Population dynamics of reintroduced Gunnison’s prairie dogs in a semi-arid grassland environment

Prairie dog (Cynomys spp. ) populations have declined by 98% across their range. Conservation and management efforts increasingly involve reintroductions of prairie dogs into parts of their historical range where they have been extirpated. Research on prairie dog population dynamics following reintroductions has been scarce, however, so little is known about the success of reintroductions and how they might vary across different parts of their range that differ greatly in habitat and climate. Most research on the topic has been short-term, and on black-tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus). Our research evaluated the population dynamics of Gunnison’s prairie dogs (C. gunnisoni) over a 7-year period, following their reintroduction to the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, in central New Mexico. We found that Gunnison’s prairie dog populations were not only impacted by predation during the first fe w years, but also were highly variable over time following reintroduction into this climatically variable, semi-arid grassland ecosystem. Consequently, reintroductions of prairie dogs in the more xeric parts of their range require intensive adaptive management, with a combination of significant augmentation of populations to off-set predation, supplemental feeding during dry periods, and modest predator control. Our findings have important implications for Gunnison’s prairie dog management and conservation in semi-arid grassland ecosystems throughout their geographic range.