Prairie Ecology Section One
Post by 2016 Montana Summer Program student Caroline Guerry
From the moment I stepped off of
the plane I quickly realized that I was definitely not in South Carolina anymore.
As we drove away from the airport to Roundup we passed miles and miles of farm
land, ranch land, and open prairie. I was completely captivated by the vast
amounts of space that were suddenly in front of me. I had never been in a place
where you could see everything for acres on end. After unloading our belongings
at the High Meadows Ranch, we were invited to the Segar’s home and were
welcomed with kindness and hospitality.


The
next day was one of my favorites of this section. We began with a visit to a
Prairie Dog town where we studied their behaviors, as well as some of the
problems that they are facing as a species. When we first pulled up to the Prairie
Dog town, the individuals that were closest to us began to make a high-pitched
chirping call while they were crouched and flicked their tail up and down. This
is their alarm call so that the Prairie Dogs with a higher social standing that
live in the center of the town know there is a potential predator. A town is
organized into coteries which contain a single family and my include extended
family. The families that are the strongest and most genetically successful are
ranked highest in the town’s social order and occupy the burrows in the center
of the town. The burrows that the Prairie Dogs make are extremely complex and
have given them the title of ecosystem engineers. The burrows that they make turn
over the soil and they constantly trim the grass so that they can see over it when
scouting for predators. The Prairie Dog population today is in danger of
extinction for two main reasons. The first is that a landowner has the right to
poison Prairie Dogs on their property. Most choose to do so because they think
that their cattle will have to compete for grass. By using poisons such as
Rozol and Zinc Phosphide, a landowner can efficiently exterminate a Prairie Dog
town. However, when another organism such as a hawk or coyote eats a poisoned
Prairie Dog, the chemicals are then transferred to that organism causing it to potentially die. Another danger to the Prairie Dog population is the sylvatic plague. This
disease is the same as the bubonic plague; the only difference is that it
occurs in animals as opposed to humans. Similar to bubonic plague, the sylvatic
plague is initially given to the Prairie Dogs by fleas and quickly spreads
throughout a town. The plague is currently being somewhat controlled by the US
Fish and Wildlife Service who spray Prairie Dog burrows with flea powder that kills the fleas.
Prairie Dogs can be beneficial to the Great Plains and I can understand how
some locals may not understand that. The grass on Prairie Dog towns is much
higher quality than that which is not on a town. They may see the Prairie Dogs
as a competitor, when in reality they have a positive impact on the ecosystem
around them. I’ve come to realize that this controversial topic and many others
might stem from a lack of understanding from both sides. Locals may not
understand the biological reasons why Prairie Dogs can benefit them, and
biologist and the people of the American Prairie Reserve might no understand
the ways of the ranchers and their thought behind their actions.

Over
the past six days my eyes have been opened to an entire new world. I’ve learned
so much about the Great Plains as well as wildlife in general. The experiences
that I’ve had allow me to picture myself working in this field now more than
ever. This past week has been one of the best of my life and I cannot wait to
see what the future holds.