2A+Prairie+Dogs

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Prairie Dogs **Threats ** Importance of the Ecosystem **
 * Development destruction, poisoning, shooting and exotic disease is destroying prairie dog’s habitat. The remaining prairie dogs colonies are small and fragmented, separated by great expanses of cropland and human development. **
 * Development is an especially significant threat to prairie dogs in Colorado. In recent years, development alone may account for a 25% reduction in prairie dog acres in the state. **
 * Poisoning has greatly reduced prairie dog populations, and it continues to be unrestricted on private lands. In the 1920s alone, 13 million hectares (approximately 32 million acres) of prairie dogs were poisoned in the U.S. In Colorado 91% of the prairie dogs had been eliminated through poisoning by early 1912. **
 * Shooting has significant impact on prairie dogs, including large decreases in their population. **
 * 
 * The grasslands are important to every animal in their grasslands because they give a home to every animal and food. Grasslands help every animal in their spaces to find food and be save from other animals. Grasslands are huge and a lot of animals live their tons of animals just like prairie dogs. **


 * Conservation Plan **
 * Federal agencies are trying to deeply involved in the distribution of prairie dog poisoning. They have to stop the shooting. They have to stop the shooting by telling people to stop shooting at the prairie dogs because their populations are getting smaller and smaller. The prairie dogs populations are getting so small because they have been shot. 1000’s of prairie dogs have died because of the shooting and poisoning. They have to stop shooting prairie dogs because they’re going to be gone in 10 more years because they are going to get shot. **

Climate (rainfall, temperature, and wind patterns) Parent material Soil Topography Natural disturbances Biotic Factors ** Producers (grasses, shrubs, trees, mosses, lichens, cyan bacteria Consumers (herbivore, omnivores, carnivores) Decomposer (insects, fungi, algae, and bacteria)  Plants Purple cone flower Big blue stem Little blue stem Indian grass Switch grass Giant sunflower  Animals Western box turtle s Meadowlarks Prairie dogs Black foot ferret Grasshoppers Argiope Yellow headed black bird Prairie marshes Earth worm Nematode worms White tailed deer Geese Bison <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 25pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">Abiotic Factors **
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;">

Original image: ' <span style="color: #629632; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|Utah Prairie Dog]  ' http://www.flickr.com/photos/66727626@N00/336751791 by: James Marvin Phelps <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> Original image: ' <span style="color: #629632; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|HSIBJ Grasslands]  ' http://www.flickr.com/photos/41864721@N00/1072669382 by: Evan Leeson Original image: ' <span style="color: #629632; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|Dogs of Prairie]  ' http://www.flickr.com/photos/41894176980@N01/452265551 by: Michael Galkovsky Original image: ' <span style="color: #629632; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|Memories of North Dakota]  ' http://www.flickr.com/photos/14373308@N00/3858460988 by: Joana Roja Original image: ' <span style="color: #629632; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">[|Lamusi]  ' http://www.flickr.com/photos/68149505@N00/2113403093 by: m ryan hess <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">
 * <span style="color: red; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 115%;">Attributions **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/prairie-dog.html **