prairie dogs role in conserving biodiversity

The critical issue in ecology is being able to determine the mechanisms that are behind the

patterns of community assemblage. The natural ecosystem that has not been altered is able to

produce positive impact on the species that dwell on the ecosystem. Prairie dogs species play a

critical role towards conserving biodiversity due to them playing important roles in the

ecosystem. Among the roles played by the prairie dogs include providing food and shelter to

other burrowing animals, their digging helps the soil into being more fertile hence seeds

germinate among many other roles. Of note is that their numbers have been on the decline and

this is due their natural habitat being on the decline drastically (Huntly 2011). This paper

attempts to critique the roles of prairie dogs towards the conservation of biodiversity.

The natural habitat of prairie dogs is usually in the grasslands. It is noted that the grasslands

primarily are shaped by having two fundamental groups that have always co-evolved for

thousands of years. There are large mammalian herbivores as well as small and medium sized

herbivorous animals. They both function by playing a key role towards ecosystem engineering as

well as having a complementary and interactive effect in the grassland function and structure.

The North America is identified for its grazing as well as wallowing that does create grazing

lawns as well as increase the grassland biodiversity hence enabling the prevention of

encroachment of shrubs and also in the consumption of woody vegetation, thus increasing

nutrient availability by deposition of urine and dung (Kotliar, 2000).

The prairie dogs are hence identified for their key role towards increasing the habitat

heterogeneity and biodiversity in the grassland ecosystems through creating islands of unique

habitat. The prairie digs just like any other burrowing mammals are considered as being highly

social as well as they aggregate in large colonies thus transforming the landscape from their
burrowing as well as foraging activities (Fargione et al., 2009). The prairie dogs are known to be

a prey for a number of predators hence their burrowing does provide refuge to several animals.

More so, the prairie dogs are known to increase the forage quality through them reducing the leaf

age as well as enhancing the plant nitrogen uptake thus attracting the large herbivores into their

colonies. It is noted that at the center of the colonies of the prairie dogs in which most borrow

mounds appear, it is predominated by low mat and bare ground of heavily grazed forbs as well a

mix perennial and annual grasses. When this is contrasted with the edges of the colonies which

are known to experience a less impact of the prairie dogs, it is actually characterized with fewer

burrows, moderately grazed perennial and annual grasses as well as taller vegetation (Davidson

et al., 2012). The prairie dogs are known to maintain the presence of the grassland as well as

preventing the succession into having shrub land by them consuming the seedlings as well as

clipping the shrubs.

It is noted that the prairie dogs and the bison have co-evolved together for thousands of years as

well as they constitute the grazing association in which the bison do preferentially graze along

the edges of the colonies of the prairie dogs due to the availability of high quality forage. The

bison are also noted to have a tendency of resting on the centers of the colonies. Due to the bison

grazing together with the prairie dogs, they have demonstrated that they gain more weight unlike

when they feed on colony grasslands (Miller et al. 2007). Hence, in like manner the bison do

benefit from the prairie dogs through increasing the nutrient quality of the vegetation by grazing

as swell as depositing urine and dung as well as their grazing does lower the height of the

vegetation thus improving the abilities of the prairie dogs towards detecting predators.

The black tailed prairie dogs are noted to have historically habited 40 million hectares of the

North America grasslands. However, their population has been on the decline by more than 98%
due to loss of the natural habitat to agriculture and the introduction of the Eurasia as well as the

eradication campaigns that were designed towards eliminating their purported competition with

the resources of cattle (Huntly 2011). In addition to this, the expenditure in sums of millions of

the public tax towards the eradication efforts into supporting the private industry has resulted

into a loss of prairie dogs and this has had a dramatic effect in the ecological integrity of the

North American grassland ecosystem. In addition, the decline of the prairie dependent dog

species has led to the encroachment of the mesquite as well as the woody shrubs into being

dispersed by the cattle hence leading to the reduction of the economic productivity of the

ecosystem. This is so despite the fact that a number of researches have indicated that by having

management strategies that utilize large-scale lethal control are actually neither scientific or

justified or even being cost effective due to these programs consuming a lot of tax payers money

and they are still in operation currently (Osborn & Allan, 2011).

The prairie dogs are also identified for the crucial role they play towards the shortgrass biotic

community. They are identified as being capable to transform their own landscape as well them

being able to create new habitat alterations in a scale that is surpassed by human beings in the

great plains. Thus, the ecosystem is actually maintained by the prairie dog and this is really

valuable to a number of other species. It is reported that more than 100 species of the vertebrate

wildlife use the colonies of the prairie dogs as their habitat (Miller, Ceballos & Reading 1994).

Of note is that a few of the species are actually dependent on the prairie dogs for much of all

their life requirements. Hence, the increased biodiversity that is associated with the prairie dogs

colonies does indicate the significance the prairie dogs play within the ecosystem. More so, a

particular study did report that the avian densities as well as the species richness in the prairie
colonies was as a result of the prairie dogs. Other studies did document that the preferred feeding

of the wild as well as the domestic animals did ungulate on the colonies of the prairie dogs.

Hence, a number of the rare and declining species that are associated with the prairie dogs as

well as the habitat they provide has been on a sharp increase. For instance, the black footed ferret

is actually considered as a true prairie dog obligate due to it requiring the prairie dog ecosystem

for its survival. This is one of the most endangered mammals within the North America and this

species has actually come to symbolize the declining native grassland biodiversity (Wicker &

Dhetling 2000). There are two other animal species that have been listed as being endangered

species though to a lesser extent since they are associated with the prairie dogs also. Thus, the

association of the other species that are on the decline or vulnerable provides the challenges that

are being faced vas a result of the decline of the prairie dogs within the habitat.

A number of conservation efforts are being undertaken towards managing the prairie dogs either

directly or indirectly. Surveys done by federal agencies, departments of state lands, wildlife

departments and other stakeholders such as the counties, weed and pest districts as well as

private landowners have come up with a diverse management goals of the prairie dogs as well as

objectives that vary significantly (Vanderhve 2005). The variation is as a result of having diverse

legal mandates. Of note is that all the states are in harmony that the prairie dogs be classified as

pest and wildlife which often does lead to opposed management goals.

In conclusion the prairie dogs as of now does not appear into being in danger of being extinct in

the foreseeable future as a result of the current management practices that have been put in place.

However, there are other negative impacts that are arising as a result of having habitat

fragmentation. This is noted that it will seriously impact in the abilities of some of the prairie dog

population into being reestablished or persisting as they are currently. The habitat fragmentation
is quickly and adversely affecting the specialized species that were and are associated with the

prairie dogs.

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