CRB: Biogeography and Biodiversity of Prairie Dog Towns

9622137 Lomolino草原土拨鼠似乎是关键物种，强烈影响群落结构，并在短草和混合草草原上创造了动态景观。草原土拨鼠的殖民地曾经覆盖了北美约1亿公顷的土地。现在，它们的数量和范围可能已经减少到不到历史水平的5%。这种关键物种的持续减少威胁着许多依赖草原土拨鼠种群的本土动植物。在俄克拉何马州，大约48种脊椎动物，其中许多受到威胁或濒临灭绝，似乎与草原土拨鼠群落有关。摘要本研究旨在探讨草原土拨鼠群落的建立、持续和多样性的影响因素。研究人员将验证这样一种假设，即这些群落的结构部分是由确定性和物种选择性迁移、灭绝和种间相互作用造成的。这项研究还将测试以物种为基础的岛屿生物地理学等级模型的效用，以解释草原土拨鼠群落的生物多样性模式。本研究为草原原生群落的生物多样性保护提供了一条重要的、多物种的途径，并将为其他陆地群落的保护生物学和生物地理学提供一般性的见解。

9622137 Lomolino Prairie dogs appear to be keystone species, strongly influencing community structure and creating a dynamic landscape across short grass and mixed grass prairies. Prairie dog colonies once covered some 100 million ha of North America. Now, their numbers and range may have been reduced to less than 5% of their historic levels. Continued decline of this keystone species threatens many native plants and animals that are dependent on prairie dog colonies. In Oklahoma, some 48 vertebrate species, many of which are threatened or endangered, appear to be associated with prairie dog colonies. The purpose of this research is to investigate the factors influencing establishment, persistence, and diversity of prairie dog communities. The investigators will test the hypothesis that the structure of these communities results, in part, from deterministic and species selective immigrations, extinctions and interspecific interactions. This research will also test the utility of a species-based, hierarchical model of island biogeography to explain patterns in biodiversity of prairie dog colonies. This research represents an important, multi-species approach for conserving biodiversity of native prairie communities, and will provide general insights for conservation biology and biogeography of other terrestrial communities.