Question

A change to the prairie ecosystem has caused the population of prairie dogs to decrease or go down. This is affecting predators such as ferrets from finding enough food. This change is also causing the grass on the prairie to grow rapidly.
Identify a solution to restore balance to the prairie ecosystem. Discuss why it is the best solution.

Answer 1

Answer:

Protecting areas of the prairie where human activity will not be allowed so that the prairie dogs have healthy and stable populations.

Explanation:

The prairie dogs are a keystone species in the prairie ecosystem. This means that they have huge importance to the ecosystem, so if their numbers start to go down, the whole ecosystem is disturbed and the majority of organisms will suffer. The best way to prevent such a scenario is to protect the ecosystem and create a safe environment for the prairie dogs where their populations will remain healthy and stable.

The reason why this simple solution is the best is because of the importance of prairie dogs for the ecosystem. The prairie dogs make borrows, thus much more air gets into the soil, they provide huge amounts of fertilizer for the soil meaning they provide food for the herbivores, keep the grass to a level where it is not too big, provide food for numerous smaller predators, which in turn provide food for larger predators. By protecting the prairie dogs, the whole ecosystem will remain stable, but by lacking from the ecosystem it will crumble very quickly and most of the organisms will face extinction.