Pino Gate Prairie Dog Study at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico: Landscape Plot Lizard Data (2001-2002)

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）对群落与生态系统属性具有显著调控作用，并能与其他物种建立重要的生态互作关系。草原犬鼠（Cynomys spp.）与旗尾更格卢鼠（Dipodomys spectabilis）被认定为草原生态系统的关键物种，可在景观层面形成独特的生境镶嵌格局。现有研究表明这类生境能够吸引多种动物类群，但目前对其如何影响蜥蜴群落的相关机制仍缺乏深入认知。本研究以美国新墨西哥州中部的塞维利塔国家野生动物保护区（Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge）为研究样区，探究了草原犬鼠与更格卢鼠对蜥蜴群落的关键物种功能。研究对比了两类啮齿动物共存区域，以及二者各自单独分布的区域中，该类啮齿动物对蜥蜴群落的影响效应。结果显示，草原犬鼠与旗尾更格卢鼠对该区域的蜥蜴群落具有关键物种级别的显著调控作用。二者的洞穴系统为多种蜥蜴物种提供了关键栖息生境，其中尤以斑点无耳蜥（Holbrookia maculata）对这类生境的依赖度最高。在景观尺度下，草原犬鼠与旗尾更格卢鼠共存区域的蜥蜴总数量为仅分布旗尾更格卢鼠区域的两倍。