Disease and weather induce rapid shifts in a rangeland ecosystem mediated by a keystone species (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Abstract

Habitat loss and changing climate have direct impacts on native species but can also interact with disease pathogens to influence wildlife communities. In the North American Great Plains, black‐tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are a keystone species that create important grassland habitat for numerous species and serve as prey for predators, but lethal control driven by agricultural conflict has severely reduced their abundance. Novel disease dynamics caused by epizootic plague (Yersinia pestis) within prairie dog colonies have further reduced prairie dog abundances, in turn destabilizing associated wildlife communities. We capitalized on a natural experiment, collecting data on prairie dog distributions, vegetation structure, avian abundance, and mesocarnivore and ungulate occupancy before (2015–2017) and after (2018–2019) a plague event in northeastern Wyoming, USA. Plague decimated black‐tailed prairie dog populations in what was then the largest extant colony complex, reducing colony cover in the focal area from more than 10,000 ha to less than 50 ha. We documented dramatic declines in mesocarnivore occupancy and raptor abundance post‐plague, with probability of occupancy or abundance approaching zero in species that rely on prairie dogs for a high proportion of their diet (e.g., ferruginous hawk [Buteo regalis], American badger [Taxidea taxus], and swift fox [Vulpes velox]). Following the plague outbreak, abnormally high precipitation in 2018 hastened vegetation recovery from prairie dog disturbance on colonies in which constant herbivory had formerly maintained shortgrass structure necessary for certain colony‐associates. As a result, we observed large shifts in avian communities on former prairie dog colonies, including near‐disappearance of mountain plovers (Charadrius montanus) and increases in mid‐grass associated songbirds (e.g., lark bunting [Calamospiza melanocorys]). Our research highlights how precipitation can interact with disease‐induced loss of a keystone species to induce drastic and rapid shifts in wildlife communities. Although grassland taxa have co‐evolved with high spatiotemporal variation, fragmentation of the remaining North American rangelands paired with higher‐than‐historical variability in climate and disease dynamics are likely to destabilize these systems in the future.

A big data–model integration approach for predicting epizootics and population recovery in a keystone species

“…BTPDs serve as a keystone species within the central grasslands of North America (Davidson et al, 2012; Kotliar et al, 1999). Extreme fluctuations in colony size and abundance negatively affect grassland ecosystems as plague‐driven crashes result in subsequent declines in species heavily reliant on BTPDs as prey, such as large predatory birds (Duchardt et al, 2022; Seery & Matiatos, 2000), or as creators of critical habitat through their herbivory and burrowing (Augustine & Skagen, 2014; Eads & Biggins, 2015). Conversely, colony expansion can conflict with livestock production as BTPDs compete with cattle for available forage (Augustine & Derner, 2021; Crow et al, 2022), particularly during drier periods (Connell et al, 2019).…”

Assessing efficacy of cellular transmission technology in camera trapping for wildlife research

“…Camera trapping has been applied to unique systems such as arboreal research (Moore et al 2021) and small mammals and herpetofauna (Amber et al 2021). Camera traps can also help address ecological questions related to behavior (Lashley et al 2014), species interactions (Chitwood et al 2020), and community responses to ecosystem change (Duchardt et al 2023), all of which can combine to influence global conservation efforts (Steenweg et al 2017). The main benefit of camera trapping is its noninvasive nature (O'Connell 2011).…”