Prairie Dogs Research Paper
“Prairie dogs have a significant effect on biological diversity in prairie ecosystems. More than 200 species of wildlife have been associated with prairie dog towns, with over 140 species benefitting directly…” (Williams 34). Terry Tempest Williams, author of the book “Finding Beauty in a Broken World,” delivers a strong argument as to why prairie dogs should be protected. Prairie dogs contribute to the welfare of animals around them in many ways. They create diversity, kinship and community. Williams also states, “They embody two million years of evolving intelligence” (Williams 33). They are social creatures, and they all live in towns and villages. They kiss when they greet each other, as a way of distinguishing one from another. Once recognized,
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In the book, “A Sea of Grass,” by Outwater, she delivers a strong argument as to why prairie dogs are beneficial to the grassland ecosystem. Prairie dogs create habitats for other species, because over 200 species live nearby prairie dog burrows. The burrows are never built all the same. Some have special pockets, turn-around rooms, and others have chambers with grass. The temperature underground is convenient for species living there, being as it is warm in winter, and cooler in the summer. Outwater presents a valid reason for protecting the rodents. For example, she states,” In the process of constructing their towns of tunnels, the prairie dogs once moved tons of subsoil above ground, where they mixed it with top soil and organic matter..”(Outwater 74). Many species benefit from this churning of the soil because it creates grasses which are richer in protein. The prairie dogs also help to increase the amount of water that makes it underground, which enhances the productivity of the soil. Concurrently, more water goes into rivers and streams. Another component of prairie dogs is that they are social, loving creatures. They engage in their own communication. When they see a predator, they make a bark that signals all the dogs around to protect
In the book, “A Sea of Grass,” by Outwater, she delivers a strong argument as to why prairie dogs are beneficial to the grassland ecosystem. Prairie dogs create habitats for other species, because over 200 species live nearby prairie dog burrows. The burrows are never built all the same. Some have special pockets, turn-around rooms, and others have chambers with grass. The temperature underground is convenient for species living there, being as it is warm in winter, and cooler in the summer. Outwater presents a valid reason for protecting the rodents. For example, she states,” In the process of constructing their towns of tunnels, the prairie dogs once moved tons of subsoil above ground, where they mixed it with top soil and organic matter..”(Outwater 74). Many species benefit from this churning of the soil because it creates grasses which are richer in protein. The prairie dogs also help to increase the amount of water that makes it underground, which enhances the productivity of the soil. Concurrently, more water goes into rivers and streams. Another component of prairie dogs is that they are social, loving creatures. They engage in their own communication. When they see a predator, they make a bark that signals all the dogs around to protect