Ecological Changes In Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Populations In Colorado

Colorado, known for the Rocky Mountains, is a gorgeous place to be. The wildlife filled rectangular state covers 104,185 square miles. In the black timber, it is dark and silent, not a sound to be heard. The pine trees are so thick it blocks most of the sunlight from entering, only to see about seventy-five yards in front of myself. The terrain is rough and almost straight up and down, but the elk love it because it is a challenge for hunters to see them. As I walk my favorite ridgeline in the black timber, I watch for the slightest movement and listen for the smallest crack. Watching thirteen-lined ground squirrels run around and chase each other can be humorous sometimes to watch them fall down from the trees. I wait patiently for the chance

During the 1940’s, wolves were exterminated from Colorado and few have come back since. As a result the ecosystem that we have in Colorado is somewhat skewed due to the absence of them. Many people think that wolves are a nuisance and would get in the way of the agricultural style that colorado has. However, wolves are considered a keystone species which means their “presence would reinvigorate the natural order” (clifford). For this reason wolves should be reintroduced into montezuma county. The reintroduction would greatly benefit and restore the balance of our ecosystem.

The Southern California Chaparral is in itself threatened. Fires, overgrazing, and invasive species have disrupted it over the course of many years and it is now in danger. According to the WWF, the Southern California Chaparral “ one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America”(California Chaparral and Woodlands).The Chaparral are often close to residential and commercial areas and this can be detrimental. Runoff from the residential areas can contaminate the soil and stop primary production. More land is also revamped and turned into more human expanses.The land is often treated very poorly and the habitat of many animals are destroyed. Unfortunately when fires occur, the brush is able to grow back, but the wildlife is adversely affected.Because of fires and human intervention, there are a few endangered plants and animals. Some endangered animals include the California Gnatcatcher and Heermann Kangaroo mouse. In addition, there are a lot of flora that are very rare and only exist in this area. The Gnatcatcher’s habitat has been encroached by shopping malls and homes while the Heermann

The usage of land in the Mojave Desert is negatively affecting the desert as a whole. “Some key species are indicators of the overall ecological health of the region … most of these species continue to decline.” was stated by the mojave defenders. Certain animals such as the Mojave ground squirrel represent the health of our environment, and certain groups are inefficiently using the land of the Mojave Desert. Ultimately, this is leading to a decline in these populations.

Currently, the sagebrush ecosystem is rapidly declining across the Western United States, with over 350 associated plant and animal species at risk of being lost and imperiled. The main reason for the sagebrush decline is the steady encroachment of cheatgrass and pinyon-juniper. The invasion of these plants are fueling larger and more frequent fires that are out competing sagebrush as well as the associated grass species that are native components of the ecosystem, taking over much land that sagebrush once occupied. Cheatgrass was introduced to North America through contaminated grain seed, straw packing material, and soil used as ballast in ships sailing from Eurasia in the late 1890’s and is now the main culprit behind sagebrush decline.

As lack of water and a particularly dry climate out competes shrubs, trees, and grasslands across Colorado, erosion rates increase reducing the infiltration of moisture into the soil. Causation is believed to have come from heavy livestock grazing, fire suppression, and the introduction of exotic annual plants. Habitat problems for animals and communities that rely on ranching and hunting have been directly affected by these desertification effects. Desertification has had large ecological impacts on the state of Colorado. Vegetation and ecosystems are among the most crucially impacted by the effects of desertification. While Colorado continues its dry drought like climate, restoration of soil becomes one of the major solutions to fight off desertification. Because of the overuse of our land in past generations, we are continuing to see the harmful effects due to desertification. The overall impact on humans produced by desertification is best noticed by a diminishing food production as well as a wealth of water sources becoming dry. People in affected areas are likely to experience poor water quality, dust storms, and pollution. More importantly, as soil loses its nutrients, it no longer becomes farmable; thus, impacting local businesses, livestock, and the many people in that community. If desertification continues in Colorado, an increase of lost farmlands and livestock will pose an economic decease within agriculture markets, farmers will be forced to move to find better

With all four seasons prominent throughout the year, Colorado’s climate is ever changing. The climate of my current plot consists of an average temperature of 59.3 °F with rising and falling temperatures with drastic seasonal changes. My plot also consists of an average precipitation of 17in, and an average wind speed being 8.7 mph with the occasional snowfall consisting around 55 in. Furthermore, the fauna around the plot consists of including, squirrels, ducks, and geese. Only a few of the 750 animal species abundant in Colorado. The flora around my plot consists of pussy willows, pines, and aspens all of which make up a small part of Colorado’s 2,600 plant species. The seasonal changes this year to my plot have been less significant than I would have thought, winter in itself had the most change on the plot with the reservoir freezing. This caused the ground to be littered with frost and occasional

The rangelands of the west are the legendary rolling hills and wide-open spaces of American history and folklore. Federal and nonfederal rangelands include grasslands, deserts, tundra, mountains, canyons, and riparian areas. Federal rangelands are primarily managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Rangelands include wilderness areas and provide habitat for millions of plants, wild animals, and fish, including 74 threatened or endangered species (“Rangeland Health”). Rangeland is the base of forage for most of the livestock industry in America. They also provide recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, and off-site

Have you ever wanted to be a prairie dog in western North Dakota? If so, these past years have not exactly been prairie dog attainment years. If you were to look, the prairie dog population has been precipitously decreasing in western North Dakota. And of course, other places with multiple livestock ranches, but today we will be chiefly talking about western North Dakota. You might ask, “Why is the prairie dog population decreasing?” A prairie dog’s diet consists of small seeds and grasses, which are usually plentiful in pastures. Also, these pastures are taking up prairie land, giving the prairie dogs no choice but to inhabit the pastures in North Dakota. While the prairie dogs

It comprised of 231 hectares of mixed woodlands, tall-and mixed-grass prairie, and developed land bordering Oak Lake in Brookings County, South Dakota (Bedford, Burkard, Crider, Barnett, & Troelstrup Jr, 2013). Sited in the Prairie Pothole region at an elevation of 556m, Oak Lake Field Station experiences a mid-continental climate with a mean annual precipitation of 583 mm and a mean annual temperature of 5.9 ◦C. The Oak Lake field composed of approximately 66% rangeland and pasture, 12% cropland, 13% forest, 8% wetlands, and 1% roads and developed areas. In order to maintain historically natural landscape, the field station uses prescribed burning to maintain vegetation and promote native plant diversity. Grassland within the Field Station have been burned 17 times between 1995 and 2011. The main soil types are mollisols (Westin, 1959). Sites of this study consist of the areas of native tallgrass and mixed prairie never been plowed and but infested and dominated by smooth brome or Kentucky

The recent construction near wildlife habitats has caused many animals to go homeless and of course, it has polluted our air all at the same time. Not just construction and manufacturing, but also how clear-cutting is decreasing amounts of undisturbed habitat. The federal Recovery Strategy for the Woodland caribou identifies that’s 65% of land needs to be undisturbed for a chance of at least 60% of the population to survive. We, humans, disturb their habitat and we are a main reason for this recent

After conducting a t-test and regression in R, we can conclude that vegetation cover differs on and off a prairie dog colony meaning that prairie dogs have a significant effect of grassland vegetation by increasing vegetation richness and diversity. As we already said, there was a greater variety of plants in the grassland region with prairie dogs than in the region without prairie dogs. The fact that there is more vegetation on a prairie dog colony region than off a prairie dog colony suggests that sites inhabited by prairie dog populations will have a richer distribution of plants and a healthier prairie ecosystem.

Throughout the past few decades, Yellowstone National Park has undergone several amounts of environmental changes for both the positive and the negative. The YNP has mainly had population increases throughout the time period of 1994-2010 in areas of study such as riparian vegetation, ungulates and also other animals. Although the decline of elk and coyotes may prove otherwise, there is enough data to support that the majority of species in the YNP are rapidly growing. Throughout this case study, I noticed how each species played an important role in the overall ecosystem of Yellowstone, proving that all species are intradependant.

The outcomes of human activities including the disposal of the dim wolf have been particularly intense in Yellowstone National Park, where the absence of a characteristic predator has brought about the overpopulation of buffalo, deer, and elk. As indicated by Sharon Begley of Newsweek magazine, "Missing a characteristic predator, a great many the ungulates have starved

Rangeland is any extensive area of land that is occupied by native herbaceous or shrubby vegetation which is grazed by domestic or wild herbivores. Over the last couple of decades grazing of public rangelands in the United States has become very controversial. Groups opposing has cited degradation of public trust resources and detrimental to wildlife and plant species while advocates believe that grazing is beneficial to the wildlife and plant species and holding up the long tradition of ranching. However, beyond the arguments of both sides is a complex web of scientific information, ecosystem processes, and practical issues related to grazing that must be carefully considered before judging whether grazing is beneficial or detrimental for any given situation. In most cases the question is not black and white, but rather a matter of weighing the expected effects of grazing against the objectives for a particular site.