A Survey of Reintroduced Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Impacts on Chihuahuan Desert Grassland Evan Hewitt

Gunnison’s Prairie Dog Cynomys gunnisoni (GPD) is a graminivorous, social, semi- fossorial mammal related to squirrels Species exterminated across much of it’s native range, recently reintroduced on Sevilleta (2010) Prairie dogs are a keystone species Affect species composition, diversity, height, structure, biomass, and productivity

Purpose of Research Investigate the impact of prairie dogs on vegetation. Across the control and treatment plots, will surveys indicate a significant change in biomass between plots? What about species diversity? Circumstances, behavior and ecology of GPD differs significantly from the more commonly studied black tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus).

Chihuahuan Desert Grassland

Field Methods (Cont’d)

Results – Species Richness T-Test p-value = No significant difference between treatments on species richness.

Results – Total Biomass

Cover T-Test Significant p value Biomass T-Test Not Significant p value

Interpretation The data collected for this study does not readily reflect the impact of GPD on vegetation. Temporal scale, methodological Climate, phenology

Future Yearly and seasonal data collection Augment quadrat sampling with methods such as transects with a greater spatial extent

Acknowledgements Partnership between NSF, USFWS, UNM that made this opportunity possible. Amaris Swann, Jon Erz, Stephanie Baker Fellow undergraduate researchers