Final answer:
The primary prairie in the Midwest, including Kansas, is historically known as tallgrass prairie, but due to aridity past the 100th meridian, it shifted towards a shortgrass prairie system where wheat is predominantly grown, forming the wheat belt.
Step-by-step explanation:
Primary Prairie in the Midwest
The primary prairie in the Midwest, including Kansas, is part of the historical tallgrass prairie. This region was once characterized by its tall grasses, deep and fertile soils, and was known for its suitability for growing crops, especially corn and soybeans.
However, due to the increasing aridity as one moves westward and past the 100th meridian, the agriculture predominantly shifted towards wheat, this region being part of the wheat belt. Such change became necessary because the soil and climatic conditions west of the 100th meridian were less conducive for corn and soybean cultivation, leading to a drier area characterized by shortgrass prairie.
Despite technological advancements in farming and irrigation spurred by inventions like center pivot irrigation and the use of the Ogallala Aquifer, the region's agricultural focus has remained primarily on wheat due to these fundamental environmental constraints.
Historically, this prairie region's ecology has played a significant role in agricultural practice and patterns of settlement, as evidenced by historical events such as the Dust Bowl, which was partially caused by the inappropriate agricultural practices that ignored the ecological differences within the prairie ecosystem.