Rapid response of a grassland ecosystem to an experimental manipulation of a keystone rodent and domestic livestock

A study at the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Archaeological Zone of Paquimé, Casas Grandes, reveals that domestic cattle and prairie dogs—keystone burrowing rodents—exert synergistic impacts on grassland ecosystems. The research found nearly twofold increases in prairie dog abundance when cattle were present, leading to significantly lower vegetation height where both species co-occurred compared to plots without them. This interaction also influenced the abundance and composition of other grassland animals, including grasshoppers and banner-tailed kangaroo rats. Conducted using a long-term 2 x 2 factorial experiment in Mexico's Janos-Casas Grandes region, the study highlights the distinctive and combined roles of these herbivorous mammals in shaping grassland structure and function.

Davidson, A. D., Ponce, E., Lightfoot, D. C., Fredrickson, E. L., Brown, J. H., Cruzado, J., Brantley, S. L., Sierra-Corona, R., List, R., Toledo, D., & Ceballos, G. (2010). Rapid response of a grassland ecosystem to an experimental manipulation of a keystone rodent and domestic livestock. Ecology, 91(11), 3189–3200. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1890/09-1277.1