In order to fully understand a particular ecosystem, we need to understand its history—both natural and anthropogenic. While the North American grasslands have a rich natural history, their development since the arrival of European settlers has been rocky, to say the least.
Need for Research on Grasslands by Hanson and Vorhies was authored more than 80 years ago, and yet the problems addressed in this paper sum up many of the issues still faced by prairie ecologists to this day. I chose this paper because it is a great starting point for beginning to understand the state of grassland research as it exists today. For example, grasslands are often considered—by ecologists and the general public alike—to be degraded or inferior ecosystems left over from deforestation. Grassland management still focuses primarily on commodifying the landscape rather than preserving and fostering it; how can we maximize the number of cows on the land? How do we restore the ecosystem in the cheapest and fastest way so we can be approved to drill another oil well? Even today, 80 years after Hanson and Vorhies expressed these concerns, the general attitude towards the prairies is lukewarm at best.
We need to recontextualize how we see grasslands—as beautiful, diverse, and unique landscapes in their own right, rather than bleak expanses to be tamed—and this paper is an excellent starting point. It’s easy to read and doesn’t require prior knowledge of the prairie biome to understand the issues that the authors discuss. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and that it makes you pause and think about how you might perceive one type of ecosystem over another.
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 