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AI
Ge e ated
Fo
ge e atio s,
p ai ie
dogs
we e
ofte
t eated
as
a
p oblem
athe
tha
a
ecological
asset.
Thei
bu ows
we e
blamed
fo
competi g
with
livestock,
while
thei
colo ies
we e
ta geted
th ough
shooti g
a d
poiso i g
ac oss
la ge
pa ts
of
thei
fo me
a ge.But
emovi g
them
had
co seque ces
fa
la ge
tha
the
disappea a ce
of
o e
small
mammal.
Scie tists
studyi g
black-tailed
p ai ie
dogs
fou d
that
the
a imals
we e
quietly
eshapi g
the
g assla ds
a ou d
them.
Thei
bu owi g
loose ed
soil,
imp oved
wate
i filt atio
a d
edist ibuted
ut ie ts,
while
thei
g azi g
helped
mai tai
ope
g assla d
i stead
of
allowi g
woody
sh ubs
to
take
ove .A
study
led
by
Lou des
Ma tà ez-Estévez,
Pat icia
Balva e a,
Jesús
Pacheco
a d
Ge a do
Ceballos,
published
i
PLOS
ONE
u de
the
title
‘P ai ie
Dog
Decli e
Reduces
the
Supply
of
Ecosystem
Se vices
a d
Leads
to
Dese tificatio
of
Semia id
G assla ds,’
fou d
that
g assla ds
co tai i g
p ai ie
dog
colo ies
p ovided
g eate
levels
of
seve al
ecosystem
se vices
tha
a eas
whe e
the
a imals
had
disappea ed.
These
i cluded
g ou dwate
echa ge,
soil-e osio
egulatio ,
soil
p oductive
pote tial,
soil
ca bo
sto age
a d
fo age
availability.
The
esea ch
evealed
that
p ai ie
dogs
we e
ot
simply
livi g
i
the
g assla d.
They
we e
helpi g
build
a d
mai tai
it.
How
these
small
mammals
eshaped
the
la d
a ou d
them
Black-tailed
p ai ie
dogs
o ce
occupied
a
e o mous
a ge
st etchi g
f om
southe
Ca ada
to
o the
Mexico.
Acco di g
to
Ma tà ez-Estévez
a d
he
co-autho s,
the
species
has
disappea ed
f om
about
98%
of
its
o igi al
dist ibutio .
Seve al
p essu es,
i cludi g
the
co ve sio
of
g assla ds
to
ag icultu e
a d
the
di ect
exte mi atio
of
p ai ie
dogs
th ough
shooti g
a d
poiso i g,
d ove
that
decli e.
The
esea che s
oted
that
p ai ie
dogs
we e
also
commo ly
believed
to
compete
with
cattle
fo
fo age.Yet
p ai ie
dogs
pe fo m
a
ecological
ole
that
is
disp opo tio ate
to
thei
size.
They
a e
classified
as
both
a
keysto e
species
a d
a
ecosystem
e gi ee .
Thei
bu ows
physically
alte
the
soil,
while
thei
feedi g
a d
g azi g
cha ge
the
vegetatio
g owi g
above
it.
Togethe ,
these
activities
i flue ce
both
the
physical
e vi o me t
a d
the
a imals
a d
pla ts
that
depe d
o
it.Whe
p ai ie
dogs
dig,
they
ae ate
the
soil,
edist ibute
ut ie ts,
add
o ga ic
matte
a d
c eate
pathways
that
allow
wate
to
pe et ate
deepe
i to
the
g ou d.Thei
g azi g
also
keeps
vegetatio
sho t
a d
mai tai s
ope
patches
of
g assla d.
That
ca
limit
the
sp ead
of
woody
pla ts
a d
p ese ve
the
ope
habitat
o
which
ume ous
g assla d
species
depe d.Thei
colo ies
the
become
habitat
i
thei
ow
ight.
Bu ows
ca
p ovide
shelte
fo
amphibia s,
eptiles,
bi ds
a d
othe
mammals,
while
p ai ie
dogs
themselves
fo m
a
impo ta t
pa t
of
the
food
chai
fo
p edato s
such
as
the
e da ge ed
black-footed
fe et.I
othe
wo ds,
emovi g
p ai ie
dogs
does
ot
emove
o ly
p ai ie
dogs.
It
ca
emove
a
e ti e
set
of
ecological
p ocesses.
What
happe ed
whe
the
p ai ie
dogs
disappea ed?
To
u de sta d
the
co seque ces,
the
esea che s
studied
g assla ds
i
the
Ja os
Biosphe e
Rese ve
i
o th-weste
Chihuahua,
Mexico,
a
impo ta t
co se vatio
a ea
fo
No th
Ame ica
g assla ds.The
study
compa ed
th ee
co ditio s:
a eas
still
occupied
by
p ai ie
dogs,
g assla ds
whe e
p ai ie
dogs
had
disappea ed,
a d
fo me
p ai ie
dog
habitat
that
had
become
domi ated
by
mesquite
sh ubs.
The
esea che s
the
measu ed
five
ecosystem
se vices
ac oss
these
la dscapes.The
diffe e ces
we e
st iki g.
G assla ds
with
p ai ie
dogs
ge e ally
pe fo med
bette
i
all
five
of
the
se vices
measu ed:
wate
i filt atio ,
e osio
egulatio ,
soil
p oductive
pote tial,
ca bo
sto age
a d
fo age
availability.Wate
i filt atio
was
pa ticula ly
eveali g.
I
p ai ie
dog
g assla ds,
the
measu ed
i filt atio
ate
ave aged
about
357
millimet es
pe
hou .
It
was
about
283
millimet es
pe
hou
i
g assla ds
without
p ai ie
dogs
a d
fell
to
o ly
about
97
millimet es
pe
hou
i
mesquite-domi ated
a eas.That
diffe e ce
matte s
i
a
d y
e vi o me t.
The
Ja os
egio
eceives
elatively
little
ai fall,
a d
wate
a ives
i
pulses.
Whe
ai
does
fall,
the
ability
of
soil
to
abso b
it
athe
tha
lose
it
as
su face
u off
becomes
c ucial.P ai ie
dog
bu ows
appea
to
help
c eate
the
soil
co ditio s
ecessa y
fo
that
i filt atio .
Thei
u de g ou d
activity
p oduces
mo e
po e
spaces,
imp ovi g
ae atio
a d
allowi g
wate
to
move
th ough
the
soil
p ofile.Without
those
p ocesses,
wate
is
mo e
likely
to
u
ac oss
the
su face,
i c easi g
e osio
a d
educi g
the
amou t
that
eaches
deepe
laye s.
P ai ie
dogs
ca
help
keep
g assla ds
f om
tu i g
i to
sc ub
O e
of
the
most
impo ta t
fi di gs
co ce s
what
happe s
to
fo me
p ai ie
dog
habitat
afte
the
a imals
disappea .
I
the
study
a ea,
la dscapes
that
had
lost
thei
p ai ie
dog
colo ies
could
g adually
become
domi ated
by
sh ubs
such
as
mesquite.That
t a sfo matio
cha ges
fa
mo e
tha
the
appea a ce
of
the
la d.
The
esea che s
fou d
that
mesquite-domi ated
a eas
had
the
least
stable
soils
a d
we e
mo e
vul e able
to
e osio .
Thei
ove all
e osio
i dicato
sco e
was
55,
compa ed
with
22
fo
p ai ie
dog
g assla ds
a d
14
fo
g assla ds
without
p ai ie
dogs.Mesquite-domi ated
soils
we e
also
mo e
compacted,
maki g
it
ha de
fo
g asses
a d
he bs
to
establish.The
esea che s
li ked
this
shift
to
a
b oade
p ocess
of
la d
deg adatio .
As
ative
g assla d
gives
way
to
sh ubla d,
soil
co ditio s
dete io ate,
wate
i filt atio
decli es
a d
the
la dscape
becomes
less
capable
of
suppo ti g
the
vegetatio
that
o ce
cha acte ised
it.I
the
Ja os
egio ,
the
esea che s
epo ted
that
mo e
tha
47,000
hecta es
of
g ou d
cove
had
bee
lost
ove
a
decade,
while
ba e
g ou d
i c eased
d amatically.
Du i g
the
same
pe iod,
about
73%
of
the
55,000
hecta es
of
p ai ie
dog
colo ies
had
bee
lost,
alo gside
i c easi g
sh ub
e c oachme t.The
fi di gs
do
ot
mea
p ai ie
dogs
a e
the
o ly
facto
d ivi g
dese tificatio .
The
study
also
ide tifies
d ought,
ove g azi g,
ag icultu al
expa sio ,
g ou dwate
exploitatio
a d
the
supp essio
of
atu al
fi e
egimes
as
p essu es
affecti g
the
la dscape.
But
the
disappea a ce
of
p ai ie
dogs
emoves
o e
of
the
atu al
fo ces
helpi g
the
g assla d
esist
those
p essu es.
Thei
colo ies
ca
actually
p ovide
mo e
fo age
fo
cattle
Pe haps
the
most
cou te i tuitive
esult
co ce ed
livestock.
P ai ie
dogs
have
ofte
bee
po t ayed
as
competito s
with
cattle
because
both
feed
o
g assla d
vegetatio .
But
the
esea che s
fou d
that
a eas
co tai i g
p ai ie
dogs
actually
p oduced
mo e
available
fo age
tha
both
g assla ds
without
p ai ie
dogs
a d
mesquite
sc ubla ds.Ave age
sta di g
fo age
biomass
was
app oximately
916
kilog ams
pe
hecta e
i
p ai ie
dog
g assla ds,
compa ed
with
794
kilog ams
pe
hecta e
i
g assla ds
without
p ai ie
dogs
a d
o ly
489
kilog ams
pe
hecta e
i
mesquite
sc ub.The
expla atio
lies
pa tly
i
the
way
p ai ie
dogs
g aze.
Thei
mode ate
g azi g
emoves
olde
pla t
mate ial,
allowi g
you ge
tissues
with
highe
ut ie t
co ce t atio s
to
eceive
mo e
light
a d
wate .
Thei
activities
ca
also
accele ate
ut ie t
cycli g
a d
imp ove
the
quality
of
fo age
available
to
othe
he bivo es.The
esea che s
oted
that
cattle
ca
be efit
f om
feedi g
a ou d
the
edges
of
p ai ie
dog
colo ies,
whe e
fo age
quality
ca
be
highe .That
complicates
the
old
idea
that
p ai ie
dogs
a d
livestock
a e
i evitably
i
co flict.
U de
app op iate
ma ageme t,
the
study
suggests,
both
ca
be efit
f om
a
fu ctio i g
g assla d
ecosystem.
Thei
impact
exte ds
u de g ou d,
too
The
p ai ie
dog’s
i flue ce
is
ot
co fi ed
to
pla ts
a d
g azi g
a imals.
The
esea che s
also
fou d
highe
soil
ca bo
sto age
i
p ai ie
dog
g assla ds
tha
i
the
g assla ds
exami ed
afte
p ai ie
dog
loss.
Ca bo
co ce t atio s
we e
pa ticula ly
g eate
i
deepe
soil
ho izo s
withi
p ai ie
dog
a eas.That
gives
these
small
mammals
a
ole
i
a
p ocess
that
eaches
fa
beyo d
thei
colo ies.
G assla ds
a e
sig ifica t
sto es
of
ca bo ,
much
of
it
held
below
g ou d.
Whe
g assla ds
a e
deg aded
o
co ve ted,
some
of
that
sto ed
ca bo
ca
be
eleased.Mai tai i g
healthy
g assla ds
the efo e
p ovides
be efits
ot
o ly
fo
wildlife
a d
livestock
but
also
fo
the
wide
climate
system.The
esea che s
co cluded
that
the
loss
of
black-tailed
p ai ie
dogs
a d
the
subseque t
t a sitio
towa ds
mesquite
sc ub
educed
the
la dscape’s
ability
to
p ovide
ecosystem
se vices
impo ta t
to
both
atu al
commu ities
a d
people.
A
species
o ce
see
as
a
pest
tu ed
out
to
be
pa t
of
the
i f ast uctu e
The
sto y
of
the
p ai ie
dog
is
a
emi de
that
a
ecosystem
ca
depe d
o
a imals
whose
impo ta ce
is
easy
to
ove look.
A
p ai ie
dog
does
ot
look
like
a
a chitect.
It
is
a
small
bu owi g
ode t
livi g
i
colo ies
ac oss
the
g assla ds
of
No th
Ame ica.
Yet
its
daily
activities
ca
alte
soil
st uctu e,
wate
moveme t,
vegetatio ,
ut ie t
cycli g
a d
habitat
availability
fo
othe
species.That
is
why
the
esea che s
desc ibe
p ai ie
dogs
as
ecosystem
e gi ee s.
Thei
disappea a ce
does
ot
automatically
tu
eve y
g assla d
i to
dese t,
a d
the
study
itself
ecog ises
that
d ought,
livestock,
ag icultu e
a d
othe
huma
p essu es
also
shape
the
outcome.
But
whe e
p ai ie
dog
populatio s
decli e,
o e
of
the
fo ces
mai tai i g
ope ,
p oductive
g assla d
disappea s
with
them.The
lesso
is
the efo e
la ge
tha
the
p ai ie
dog
itself.
Fo
decades,
people
t ied
to
emove
these
a imals
because
they
we e
viewed
as
competito s
a d
uisa ces.
Resea ch
has
si ce
show
that
thei
colo ies
ca
suppo t
se vices
that
huma s
themselves
depe d
upo ,
f om
g ou dwate
echa ge
a d
soil
stability
to
fo age
p oductio
a d
ca bo
sto age.Sometimes,
a
a imal
does
ot
eed
to
be
la ge,
a e
o
visually
imp essive
to
hold
a
ecosystem
togethe .
Sometimes,
it
o ly
eeds
to
keep
diggi g.
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