A comparison of hibernation in the black-tailed prairie dog, white-tailed prairie dog, and Wyoming ground squirrel

1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 793-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry J. Harlow ◽  
George E. Menkens Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Ground Squirrel ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Winter Survival ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Closely Related Species

Black-tailed prairie dogs have been reported to be active above ground during periods throughout the year and have, therefore, been described as being incapable of hibernation. Previous laboratory studies, however, have suggested that this may not be true. We have found that during the winter when maintained under identical conditions, Wyoming ground squirrels and white-tailed prairie dogs will enter torpor at an ambient temperature of 7 °C, while black-tailed prairie dogs will not. However, when deprived of food and water, black-tailed prairie dogs can be induced into a state of torpor that is characterized by a shorter duration of continuous dormancy than that of the ground squirrels or white-tailed prairie dogs. A comparison of these sciurid rodents offers a good example of alternate strategies for winter survival among closely related species. While two of these species readily utilize torpor, black-tailed prairie dogs may rely on alternate physiological capacities to cope with food and water shortage as a partial substitute for winter torpor.

scholarly journals Prairie dogs increase fitness by killing interspecific competitors

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1827) ◽  
pp. 20160144 ◽  
Author(s):  
John L. Hoogland ◽  
Charles R. Brown
Keyword(s):  
Interspecific Competition ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Serial Killers ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Natural Conditions ◽  
First Case ◽  
Cynomys Leucurus ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Interspecific Killing

Interspecific competition commonly selects for divergence in ecology, morphology or physiology, but direct observation of interspecific competition under natural conditions is difficult. Herbivorous white-tailed prairie dogs ( Cynomys leucurus ) employ an unusual strategy to reduce interspecific competition: they kill, but do not consume, herbivorous Wyoming ground squirrels ( Urocitellus elegans ) encountered in the prairie dog territories. Results from a 6-year study in Colorado, USA, revealed that interspecific killing of ground squirrels by prairie dogs was common, involving 47 different killers; 19 prairie dogs were serial killers in the same or consecutive years, and 30% of female prairie dogs killed at least one ground squirrel over their lifetimes. Females that killed ground squirrels had significantly higher annual and lifetime fitness than non-killers, probably because of decreased interspecific competition for vegetation. Our results document the first case of interspecific killing of competing individuals unrelated to predation (IK) among herbivorous mammals in the wild, and show that IK enhances fitness for animals living under natural conditions.

Effects of habitat quality on growth, age of first reproduction, and dispersal in Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni)

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (12) ◽  
pp. 2835-2840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda S. Rayor
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Adult Weight ◽  
Cynomys Gunnisoni ◽  
South Central ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
Gunnison's Prairie Dogs

Populations of the highly social Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) were studied at two sites in south central Colorado. The sites differed in availability of water, duration of the growing season, and the diversity and quantity of edible vegetation. At the lusher site, Quartz Creek, all age- and sex classes weighed significantly more than their counterparts at the more barren site, Blue Mesa. Growth rates and overwinter survival of Quartz Creek young were higher than at Blue Mesa. Two of 5 yearling females raised litters at Quartz Creek, whereas none of 15 yearling females weaned litters at Blue Mesa. Quartz Creek females produced larger litters [Formula: see text] than Blue Mesa females [Formula: see text]. At Quartz Creek, 6 of 17 yearlings dispersed from their natal harem, but none of the 31 yearlings at Blue Mesa dispersed. Thus, in a favorable habitat, Gunnison's prairie dogs were heavier, reached sexual maturity more rapidly, and dispersed at a younger age than in a less favorable habitat. These results provide intraspecific support for Armitage's hypothesis that delayed sexual maturity and dispersal in the large-bodied, social ground squirrels is associated with the age at which immatures attain adult weight.

scholarly journals First Genome Sequence of the Gunnison’s Prairie Dog (Cynomys gunnisoni), a Keystone Species and Player in the Transmission of Sylvatic Plague

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 618-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirian T N Tsuchiya ◽  
Rebecca B Dikow ◽  
Loren Cassin-Sackett
Keyword(s):  
Large Body ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Ground Squirrels ◽  
Prairie Dogs ◽  
Prairie Dog ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Sylvatic Plague ◽  
Avian Predators ◽  
Cynomys Gunnisoni

Abstract Prairie dogs (genus Cynomys) are a charismatic symbol of the American West. Their large social aggregations and complex vocalizations have been the subject of scientific and popular interest for decades. A large body of literature has documented their role as keystone species of western North America’s grasslands: They generate habitat for other vertebrates, increase nutrient availability for plants, and act as a food source for mammalian, squamate, and avian predators. An additional keystone role lies in their extreme susceptibility to sylvatic plague (caused by Yersinia pestis), which results in periodic population extinctions, thereby generating spatiotemporal heterogeneity in both biotic communities and ecological processes. Here, we report the first Cynomys genome for a Gunnison’s prairie dog (C. gunnisoni gunnisoni) from Telluride, Colorado (USA). The genome was constructed using a hybrid assembly of PacBio and Illumina reads and assembled with MaSuRCA and PBJelly, which resulted in a scaffold N50 of 824 kb. Total genome size was 2.67 Gb, with 32.46% of the bases occurring in repeat regions. We recovered 94.9% (91% complete) of the single copy orthologs using the mammalian Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs database and detected 49,377 gene models (332,141 coding regions). Pairwise Sequentially Markovian Coalescent showed support for long-term stable population size followed by a steady decline beginning near the end of the Pleistocene, as well as a recent population reduction. The genome will aid in studies of mammalian evolution, disease resistance, and the genomic basis of life history traits in ground squirrels.

Microsatellite Marker: Importance and Implications of Cross-genome Analysis for Finger Millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn)

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-170
Author(s):  
Thumadath P.A. Krishna ◽  
Maharajan Theivanayagam ◽  
Gurusunathan V. Roch ◽  
Veeramuthu Duraipandiyan ◽  
Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Marker ◽  
Microsatellite Markers ◽  
Ssr Markers ◽  
Genome Analysis ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Finger Millet ◽  
Crop Improvement ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Genome Amplification

Finger millet is a superior staple food for human beings. Microsatellite or Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) marker is a powerful tool for genetic mapping, diversity analysis and plant breeding. In finger millet, microsatellites show a higher level of polymorphism than other molecular marker systems. The identification and development of microsatellite markers are extremely expensive and time-consuming. Only less than 50% of SSR markers have been developed from microsatellite sequences for finger millet. Therefore, it is important to transfer SSR markers developed for related species/genus to finger millet. Cross-genome transferability is the easiest and cheapest method to develop SSR markers. Many comparative mapping studies using microsatellite markers clearly revealed the presence of synteny within the genomes of closely related species/ genus. Sufficient homology exists among several crop plant genomes in the sequences flanking the SSR loci. Thus, the SSR markers are beneficial to amplify the target regions in the finger millet genome. Many SSR markers were used for the analysis of cross-genome amplification in various plants such as Setaria italica, Pennisetum glaucum, Oryza sativa, Triticum aestivum, Zea mays and Hordeum vulgare. However, there is very little information available about cross-genome amplification of these markers in finger millet. The only limited report is available for the utilization of cross-genome amplified microsatellite markers in genetic analysis, gene mapping and other applications in finger millet. This review highlights the importance and implication of microsatellite markers such as genomic SSR (gSSR) and Expressed Sequence Tag (EST)-SSR in cross-genome analysis in finger millet. Nowadays, crop improvement has been one of the major priority areas of research in agriculture. The genome assisted breeding and genetic engineering plays a very crucial role in enhancing crop productivity. The rapid advance in molecular marker technology is helpful for crop improvement. Therefore, this review will be very helpful to the researchers for understanding the importance and implication of SSR markers in closely related species.

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