingly placid prairie; and the many inhabitants of the prairie, from plants and insects to birds, reptiles, and mammals. Interspersed with this central text are informative sections (set off by italics) about the processes taking place, among them Evolution, the role of photosynthesis; fire; patterns of weather; and competition among organisms. Finally, Reichman describes what is being done to preserve the prairie and provides an extensive listing of the common and scientific names of organisms mentioned in the text.

Beautifully written and illustrated with color photographs, line drawings, and maps, Konza Prairie is an excellent introduction to a little-known ecosystemâ€”and is superb national history.
Country USA
Brand University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer University Press of Kansas
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 18 full colour photographs, 47 pen-and-i
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780700604500
ReleaseDate 0000-00-00

Country	USA
Brand	University Press of Kansas
Manufacturer	University Press of Kansas
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	18 full colour photographs, 47 pen-and-i
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780700604500
ReleaseDate	0000-00-00

Konza Prairie: A Tallgrass Natural History

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