| prairie dogs increase fitness by killing interspecific competitors. | interspecific competition commonly selects for divergence in ecology, morphology or physiology, but direct observation of interspecific competition under natural conditions is difficult. herbivorous white-tailed prairie dogs (cynomys leucurus) employ an unusual strategy to reduce interspecific competition: they kill, but do not consume, herbivorous wyoming ground squirrels (urocitellus elegans) encountered in the prairie dog territories. results from a 6-year study in colorado, usa, revealed tha ... | 2016 | 27009223 |