01524nas a2200169   4500008004100000245006600041210006500107300001300172490000700185520099300192100001801185700001701203700001701220700001601237700001901253856008201272       2004                        eng d00aLife on the edge: the ecology of Great Plains prairie streams0 aLife on the edge the ecology of Great Plains prairie streams  a207 -2810 v543 aGreat Plains streams are highly endangered and can serve as model systems for studying disturbance ecology and related issues of resistance and resilience in temperate freshwaters. These streams exist in a precarious balance between flood and drying. In general, microbial activity recovers in days to weeks after drying or flooding, and invertebrate and fish species are quick to follow. In lower forested reaches, floods may be more intense but drying less common. Upstream reaches of prairie streams are characterized by frequent drying, little canopy cover, and limited leaf input. Life history and adaptations alter the ways in which stream organisms respond to these linear patterns. Human modification has altered these patterns, leading to large-scale loss of native grassland streams. The future for Great Plains streams is bleak, given the land-use changes and water-use patterns in the region and the large areas required to preserve intact, ecologically functional watersheds.1 aDodds, W., K.1 aGido, K., B.1 aWhiles, M.R.1 aFritz, K.M.1 aMatthews, W.J.  uhttp://knz.lternet.edu/content/life-edge-ecology-great-plains-prairie-streams