Warner+3A Prairie+Dogs

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**//__ Prairie Dogs (Ecosystem: Prairie) __//**

**__ Biotic/Abiotic Factors __**
 * ** Abiotic Factors ** || ** Biotic Factors ** ||
 * ** Climate: ** R ainfall, temperature and wind patterns that occur in an area. Most Important(abiotic) Part of Grassland! || ** Producers: ** grasses, shrubs, trees, mosses, lichens, and cyanobacteria ||
 * == Parent Material and Soil: ==
 * **Parent material:** Geological material that lies on top of the bedrock and is the foundation on which soil has developed.
 * ** Soil: ** Develops in the upper portion of the parent material and is a mixture of abiotic and biotic components: minerals, organic matter, water and air . || ** Consumers: **
 * ** Herbivores: ** California Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Elk, Marmots, Pocket Gophers, Mice
 * **Omnivore:** Black Bears
 * ** Carnivores: ** Red-tailed Hawk and Western Rattlesnake ||
 * ** Topography: ** The variety of shapes found on the landscape determined by slopes,elevation and aspects. || ** Decomposers: ** Include the insects, fungi, algae and bacteria both on the ground and in the soil that help to break down the organic layer to provide nutrients for growing plants. ||
 * ** Natural Disturbances: ** Change grasslands in many ways, adding to the diversity of these ecosystems. || ** Soil: ** Provides the material in which plants grow, holds moisture for plants to absorb, is the "recycling bin" for plant and animal matter, and provides an important habitat for soil organisms. ||

**__ Food Web __**



Grasses: __Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)-__ this grass is the tallest. It extents to the west as far as Arizona and eastern Montana. This type of grass is important because it is the main type of grass, and grows all over prairies. __Little Bluestem (Andropogon scoparius)-__  it is more adaptable than the big bluestem and can be found in all sorts of prairies. This grass is very important, this is because it is so adaptable to weather, and like the big bluestem, grows all over the place. __ Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)- __ it can grow as tall as the big bluestem. Indian grass can adapt to different amounts of moisture and can be found in all parts of the prairie. It grows southeast from the tallgrass prairie into Florida, north into Manitoba, Canada; and westward into Texas and Wyoming. Indian grass can survive drought and extreme temperature. __Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)- __its yellow clumps survive through the winter. Switchgrass has the largest range of the big four grasses and lives throughout the United States except in the Pacific Coast states.

Other stuff: __ Wildflowers- __ they grow well in grasslands, which gives food to animals in a prairie. __ Grasshoppers- __ a grasshopper constantly leaves droppings in the ground that give soil nutrients. Grasshoppers also eat vegetation that is toxic to other animals in the ecosystem. They also are a main source of food for many predatory insects. __ Prairie Dogs- __ when a prairie dog's burrow is no longer used for its own needs, it becomes a home for other animals, especially burrowing owls (this is very important because without those burrows, it would be very hard for the owl's species to survive). They also are important to this ecosystem because (this is a bit obvious) they are food to other animals, like eagles and coyotes. Prairie dogs also eat toxic plants, which takes the danger out of animals like cattle.

__ Antelope- __ they serve as food to other animals, including coyotes and eagles.

__ Coyote- __ helps control the population of other animals like the antelope species. This animal also is a source of food to eagles.

__ Eagle- __ keeps other specie's population more balanced.

**__Threats__** There are quite a few threats to the ecosystem of the prairie dog. Including, but not limited to fire, the decline of the prairie dog, destruction of the ecosystem, and the over utilization of the ecosystem for commercial, recreational, and scientific purposes. Fire is also a threat to the ecosystem. Since the prairie dog is declining because of the destruction of its habitat, some animals don't have any food to eat, so the ecosystem declines more. What can we do?!

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