| sylvatic plague reduces genetic variability in black-tailed prairie dogs. | small, isolated populations are vulnerable to loss of genetic diversity through in-breeding and genetic drift. sylvatic plague due to infection by the bacterium yersinia pestis caused an epizootic in the early 1990s resullting in declines and extirpations of many black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in north-central montana, usa. plague-induced population bottlenecks may contribute to significant reductions in genetic variability. in contrast, gene flow maintains genetic vari ... | 2004 | 15362819 |
| mountain plover responses to plague in montana. | plague is a bacterial (yersinia pestis) disease that causes epizootic die-offs in black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) populations in the north american great plains. through their grazing and burrowing, prairie dogs modify vegetation and landscape structure on their colonies in ways that affect other grassland species. plague epizootics on prairie dog colonies can have indirect effects on species associated with colonies. the mountain plover (charadrius montanus) preferentially nests ... | 2010 | 20158330 |
| the absence of concordant population genetic structure in the black-tailed prairie dog and the flea, oropsylla hirsuta, with implications for the spread of yersinia pestis. | the black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) is a keystone species on the mid- and short-grass prairies of north america. the species has suffered extensive colony extirpations and isolation as a result of human activity including the introduction of an exotic pathogen, yersinia pestis, the causative agent of sylvatic plague. the prairie dog flea, oropsylla hirsuta, is the most common flea on our study colonies in north-central montana and it has been shown to carry y. pestis. we used mic ... | 2010 | 20550633 |
| competition and facilitation between a native and a domestic herbivore: trade-offs between forage quantity and quality. | potential competition between native and domestic herbivores is a major consideration influencing the management and conservation of native herbivores in rangeland ecosystems. in grasslands of the north american great plains, black-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys ludovicianus) are widely viewed as competitors with cattle but are also important for biodiversity conservation due to their role in creating habitat for other native species. we examined spatiotemporal variation in prairie dog effects on ... | 2013 | 23865235 |
| mountain plover responses to deltamethrin treatments on prairie dog colonies in montana. | pyrethroid insecticides containing deltamethrin provide broad spectrum insect control that can adversely affect food supplies of insectivorous birds. i hypothesized that this could result in lowered nest survival for a ground-nesting insectivorous bird, the mountain plover (charadrius montanus), which preferentially nests on prairie dog colonies. i studied mountain plover nest survival in 2003-2010 at a small cluster of black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in north-central mo ... | 2013 | 23269563 |