Fall semesters

Grassland Ecology

Agronomy 375 | Botany 575 | Soils 375

Tues & Thurs 9:30-10:45 ● 270 Soils ● 3 cr

Course instructors: Randy Jackson (Agronomy) & Dick Cates (Soils)

Grasslands are found where it’s too dry to support woody plants or disturbance maintains vegetation in an herbaceous state.

Depending on how they’re defined, grasslands cover ¼ to ½ of earth’s terrestrial surface.

Grasslands provide food, fiber, ecosystem services, recreation, and spiritual enjoyment.

We will discuss the structure and function of grasslands working from a global to a local perspective. 

Current understandings of grassland plant community dynamics will be explored. 

We will compare carbon and nutrient cycles amongst grassland ecosystems and management approaches within these systems, emphasizing prairie and pasture management in the Upper Midwest. 

Course format:  Lectures, discussions, and readings will be grounded in a weekly theme or question.  For example:

·         How have humans and other animals shaped grasslands and how have grasslands shaped humans? 

·         What is the role of grasslands in global climate change? 

·        Are livestock and native ungulate grazing functionally redundant?