<------- www.Destination360.

com

By Nicholas Manfredi
Ecosystem – All of the living and non-living parts of an area
make up an ecosystem

Ecosystem chosen:
Theodore Roosevelt National Park/ Prairies/Grasslands:
Grasslands are the most abundant habitat type in Theodore
Roosevelt National Park. Grasses are able to deal with low
annual precipitation, by going dormant as the wet Spring gives
way to the dry and hot Summer.  Many people believe that
grasslands are monotonous, but a rich diversity of plants
survive in an intricate and ever-changing ecosystem that
supports many of the park's animals.
 Large amounts of native grasses and around fifty different
species of shrubs and forbs.
 Plants that contain more wood become established in
grasslands, changing the forge available to grazing animals.
 Established in 1978. Park encompasses around 70,416 acres.
 Periodic fire, whether natural or done by the park is necessary
to improve habitat diversity and forage diversity.
 Fires reduce woody vegetation and allow early succession for
grasses and forbs to re-establish themselves.
Exploringnature.org
 Theodore Roosevelt National
Park is located in Western
North Dakota

nps.gov
natgeomaps.com
 Temperature: Average
 e Maximum: Jul: 87.1° F
Aug: 86.7° F
 Average Minimum: Jul: 54.5° F
Aug: 52.4° F
 Rainfall: 15 inches.

 Winters are cold and Summers are warm.

 A few endangered species present in
park
 Bison
 Wide variety of environment
 Glaciers
 Bad Lands
 Grasslands
 Fossils of a 4 legged crocodile like
animal that used to be there when it
was swampy. It is called a
Champsosaurus

 Nps.gov
 Home to a wide variety of animals
 Try to protect wildlife that is becoming endangered
 Trees and plants help take some CO2 out of the
atmosphere.
 No hunting,mining, logging removal or any natural or
cultural resources.
 Protect plants from invasive plants
 Mammals such as Elk and Bison develop coats of hair to
survive the cold winters.
 Most birds migrate but some birds adapt to the cold
weather and are there all year round.
 Most plants have small stems to avoid harsh winds.
 Fires improve habitat diversity and forage diversity.
 Leafy Spurge
 Spotted Knapweed
 two aggressive plants that can rapidly invade grasslands. Bison,
elk, and deer don’t eat them.
 Largest mammal in North America
 6 – 6.5 feet at the shoulder
 10 -12.5 feet in length
 900 – 2000 pounds; males are larger than females
 Bad eyesight but acute hearing and excellent sense of
smell
 Females, or cows, lead family groups
 Primary consumer

living wilderness.com
 The staminate (male) and pistillate (female)
plants grow separately
 Culms 4 to 10 inches tall
 Blades are flat, 1 to 8 inches long, sparsely
pilose on both sides
 Female plants produce seeds in small hard
burs that are usually nestled close to the
ground among the leaves
 The male plants usually have two or three
comb-like seed heads
 Consumed by livestock and grazers
 Can furnish good winter grazing
 Primary producer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_grass
BLACK TAILED PRAIRIE DOG, CYNOMYS
LUDOVICIANUS
 Type of ground squirrel
 Rodents
 Primary consumer
 12-16 inches long and 1-3 pounds
 Create burrows underground
 Feed on plants
 Stay in open terrain Ethanmeleg.com
 Stay in large groups
 Do not hibernate
 Excellent hearing and vision
 Important food source for many predators
 About 3 feet in length
 Wingspan of 6-7 feet
 Dark brown body, black on
head and neck
 Lifespan 15-20 years
 Stay with same mate for life
 Great hunter
 Tertiary consumer
 Diet: groundhogs, foxes,
rabbits, ground squirrels,
snakes, crows

www.firstpeople.us
 The Red fox has orangish-red fur on its back,
sides and head.
 White fur under its neck and on its chest
 Long bushy tail with pointed black ears
nps.gov
 18 to 33 inches from head to toe
 Tail from 12 to 21 inches
 Weighs from 6.5 to 24 pounds
 Foxes mate in the winter
 Female gives birth to a litter 2 to 12 pups Wildnatureimages.com
 Primary and secondary consumers. Tertiary
consumer
 Eat rodents, small mammals and vegetables
 The coyote has a grayish-brown fur on top and
a whitish fur underneath
 Usually 30 to 40 inches in length and weighs
from 15 to 45 pounds.
 May reach speeds up to 45 mph.
 Females can mate with more than one male
 Parents feed pups by regurgitating their food
 Carnivorous, primary/secondary consumer.
 Tertiary consumer retrieverman.wordpress.com
 Eats vegetables and berries
 Pink spires of flowers bloom at tops of tall leafy stems
 Narrow willow-like leaves
 Spreads persistent underground stems
 Grows best in moist dense patches
 Bees value it as a source of nectar
 Can have over 80000 capsule’s per plant with 300 to 400 seeds in
each capsule
 Fireweed is a producer

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet
_grass
 Can grow up to a size of 48 inches
 Color patterns variable but most common is yellow
stripes on a black or brown background
 Garter snakes generally mate after emerging from
hibernation in March or April
 Females give birth to 12-40 young anytime from
July through October
 Are found in a wide variety of habitats
 Feed on a variety of small animals, garter snakes’
http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/bi
 Primary prey is earthworms and amphibians ghornsheep.
 Secondary consumer
 Heaviest bird in North
America.
 Red head and throat
with black body on
males.
 Females are smaller than
males.
 Males have beard 9 in.
 Weighs 11-24 pounds Netstate.com
 Primary consumer
 Have prominent barbs
which resemble cat
whiskers.
 Detritivores that eat
dead material on the
bottom of rivers, or
lakes. Museum.state.il.us

 Can be very large

depending on habitat.
 Found in meadows and
prairies.
 Flowers and plumed
seed heads. Middle
bright yellow and petals
are purple
 Primary producer

Naturephotoc-z.com
 Developed brain.
 Erect body
 Total population around 6.8 billion
 Primary consumers and secondary
consumers
 Can be different colors.
 Males typically bigger than
females.

 Slices-of-life.com ---
 We add crops and
vegetation for animals
 We add CO2 to the air
 However we destroy
wildlife habitats
 We keep other humans
from harming wildlife

geocoolclub.wordpress.com
 Capable of abstract
reasoning, language,
introspection, and
problem solving.
 Social by nature
 Create complex social
structure
 Desire to understand and Visitingdc.com

influence their
environment
 Length 6-8 inches
 Color gray, green, or
black.
 Diet small insects, and
worms, baby mice
 Live in burrows 2 feet
from surface
 Secondary consumers Netstate.com
 Producer
(1) Description
 Douglas-firs are medium-size to large or very
large evergreen trees
 Can grow to 20-100 meters tall
 Leaves are flat and needle-like
 Female cones are pendulous
 Dark green leaves with brown bark and stems
(2) Habitat
 Found mostly on mountain sides or in rocky soil
 Areas with cold winters
checksevergreens.com
(3) Feeding behavior and diet
 Consume energy from the CO2 in the air
 Water running across the roots in the soil
 Pulls nutrients from the soil
(4) Reproduction
 Pine cones that fall from the tree and go into the ground
 When fires burn down Douglas-firs, new firs are sprouted from
the roots
(5) Months and times of activity
 Live year round even in cold areas
 Provide food for large mountain mammals during winter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas-fir
 Primary Consumer
(1) Description
 Grow to be only about 4-5 pounds
 About 10 inches long
 Very large, round, black eyes
 Soft cinnamon brown and gray fur on top
http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/no
 White fur on stomach rthernflyingsquirrel.htm

(2) Habitat
 Northern United States, Canada, Alaska, Washington, wooded
areas, mountain areas, etc
(5) Months and times of activity
 Active throughout the year
 Very social animal and may share a nest and live in a group of eight or more adults and juveniles
(6) Interesting aspect
 Glides from branch to branch with loose skin between its legs
 Stretches skin out with legs when gliding

(3) Feeding behavior and diet

 Eats nuts, acorns, fungi, fruits, buds, and lichens.
 Hunts at night because it is nocturnal
(4) Reproduction
 Breading season runs from march to may
 Female gives birth to 2 – 5 young
 Female cares for the young

http://www.nhptv.org/Nature
Works/northernflyingsquirrel.
htm
 Secondary Consumer
(1) Description
 The wolverine is the largest members of the weasel or
mustelidae family in North America
 Can grow to be 31-34 inches in length and weighs about 40
pounds
 Covered in long, thick, water-resistant, dark, glossy, brown fur
with silver bands that run over its shoulders and hips
 Males are larger than females
 Padded feet to help walk in the snow
  Habitat
 Northern America in to
Alaska
 Population and range
shrunk due to hunting
and habitat loss and
fragmentation
 Found in boreal forests,
mountains, open plains,
and the tundra
http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/
wolverine.htm
(3) Feeding Behavior and Diet
 Large teeth with strong jaw
 Carnivore along with an opportunistic scavenger
 Very strong and can prey upon large animals such as deer, moose,
wild sheep, and elk
 Eats smaller mammals such as rabbits, beavers, and squirrels

(4) Reproduction
 Wolverines mate between April and September
 Both male and female may mate with more than one partner
 Gives birth to 1-6 babies, all which may have different fathers
 Nurse up to 8-10 weeks, stay with mother up to 2 years

billybear4kids.com
(5) Months and activity
 The wolverine is nocturnal
 May be active any time of
the day
 Very territorial
(6) Interesting aspects
 Sprays stinky musk on
catches to detour away
other animals
 Aggressive wolverines have
been known to drive bears,
cougars, and packs of
wolves from their kills
 Strong jaw to rip frozen
carrion

http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/wol
verine.htm
 Decomposer
(1) Description
 Cap is white, 5-10 cm in diameter
 The gills are initially pink, then red-brown and finally a dark brown
 3-7 cm tall stripe bears a single thin ring
(2) Habitat
 Commonly found in fields and grassy areas
(3) Feeding behavior
 Feeds off of stagnant moisture in grasslands
 Degrades organic matter to inorganic molecules
 Field mushrooms rely solely on carbon fixed by other organisms for
metabolism
(4) Reproduction
 Asexual reproduction
allows more rapid
dispersal.
 Participates in both
sexual and Asexual
reproduction
 When reproducing
sexually, meiosis is used
(5)Months and times of activity
 Usually found in late
summer to autumn
 Found in fields after late
summer rain
dreamsofmountains.co.uk
(6) Interesting aspects
 Used for eating and
culinary purposes
 Food chains and Food webs
 Food chains show how energy moves through the system
 Food webs show how all the food chains and the complexity of
all the energy moves through real life situations
 In both food chains and webs, the producers are at the bottom.
 Next in line are the primary consumer which receives its energy off
of the producer
 Usually these are herbivores
 The secondary consumer feeds off of the primary consumer and
sometimes producers.
 Mostly carnivores and some omnivores
 Decomposers break down all levels: producers, primary consumers,
and secondary consumers
 Secondary
consumers

Primary
Consumers

Producers

Decomposer
 Pollination is the transfer of
pollen grains to the plant stigma
of the same plant
 This is important in the
reproduction of seed plants
 Biotic Pollination is when
pollination is mediated by
organisms
 This could include a insect
is attracted by sent
 Then carries the pollen
grains from one plant to the
other rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au
 Ex. An insect pollinating
fireweed throughout a plain
 Abiotic pollination occurs when living organisms are not the
mediators but the effects of the environment naturally
pollinate seed plants
 Some examples include wind and the dispersal of seeds
into surrounding water (hydrophilic)
 Example from ecosystem – Windy mountain tops
blowing Douglas-firs pines away from tree

http://tour.airstreamlif
e.com/weblog/Demin
g%20mountains.jpg
 Symbiotic relationships is referring to when
multiple species interact and one of the species lives
in or on the other one
 There are two main types of symbiotic relationships
 Mutualism
 When both partners in the relationship benefit
 Parasitism
 When one of the species in the relationship
benefits at the the expense of another species
 Mutualism
 The Bison grazes the buffalo
grass
 After grazing the buffalo
grass the Bison walks else
where
 Digests the food
 Disposes the food/seeds of
the grass in other areas
 Creating reproduction of the
buffalo grass in other areas
 Benefits both the Bison with
energy and the buffalo grass in
reproduction of itself
Parasitism
 Spurge and spotted knapweed
both involved in a parasitism
relationship
 Known as exotics and can
invade grasslands
 Both produce toxins that slow
the growth of surrounding
plants.
 Seed dispersal is how plants are able to disperse their
seeds so that they are not all right bellow the parent plant
 Biotic dispersion
 Animals are attracted to fruit
 take and eat fruit else to eat
 Digest seeds and distribute elsewhere
 Ex. A Bison grazing and distributing grass seeds
 Abiotic dispersion
 Wind and water (rain) carry seeds away from parent plant
 Example from Ecosystem – A tree dropping its seeds in a cold
water stream from a mountain.
 Endangered species
 Global warming
 Wild fires openrevolution.ca

 Overpopulation taking fresh water

 Introduced exotic plants, killing other plants
 In temperate grasslands of North America, habitat
destruction and air pollution is a ongoing problem
 The grasslands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are home a
couple endangered species
 Bison
 Elk being pushed out because of humans but not endangered
 Have been working to protect and reproduce to stable off the
concern.
 The park has started multiple research and science programs to help
save these endangered species.

nationalparkstraveler.com
 Because of the increase in
temperature, the amount of
drought and wild fires have
increased
 Uncontrolled fires kill animals
and habitats effecting the
whole ecosystem

picasaweb.google.com
  With the increasing
population and the
decreasing amount of
freshwater per person,
freshwater from the
mountains is decreasing
 This could become a big
problem to the ecosystem
 Effect the plant life and
animal habitats
 Less amount of water for the
animals nutrients for the
plants

uptocamp.com
 Blister rust is a very large problem in Glacier National Park
 Blister rush is caused by fugues
 Infects over 70% of the white pine and has killed over 30%
of the white pines in glacier national park
 This fungi was introduced in late 1800’s by Europeans after
settling in the western areas of the United States
 Could ultimately effect the forest areas as well as animals
that feed off of these trees
 "Protecting Our Great Natural Heritage." Audubon. 2007. 28 Sept. 2007
<http://audubon.org/>.
 Kuo, Michael. "Agaricus Campestris." MushroomExpert. Sept. 2001. 26 Oct.
2007 <http://www.mushroomexpert.com/agaricus_campestris.html>.
 "Nature Files." Nature Works. 2007. New Hampshire Public Television. 25
Sept. 2007 <http://www.nhptv.org/NatureWorks/nw4.htm>.
 "Native Plant Database." Wild Flower Center. 2003. Universit Y of Texas.
29 Sept. 2007 <http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?
id_plant=BODA2>.
 Schlickeisen, Rodger. "Grizzly Bear." Defenders of Wildlife. 2007. 28 Sept.
2007
<http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/grizzly_bear.php>.
 www.enature.com/home

 www.blueplanetbiomes.org

 www.nature.org

 http://worldwildlife.org

 http://www.theodore.roosevelt.national-park.com/info.htm

 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Theodore_Roosevelt_National_P
ark.aspx