Prairie Basin Wetlands of the Dakotas:
A Community Profile
Harold A. Kantrud
Gary L. Krapu
George A. Swanson
James A. Allen, Project Officer
September 1989
"The entire face of the country is covered with these shallow lakes, ponds and puddles, many of which are, however, dry or undergoing a process of gradual drying out." So stated Charles Froebel (1870) as he described the lands along the Sheyenne and James River Valleys, Dakota Territory, during General Alfred Sully's 1865 expedition. Thus the uniqueness of North America's Prairie Pothole Region has been recognized for well over 100 years. In this Community Profile, we briefly describe the biotic and abiotic settings and features of the most common kinds of wetlands found in the portion of this region that lies in the Dakotas, and outline the natural and manmade ecological processes that affect these wetlands.
This resource is based on the following source (Northern Prairie Publication 0743):
Kantrud, Harold A., Gary L. Krapu, and George A. Swanson. 1989. Prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas: A community profile. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 85(7.28). 111pp.This resource should be cited as:
Kantrud, Harold A., Gary L. Krapu, and George A. Swanson. 1989. Prairie basin wetlands of the Dakotas: A community profile. U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Biological Report 85(7.28). Jamestown, ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online. http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wetlands/basinwet/index.htm (Version 16JUL97).
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Conversion Factors
- Introduction -- Chapter 1
- 1.1 -- Geographic Area Covered
- 1.2 -- Definition of Prairie Basin Wetlands
- 1.3 -- Classification of Prairie Basin Wetlands
- 1.4 -- Distribution and Abundance of Wetlands
- Abiotic Environment -- Chapter 2
- 2.1 -- Geology
- 2.2 -- Climate and Weather
- 2.3 -- Hydrology
- 2.4 -- Water Quality
- Biotic Environment -- Chapter 3
- 3.1 -- Phytoplankton, Periphyton, and Metaphyton
- 3.2 -- Macrophytes
- 3.3 -- Invertebrates
- 3.4 -- Fish
- 3.5 -- Amphibians and Reptiles
- 3.6 -- Birds
- 3.7 -- Mammals
- Ecological Processes -- Chapter 4
- 4.1 -- Physical Functions
- 4.2 -- Biological Functions
- Human Uses and Impacts -- Chapter 5
- 5.1 -- Economic Functions
- 5.2 -- Wetland Ownership
- 5.3 -- Wetland Degradation and Drainage
- 5.4 -- Wetland Management and Restoration
- 5.5 -- Prospects for the Future
- References
- Appendix A
- Appendix B
- Appendix B. 1.
- Appendix B. 2.
- Appendix B. 3.
- Appendix B. 4.
- Appendix B. 5.
- Appendix C
- Appendix C. 1.
- Appendix C. 2.
- Appendix C. 3.
Figures
- Figure 1 -- Prairie Pothole Region of the
Dakotas
- Figure 2 -- Arrangement of water regimes
around basin wetlands
- Figure 3 -- Physiographic regions in the
Prairie Pothole Region
- Figure 4 -- Extent of Pleistocene glaciation
in North America
- Figure 5 -- Water level fluctuations in
prairie wetlands
- Figure 6 -- Factors influencing wetland
ecology
- Figure 7 -- Sources of water in prairie
wetlands
- Figure 8 -- Flow pattern in a flow-through
type prairie wetland
- Figure 9 -- Flow pattern in a closed-system
type prairie wetland
- Figure 10 -- Flow pattern in a sump type
prairie wetland
- Figure 11 -- Spatial relation of vegetational
zones
- Figure 12 -- A generalized vegetational
cycle in an Iowa wetland
- Figure 13 -- A sequence of wetland phases
as related to climate
- Figure 14 -- Cultivated basins in an agricultural
landscape
- Figure 15 -- Wetland P1 of the Cottonwood
Lake study area
- Figure 16 -- Photograph of wetlands P1
and P8 of the Cottonwood Lake study area
- Figure 17 -- Wetland P8 of the Cottonwood
Lake study area
Tables
- Table 1 -- Wetlands that occur in the Prairie
Pothole Region of the Dakotas
- Table 2 -- Climatic data for Bismarck, North
Dakota
- Table 3 -- Stages of a habitat cycle in a semipermanent
Iowa wetland
- Table 4 -- Invertebrate zooplankton of prairie
wetlands
- Table 5 -- Aquatic coleoptera of prairie wetlands
- Table 6 -- Distribution of breeding marsh and
aquatic birds in prairie wetlands
- Table 7 -- Density of breeding marsh and aquatic
birds in prairie wetlands
- Table 8 -- Frequency of breeding marsh and aquatic
birds in prairie wetlands
- Table 9 -- General use of prairie wetlands by
mammals
- Table 10 -- Primary production in Prairie wetlands
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
TAKE PRIDE
in America
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As the Nation's principal conservation agency, the Department of the Interior has responsibility for most of our nationally owned public lands and natural resources. This includes fostering the wisest use of our land and water resources, protecting our fish and wildlife, preserving the environmental and cultural values of our national parks and historical places, and providing for the enjoyment of life through outdoor recreation. The Department assesses our energy and mineral resources and works to assure that their development is in the best interests of all our people. The Department also has a major responsibility for American Indian reservation communities and for people who live in island territories under U.S. administration.
Copies of this publication may be obtained from
The Publications Unit
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
18th and C Streets, N.W. Mail Stop 1111
Arlington Square Building
Washington, DC 20240or may be purchased from
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS)
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161Author contact information:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
P.O. Box 2096
Jamestown, ND 58402or
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Wetlands Research Center
1010 Gause Boulevard
Slidell, LA 70458U.S. Department of the Interior
Fish and Wildlife Service
Research and Development
Washington, DC 20240
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