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A biome is a large amount of flora and fauna within a certain territory. The Saskatchewan biome, in particular, is a territory consisting of the Arctic Tundra, Canadian Shield, and the Central Plains ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d.). Hence, this region consists of diverse territories, meaning that flora and fauna found in one area differ from that in the other. This paper will describe the four distinct biomes within Saskatchewan and explain how the Prairie biome has changed after the colonization.
Description of Biomes
The four Saskatchewan biomes are: Prairie, Boreal Shield, Boreal Plains, and Taiga shield (Pullaiah, 2020, p. 510). First, the prairie is the region with a warmer and drier climate when compared to the other three. The vegetation in the prairies consists primarily of grasses, although there are some flowers and shrubs that can be found in the areas where it is moister than in the majority of the prairies ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d.). The wildlife in the prairies consists of both carnivores and herbivores, but it is limited. For example, the only large carnivore inhabiting this region is the black bear ( Ecoregions of Saskatchewan, n.d.). Other carnivores living here are foxes, wolves, and coyotes. As for herbivores, there is whitetail deer, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, elk, moose, mink, river otter, skunk, badger, ground squirrel, mice, and burrowing owl ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d., p. 60). Hence, the prairie region has a limited biome, which is mainly attributed to human activities after the colonization.
Next, the Boreal Shield region is characterized by low precipitation and cold weather for the majority of the year. The majority of the vegetation in this area is black spruce and moss. However, in the wetlands of the Boreal Shield, the vegetation is more diverse and includes sphagnum moss, willow, alder, Labrador tea, blueberry, bog rosemary, cottongrass, sedges, highbush cranberry, baneberry, wild sarsaparilla, bunchberry, goldenrod, water lilies, and cattails ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d., p. 61). The wildlife consists of carnivores such as fox, weasel, mink, otter, coyote, black bear, lynx, bobcats, and wolves ( Ecoregions of Saskatchewan, n.d.). The herbivores are beaver, muskrat, raccoon, striped skunk, arctic hare porcupine, woodchuck, arctic hair, and some others (Pullaiah, 2020).
Thirdly, the Boreal Plains have a great variety of vegetation due to their warmer climate. Hence, one can witness a combination of plants and trees, such as hardwood and coniferous species (Pullaiah, 2020). Moreover, there is a great variety of wildlife, fish, and over 300 species of birds that have been identified in this area ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d.). Finally, Taiga has long winters with prolonged nights, which affects the biomes inhabiting this region. For the most part, the vegetation in this area is coniferous trees. The wildlife consists of herbivores such as caribou, moose, beaver, chipmunks, squirrels, and moles and carnivores including wolves, bears, lynx, wolverine, mink, as well as a diverse number of birds ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d., p. 52)
Naturally, the colonization of these lands has changed the local biome. Prairie has changed after the colonization by humans due to agriculture. For example, the majority of the natural vegetation in this region is now extinct due to the fact that it has been turned into farmland ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d.). Moreover, human activity after the colonization, such as hunting, has resulted in the extinction of some of the animal species. As a result, the wildlife in the prairie is less diverse when compared to the other regions of Saskatchewan ( Geography of Saskatchewan, n.d.).
References
Ecoregions of Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Web.
Geography of Saskatchewan. (n.d.). Web.
Pullaiah, T. (2020). Global biodiversity: Volume 4: selected countries in the Americas and Australia. New York: AAP.
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