Demographic Differences Between an Old and a New Colony of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus)

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Two colonies of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, were compared during 1979 and 1980 to investigate the effects of (1) the age of the population and (2) the availability of resources on specific demographic parameters. The younger colony was surrounded by, and expanding into, unused available habitat. The older colony had little available habitat for expansion. At the younger colony (1) there was a greater proportion of successful pregnancies; (2) the litters were larger; (3) the juveniles grew faster; (4) yearlings were more likely to reproduce; (5) survivorship of adults and juveniles was greater, and (6) the density was more than 2X that of the older colony. Individuals at the younger colony showed a distinct feeding preference for vegetation growing at the colony periphery. Because this peripheral vegetation had only recently been modified from surplus habitat, we hypothesize that surplus habitat available to the younger colony accounted for the observed demographic differences.