Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico: Mound-Scale Lizard Data (2000-2002)

Keystone species have large impacts on community and ecosystem properties, and create important ecological interactions with other species. Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and banner-tailed kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spectabilis) are considered keystone species of grassland ecosystems, and create a mosaic of unique habitats on the landscape. These habitats are known to attract a number of animal species, but little is known about how they affect lizard communities. Our research evaluated the keystone roles of prairie dogs and kangaroo rats on lizards at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge in central New Mexico, USA. We evaluated the impacts of these rodents on lizard communities in areas where prairie dogs and kangaroo rats co-occurred compared to areas where each rodent species occurred alone. Our results demonstrate that prairie dogs and kangaroo rats have keystone-level impacts on these lizard communities. Their burrow systems provided important habitats for multiple lizard species, especially the lesser earless lizard (Holbrookia maculata). At the landscape-scale, the total number of lizards was two-times greater on the where both prairie dogs and banner-tailed kangaroo rats co-occurred than where only kangaroo rats occurred.

关键物种（keystone species）对群落与生态系统特性具有显著调控作用，并可与其他物种建立关键生态互作关系。草原犬鼠（Cynomys属）与旗尾更格卢鼠（Dipodomys spectabilis）被视为草原生态系统的关键物种，能够在地表形成独特的生境镶嵌体。现有研究表明此类生境可吸引多种动物类群，但学界对其如何影响蜥蜴群落的认知仍较为匮乏。本研究以美国新墨西哥州中部的塞维莱塔国家野生动物保护区为研究区域，评估了草原犬鼠与更格卢鼠对蜥蜴类群的关键生态作用：通过对比两类啮齿动物共存区域与单一种类啮齿动物栖息区域的蜥蜴群落差异，分析此类啮齿动物的群落影响效应。研究结果显示，草原犬鼠与更格卢鼠对该区域的蜥蜴群落具有关键物种级别的调控作用，二者的洞穴系统为多种蜥蜴类群提供了重要栖息生境，尤以小耳无耳蜥（Holbrookia maculata）最为突出。在景观尺度上，草原犬鼠与旗尾更格卢鼠共存区域的蜥蜴总个体数是仅分布更格卢鼠区域的两倍。