Prairie Dog
Table of Contents
Introduction
Prairie Dogs are keystone species on the Great Plains of North America.
"Many species depend on them and their burrows, including burrowing owls and plovers." - Utah Prairie Dog
Great Plains Restoration Council put together a list of soil benefits in Prairie Dogs and Soil Impacts
Diet
"Prairie dogs feed primarily on plants, selecting forbs (flowering, broad-leaved plants) and grasses high in moisture content and nutritive value to supply their needs for water and energy. In addition to the vegetation it eats, the prairie dog also clips, but does not consume, much vegetation in its colony. This is probably done to keep an unobstructed view of approaching predators. It takes roughly 250 prairie dogs to eat as much grass as a 1,000 pound cow." - U.S.A. National Park Service
Benefits of Prairie Dogs
Soil Health
According to the Great Plains Restoration Council:
"Prairie dog burrows act as aquifers that prevent water from eroding land while helping to cool it.
Recent studies have shown that ‘managed’ grasses and forbs atop a prairie dog town are higher in protein and nitrogen and are favored for grazing by bison, elk, and pronghorn.
a [Prairie dog] burrowing can be beneficial to the soil because mixing soil types and incorporating organic matter enhances soil formation. It also helps to increase soil aeration and decrease compaction.
In short-grass prairies, the number of plant species, particularly forbs, increases because of the digging and scratching activities of prairie dogs that disturb the soil. These patches of bare soil provide excellent sites for annual forbs to become established. . . . Long-term use of an area by prairie dogs appears to promote buffalograss and grama grasses (Foster & Hygnstrom).
Prairie dogs do more than just serve as prey, they also perform a valuable service for the prairie – they disturb it. In addition to digging up the soil, prairie dogs clip the vegetation around their burrows, enhancing nitrogen uptake by these plants. Natural disturbances are an important part of maintaining the prairie ecosystem (Kotliar, 2001)."
"Like giant earthworms, their excavations were loosening and turning, fertilizing and aerating nearly six tons of hard-baked desert soils per acre, more than eight times the combined output of all kangaroo rats, badgers and other burrowing mammals of the grasslands (Stolzenburg, 2004)."
Food For Predators
Threats to Prairie Dogs
Habitat Loss
Persecution from Farmers & Gardeners
Livestock ranchers often kill off prairie dogs out of fear that their livestock will break their legs in the burrows.
There is also a belief that prairie dogs damage the soil and cause errosion, however they actually help reduce erosion. Their activities boost the growth of nutritious grass and forage materials, which attracts cattle, who then cause compaction and erosion. Prairie dogs like to move into the types of spaces caused by cattle (which are similar to buffalo wallows), which creates the illusion that the prairie dogs have caused the damage to the land.
Warning!
According to researchers, "Eliminating prairie dogs can lead desertification"!
"The black-tailed prairie dog, for instance, has disappeared from 98 percent of its original range. Scientists have documented the loss to biodiversity that comes from prairie dog eradication, and now researchers in Mexico have found that the disappearance of black-tailed prairie dogs also affects essential ecosystem services, such as soil erosion and groundwater recharge. Their study appears in PLOS ONE.
The research team studied grasslands and scrublands in the northwestern part of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, comparing three types of land: grasslands with prairie dogs, grasslands devoid of prairie dogs and scrublands that used to be home to prairie dogs and are now dominated with mesquite. In each of these three areas, the scientists documented five ecosystem services: groundwater recharge, soil erosion, soil productive potential, carbon storage and availability of forage.
For all five factors, the prairie dog grasslands won out. “Our results clearly demonstrate a strong link between prairie dogs and the provision of ecosystem services,” the researchers write.
The prairie dog’s burrowing behavior aerates the soil and distributes nutrients and organic material, generally improving the soil and helping water trickle through. As a result, the lands where they live have soils that are less compacted. Those soils can soak up more of the region’s sparse water, sequestering it for drier times. More water increases forage production, meaning there’s more food for cattle. And these grasslands store more carbon, which is a serious concern with the hammer of climate change hanging over all our heads."
Plague
Plague has caused severe population declines.
Solutions
Habitat Loss
Avoid habitat loss to agriculture and residential development.
Farmers
If you are a farmer this means leaving land for the wildlife, or picking a product that doesn't negatively impact prairie dogs, and that is unlikely to be impacted by them.
Consumers
For consumers, this means avoiding foods that contribute to habitat loss, especially animal products such as beef, dairy, or leather.
Non-Lethal Control
Avoid direct poisoning or shooting of Utah prairie dogs.
Biomes
Prairie Dogs are keystone species on the Great Plains of North America.
Reliant Species
Burrowing Animals
Many species depend on prairie dog burrows, including:
Cotton Tail Rabbits
Burrowing Owls
Plovers
Several Species of Small Rodents
Grazers
Bison
Prairie dogs enrich the soil where they live, which in turn promotes lush, nutritious forage growth. Bison wallow and graze, which creates habitat that prairie dogs like to move into.
Elk
Mule Dear
Pronghorns
Predators
"Common predators of prairie dogs include coyotes, bobcats, eagles, hawks, foxes, badgers and weasels. The black-footed ferret is one of the rarest animals in North America and depends almost entirely on prairie dogs for food. The ferret has been endangered due to the widespread poisoning of prairie dog towns." - U.S.A. National Park Service
Maps
North America
Prairie dogs only live naturally in the the central states of the USA, plus a smaller range in southern Canada, and a small, central region of Mexico.
Estimated Range Maps for Five Prairie Dog Species (on page 10)
Prairie Dogs Map shows the ranges of different types of prairie dogs.
Grants & Funding
North America
USA
Texas
Nongame Grants and Research "Funds to conduct research or conservation activities on federal/state listed species or Species of Greatest Conservation Need are available periodically through Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Wildlife Division. External researchers can apply for funds through the Conservation License Plate Grant Program, State Wildlife Grants, and/or Traditional Section 6 Grants. Projects funded through these programs assist in the conservation and recovery of listed species and inform evaluations of the status of Species of Greatest Conservation Need."