{{Short description|Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of Canada and the United States}} {{Infobox ecoregion | name = Northern Tallgrass Prairie | image = Prairie view TGPP.JPG | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = Tall grasses of Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve | country = United States | country1 = Canada | state = Minnesota | state1 = North Dakota | state2 = Manitoba |region_type = States/Provinces | border = Canadian aspen forests and parklands | border1 = Mid-Continental Canadian forests | border2 = Western Great Lakes forests | border3 = Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition | border4 = Central tall grasslands | bird_species = 212<ref name = "Atlas"> {{cite book |last1 = Hoekstra |first1 = J. M. |last2 = Molnar |first2 = J. L. |last3 = Jennings |first3 = M. |last4 = Revenga |first4 = C. |last5 = Spalding |first5 = M. D. |last6 = Boucher |first6 = T. M. |last7 = Robertson |first7 = J. C. |last8 = Heibel |first8 = T. J. |last9 = Ellison |first9 = K. |title = The Atlas of Global Conservation: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities to Make a Difference |publisher = University of California Press |editor1-last = Molnar |editor1-first = J. L. |year = 2010 |isbn = 978-0-520-26256-0 |url = https://archive.org/details/atlasofglobalcon0000unse |url-access = registration }}</ref> | mammal_species = 63<ref name = "Atlas"/> | conservation = Critical/Endangered<ref name="WWF"/> | global200 = Yes | habitat_loss = 88.245 | habitat_loss_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/> | protected = 4.21 | protected_ref = <ref name = "Atlas"/> | area = 76000 | biogeographic_realm = Nearctic | biome = Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands | climate = Humid continental (''Dfb'') | map = Northern tall grasslands map.svg | map_size = 248 | map_alt = | map_caption = }}
The '''Northern Tallgrass Prairie''' is one of 844 terrestrial ecoregions defined by One Earth.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/northern-tallgrass-prairie/ | title=Northern Tallgrass Prairie }}</ref> This ecoregion largely follows the Red River Valley in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the American states of North Dakota and Minnesota.<ref name="WWF">{{WWF ecoregion|id=na0812|name=Northern tall grasslands|accessdate=2010-08-20}}</ref>
==Climate== The Northern Tallgrass Prairie has a humid continental climate with moderate precipitation, usually between 450-700mm. Winters here are very cold, with a mean winter temperature of {{convert|-12.5|C|sigfig=2}}, and summers are warm, with a mean temperature of {{convert|16|C|sigfig=2}}. The ecoregion's mean annual temperature is {{convert|2.5|C|sigfig=2}}.<ref name="WWF"/>
==Flora== Dominant grasses include big bluestem (''Andropogon gerardi''), switchgrass (''Panicum virgatum'') and Indiangrass (''Sorghastrum nutans''). In wetter areas, trembling aspen (''Populus tremuloides'') and bur oak (''Quercus macrocarpa'') can be found.<ref name="WWF"/>
==Fauna== Like other North American prairie ecoregions, the Northern tall grasslands once supported large herds of bison (''Bison bison'') and elk (''Cervus canadensis''), which were hunted by the gray wolf (''Canis lupus'') and coyote (''Canis latrans''). All of these save for the coyote have been largely eliminated from the region, though the bison and wolf are recovering. Other, more common species in the ecoregion include white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), rabbit (''Sylvilagus'' spp.), ground squirrel (''Spermophilus'' spp.) and large populations of waterfowl.
==Conservation== Some protected areas of this ecoregion include: *Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve
==See also== *Tallgrass prairie *List of ecoregions in Canada (WWF) *List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{commons category inline}}
Northern tall Category:Flora of the Canadian Prairies