Prairie dogs eat plants and dig underground tunnels. Prairie dogs tunnels help break up hard soils, and the animals waste adds nutrients to the soil. In the past, large groups of prairie dogs lived in many parts of the U.S. Great Plains, but people have destroyed most of these prairie dog colonies. Which of these will most likely happen when prairie dogs are removed from an area?

ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]

Prairie dogs eat plants and dig underground tunnels. Prairie dogs tunnels help break up hard soils, and the animals’ waste adds nutrients to the soil. In the past, large groups of prairie dogs lived in many parts of the U.S. Great Plains, but people have destroyed most of these prairie dog colonies. Which of these will most likely happen when prairie dogs are removed from an area?

A	The population of predators that eat prairie dogs will decrease.
B	The population of plants that prairie dogs eat will decrease.
C	The nutrients in the soil will increase.
D	The number of underground tunnels will increase.

Explanation:

Detailed explanation-1: -In addition to digging up the soil, prairie dogs clip the vegetation around their burrows, enhancing nitrogen uptake by these plants. Natural disturbances are an important part of maintaining the prairie ecosystem (Kotliar, 2001).

Detailed explanation-2: -Prairie dogs feed primarily on plants, selecting forbs (flowering, broad-leaved plants) and grasses high in moisture content and nutritive value to supply their needs for water and energy. In addition to the vegetation it eats, the prairie dog also clips, but does not consume, much vegetation in its colony.

Detailed explanation-3: -They are prolific diggers, constructing complex burrow systems with specific areas for sleeping, nursing young, storing food and even disposing of their dead. A single colony’s burrow system can cover thousands of acres, with an average of about 20 prairie dogs per acre in the summer after the young emerge.

Detailed explanation-4: -Through their foraging and clipping of vegetation to maintain their habitat, as well as the mixing of subsoil and topsoil during excavations, prairie dogs affect the redistribution of minerals and nutrients, encourage penetration and retention of moisture, and affect plant species composition (Kotliar et al. 2006).

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NEET BIOLOGY

ECOLOGY

ORGANISMS AND THE ENVIRONMENT