Plague and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog: An Introduced Disease Mediates the Effects of an Herbivore on Ecosystem Structure and Function

Plague and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog: An Introduced Disease Mediates the Effects of an Herbivore on Ecosystem Structure and Function PDF Author: Laurel M. Hartley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109848700
Category : Black-tailed prairie dog
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
My results suggest that effects of prairie dogs on the shortgrass steppe are generally similar to, but of lower magnitude than, their effects on the more mesic mixed-grass prairie. My research also suggests that plague may be altering the role of prairie dogs in shaping ecosystem structure and function.

Plague and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog: An Introduced Disease Mediates the Effects of an Herbivore on Ecosystem Structure and Function

Plague and the Black-tailed Prairie Dog: An Introduced Disease Mediates the Effects of an Herbivore on Ecosystem Structure and Function PDF Author: Laurel M. Hartley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109848700
Category : Black-tailed prairie dog
Languages : en
Pages : 133

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Book Description
My results suggest that effects of prairie dogs on the shortgrass steppe are generally similar to, but of lower magnitude than, their effects on the more mesic mixed-grass prairie. My research also suggests that plague may be altering the role of prairie dogs in shaping ecosystem structure and function.

Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe

Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe PDF Author: W. K. Lauenroth
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199722803
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 537

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Book Description
Ecology of the Shortgrass Steppe: A Long-Term Perspective summarizes and synthesizes more than sixty years of research that has been conducted throughout the shortgrass region in North America. The shortgrass steppe was an important focus of the International Biological Program's Grassland Biome project, which ran from the late 1960s until the mid-1970s. The work conducted by the Grassland Biome project was preceded by almost forty years of research by U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers-primarily from the Agricultural Research Service-and was followed by the Shortgrass Steppe Long-Term Ecological Research project. This volume is an enormously rich source of data and insight into the structure and function of a semiarid grassland.

Dissertation Abstracts International

Dissertation Abstracts International PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Dissertations, Academic
Languages : en
Pages : 924

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Citizen Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Citizen Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Black-tailed Prairie Dogs PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Black-tailed prairie dog
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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The Role of Short-lived Rodents and Their Fleas in Plague Ecology on Prairie Dog Colonies

The Role of Short-lived Rodents and Their Fleas in Plague Ecology on Prairie Dog Colonies PDF Author: Gebbiena M. Bron
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Multi-host and multi-vector diseases are complex. Plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, affects many mammalian species and can be transmitted via several routes, but flea-borne transmission is the primary mode of transmission. Plague can decimate prairie dog (Cynomys spp.) colonies and other species that depend on them, including the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). After decades of research, plague dynamics on prairie dog colonies are still poorly understood. The purpose of this dissertation was to gain a holistic understanding of the complex dynamics of plague ecology in the western United States, by assessing the role of short-lived rodents and their fleas in plague maintenance and epizootics on prairie dog colonies. Our study was conducted in conjunction with a large-scale, blind, placebo-controlled, field efficacy trial on the newly developed, orally-delivered sylvatic plague vaccine (SPV) for prairie dogs from 2013 to 2015, led by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center. Using a combination of field and laboratory-based studies, we observed that consumption of the SPV did not protect deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Northern grasshopper mice (Onychomys leucogaster) from plague and deer mouse abundance and short-lived rodent community structure (richness and evenness) were not significantly different between placebo and vaccine treated prairie dog colonies. Surprisingly, we detected plague positive mouse fleas (Aetheca wagneri, Pleochaetis exilis, Orchopeas leucopus) on mice prior to plague-induced declines in black-tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus) in Montana and white-tailed prairie dogs (C. leucurus) in Wyoming, but not during plague outbreaks. To determine the possible source of plague infection in the flea pools we used amplicon deep sequencing and we did not detect prairie dog DNA. In addition, rodent-flea interaction networks were highly specialized, geographically different and fleas rarely switched from short-lived rodents to prairie dogs and vice versa. Thus we showed that mice are involved in the plague cycle on prairie dog colonies, but their role remains uncertain and the direct connection between short-lived rodents and prairie dogs stays anecdotal. Overall, these studies demonstrate the complexity involved in plague ecology and highlight the importance of a holistic approach to studying multi-host and multi-vector diseases.

The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog PDF Author: John L. Hoogland
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226351181
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 571

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Book Description
In The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog, John L. Hoogland draws on sixteen years of research at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, in the United States to provide this account of prairie dog social behavior. Through comparisons with more than 300 other animal species, he offers new insights into basic theory in behavioral ecology and sociobiology. Hoogland documents interactions within and among families of prairie dogs to examine the advantages and disadvantages of coloniality. By addressing such topics as male and female reproductive success, inbreeding, kin recognition, and infanticide, Hoogland offers a broad view of conflict and cooperation. Among his surprising findings is that prairie dog females sometimes suckle, and at other times kill, the offspring of close kin. Enhanced by more than 100 photographs, this book illuminates the social organization of a burrowing mammal and raises fundamental questions about current theory. As the most detailed long-term study of any social rodent, The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog will interest not only mammalogists and other vertebrate biologists, but also students of behavioral and evolutionary ecology.

Community Dynamics of Rodents, Fleas and Plague Associated with Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

Community Dynamics of Rodents, Fleas and Plague Associated with Black-tailed Prairie Dogs PDF Author: Bala Thiagarajan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781109833171
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 169

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Book Description
Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are epizootic hosts for plague (Yersinia pestis); however, alternate enzootic hosts are important for the maintenance of the pathogen. We determined small rodents and prairie dog associations and quantified rodent and flea relationships in the presence and absence of prairie dog colonies and plague. We identified potential alternate hosts and flea vectors for the maintenance and transmission of plague in the prairie ecosystem. This is the first multi-year study to investigate associations between prairie dogs, rodents and fleas across the range of the black-tailed prairie dog. Few rodent species associated with black-tailed prairie dogs and were found to be highly abundant on colonies. Rodent species implicated in plague were present at study areas with and without plague. Peromyscus maniculatus and Onychomus leucogaster, two widely occurring species, were more abundant in areas with a recent history of plague. Flea community characteristics varied within each study area in the presence and absence of prairie dogs. Based on flea diversity on rodents, and the role of rodents and fleas in plague, we identified P. maniculatus and O. leucogaster and their associated fleas, Aetheca wagneri, Malareus telchinus, Orchopeas leucopus, Peromyscopsylla hesperomys, and Pleochaetis exilis to be important for the dynamics of sylvatic plague in our study areas. Peromyscus maniculatus and O. leucogaster were consistently infected with Bartonella spp., another blood parasite. Presence of prairie dog fleas on other rodents at both off and on prairie dog colonies suggests the potential for intra and interspecific transmission of fleas between rodent hosts, and between other small rodents and prairie dogs.

Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog

Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog PDF Author: John Hoogland
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1597268526
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
The prairie dog is a colonial, keystone species of the grassland ecosystem of western North America. Myriad animals regularly visit colony-sites to feed on the grass there, to use the burrows for shelter or nesting, or to prey on the prairie dogs. Unfortunately, prairie dogs are disappearing, and the current number is only about 2% of the number encountered by Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s. Part I of Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog summarizes ecology and social behavior for pivotal issues such as when prairie dogs breed, how far they disperse, how they affect other organisms, and how much they compete with livestock. Part II documents how loss of habitat, poisoning, plague, and recreational shooting have caused the precipitous decline of prairie dog populations over the last 200 years. Part III proposes practical solutions that can ensure the long-term survival of the prairie dog and its grassland ecosystem, and also are fair to private landowners. We cannot expect farmers and ranchers to bear all the costs of conservation while the rest of us enjoy all the benefits. With 700 references, 37 tables, 75 figures and photographs, and a glossary, Conservation of the Black-Tailed Prairie Dog is a unique and vital contribution for wildlife managers, politicians, environmentalists, and curious naturalists.

The Prairie Dog Ecosystem

The Prairie Dog Ecosystem PDF Author: Dan K. Hinckley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biodiversity conservation
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Prairie Dogs

Prairie Dogs PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Pests
Languages : en
Pages : 24

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Book Description