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The Influence Of Landscape Factors On Black-Tailed Prairie Dog (Cynomys Ludovicianus) Colony Persistence In Northwest Kansas, Jamie Oriez
Master's Theses
The black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) is a colonial and fossorial rodent species that serves as an ecosystem engineer and keystone species in North America’s grasslands. Black-tailed prairie dogs historically ranged from northern Mexico to southern Canada, and from eastern Nebraska to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. However, with the loss and fragmentation of grasslands, introduction of Sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis), and control measures such as poisoning and shooting, black-tailed prairie dogs are limited to less than 5 percent of their historical range.
In this study, I examined how colony area, location, isolation, and surrounding …
Burrowing Owl (Athene Cunicularia) Nesting Ecology In Western Kansas, Carol D. Grover-Mariner
Burrowing Owl (Athene Cunicularia) Nesting Ecology In Western Kansas, Carol D. Grover-Mariner
Master's Theses
The Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) is a common occupant of Smoky Valley Ranch located in Logan County, Kansas, where the abundance of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) burrows provides ideal habitat for the Burrowing Owl. The objectives of the study were to 1) estimate the densities of black-tailed prairie dog colonies through visual counts, 2) estimate nesting success and nest survival probabilities of the Burrowing Owl with the use of a burrow camera, and 3) estimate post-fledging dispersal and return rate of juvenile Burrowing Owl the following season. I located 96 potential nests from 24 March through 2 July 2007 …
Alarm-Calling And Response Behaviors Of The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog In Kansas, Lloyd W. Towers Iii
Alarm-Calling And Response Behaviors Of The Black-Tailed Prairie Dog In Kansas, Lloyd W. Towers Iii
Master's Theses
Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) use alarm calls to warn offspring and other kin of predatory threats. Dialects occur when vocalizations contain consistent differences among populations not isolated by geographic barriers. The Gunnison’s prairie dog (C. gunnisoni) has dialects in its alarm calls. The objectives of my study were to: (1) assess if the black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus) responded differently to alarm calls from other colonies than it did to alarm calls from its own colony, and (2) detect dialects, if they existed, in the alarm calls of the black-tailed prairie dog. The study included 8 black-tailed prairie dog colonies …