The Great Plains, also called the Western Plains, is a broad expanse of prairie and steppe flatland covering roughly 2.8 million square kilometers of North America. Fossil dental-wear evidence has revived a genuine dispute over why grazing mammals evolved such abrasion-resistant teeth there: the traditional explanation points to grass itself, but a competing grit, not grass hypothesis argues windblown dust and soil grit may be the real driver. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
Biogeographic Realm Area (sq km) Connections
Demonstrates
Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Hosts
The bison is the defining large grazer of the North American Plains, both historically (tens of millions before the 19th century collapse) and in today's restored conservation herds.
Source American Bison (National Park Service)
Source World Wildlife Fund
Source World Wildlife Fund
In Biome
Source Great Plains (Wikipedia)
Open Questions
Source Great Plains (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Great Plains (Wikipedia)
Wikipedialead section
The Great Plains (French: Grandes Plaines) is a broad expanse of flatland in North America.
- Biogeographic realm: nearctic (derived from location stated in entity description)
- Open Questions: Open Question: Great Plains
View the Source American Bison (National Park Service)
National Park ServiceHosts: American Bison, American Bison - overviewQuote, Hosts: American Bison, American Bison - overview
Today, 19 herds in 12 states roam the American Plains.
World Wildlife Fund
World Wildlife Fund- Hosts: Black-tailed Prairie Dog
- Hosts: Pronghorn
View the Source National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationDemonstrates: TornadoView the Source Open Questions (1 open question)
Open Question: Great Plains
Fossil dental-wear evidence has revived a dispute over why grazing mammals on the Great Plains evolved such abrasion-resistant teeth: the traditional account credits grass itself, while a competing hypothesis points to windblown grit and dust instead.
What would resolve this Comparative dental microwear and phytolith analysis distinguishing tooth wear caused by grass silica from wear caused by ingested mineral grit.
PaleontologyGreat Plains (Wikipedia)
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