Behind the Scenes: Where the bison roam

For the first time in a century, wild bison are back and roaming in northern Illinois. On this week’s episode of TechKnow, correspondent Marita Davison travels to the Nachusa Grasslands, a restoration site dedicated to restoring the tall grass prairie.

There’s a special, symbiotic relationship between bison and the prairie ecosystem. These herbivores selectively graze on dominant grasses, increasing plant species diversity and helping the prairie restore its native landscape. They are also a critical source for the nutrient cycling in the prairies. By consuming plants, bison return the nitrogen back into the soil, which then returns back into the plants.

Here’s a preview of this week’s episode.