By A Mystery Man Writer
Scientists still aren't sure what maintains the Great Plains Grasslands and keeps them separate from forests. A very common hypothesis is that there are climatic differences between the areas where each type of ecosystem forms. But the boundaries between the two ecosystems have been slowly disintegrating since around 1850, which caused a U.S. Forest Service research ecologist to wonder if something else was responsible for keeping them separate.
Scientists still aren't sure what maintains the Great Plains Grasslands and keeps them separate from forests. A very common hypothesis is that there are climatic differences between the areas where each type of ecosystem forms. But the boundaries between the two ecosystems have been slowly disintegrating since around 1850, which caused a U.S. Forest Service research ecologist to wonder if something else was responsible for keeping them separate.
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Ecological site FX052X01X032
Fire dynamics distinguish grasslands, shrublands and woodlands as alternative attractors in the Central Great Plains of North America - Ratajczak - 2014 - Journal of Ecology - Wiley Online Library
Study shows wildfires are increasing on the Great Plains, Nebraska Today
How neighbors are burning grasslands to bring them back : The Picture Show : NPR