Question

Prairie dogs once covered the expanses of the Great Plains. Their grazing made the grass more nutritious for the huge herds of bison, and a variety of snakes, raptors, and mammals preyed on the rodents. In fact, the black-footed ferret (now endangered) specialized in prairie dog predation. Today, growing neighborhoods have covered many prairie dog towns. Which of the following statements about prairie dogs is not true? A) Their realized niche has diminished. B) They are commensals with bison. C) They are reasonably considered a keystone species. D) Their fundamental niche remains unaltered. E) Their fundamental niche has diminished.

Answer 1

E) Their fundamental niche has diminished

Step-by-step explanation:

The prairie dogs are a species that is crucial for the whole ecosystem in which it lives in, making it a keystone species. The reason for this is that the prairie dogs manage to make the soil more fertile, thus providing better conditions of the growth of plants, benefiting the herbivores, it reproduces very quickly, and it is a prey animal for numerous predators, thus it is a species that provides food in both directions. Despite the loss of habitat because of the human activities, and the demise in their population, they have still managed to keep their importance in the ecosystem, thus they have kept their fundamental niche in it and they are essential for the well being of the ecosystem in which they live.