Park Ecology

Keystone Species - Prairie Dogs
Threats The main threat to the prairie dog is habitat loss. Habitat loss is caused when poeple bulldoze the land that they live on and in. This type of habitat loss is habitat destruction because humans are directly and instantly destroying the prairie dogs' habitat. The driver behind it is land development. This is because of tourism since more people means that they will need more place to stay. However, this leaves the prairie dogs with no home or shelter.
Why is the prairie dog important? The prairie dog is important to the ecosystem of Bryce Canyon because if you remove it many other organisms will go extinct or become endangered. these include wolves, for which the prairie dog is a food source. Also, if you remove prairie dogs, things the praire dog eats will grow rapidly. There would be much more grass in Bryce Canyon if prairie dogs weren't there to eat it and control its growth.