Prairie dogs are a keystone species that provide ecosystem services in endangered grasslands in North America. They have been extirpated throughout their range due to sylvatic plague, habitat fragmentation, lethal control, and drought. There are competing drivers of biodiversity between herbivorous rodents and drought in semi-arid grasslands. Therefore, prairie dogs may be unable to provide the ecosystem services needed for grasslands during periods of drought. We sought to determine the impact of prairie dog herbivory on biodiversity in a semi-arid shortgrass prairie by using a paired design to compare active colonies with extirpated colonies. Abundance, richness, and diversity were measured in vegetation, arthropods, herptiles, birds, and small mammals during a drought year and the following year. We found that drought reduced vegetation and bird abundance, vegetation richness and diversity, and diversity in arthropods and birds. We did not find a difference between colonies and extirpated colonies. Our results indicate that the ecosystem services provided by prairie dogs, e.g., improving biodiversity, did not occur at detectable levels during periods of drought in semi-arid grasslands. Given the sharp decline of prairie dogs, the ecosystem services provided by prairie dogs will continue to plummet as climate change increases the frequency of droughts in the Front Range.

土拨鼠是在北美濒危草原提供生态系统服务的关键物种。由于森林瘟疫、栖息地破碎化、致命控制和干旱，它们在整个活动范围内都已灭绝。在半干旱草原，食草啮齿动物和干旱之间存在着生物多样性的竞争驱动因素。因此，草原土拨鼠在干旱时期可能无法提供草原所需的生态系统服务。我们试图通过使用配对设计来比较活跃菌落和灭绝菌落，以确定草原犬食草对半干旱短草草原生物多样性的影响。在干旱年份和次年测量植被、节肢动物、爬行动物、鸟类和小型哺乳动物的丰度、丰富度和多样性。我们发现干旱减少了植被和鸟类的丰度、植被的丰富度和多样性，以及节肢动物和鸟类的多样性。我们没有发现菌落和灭绝菌落之间的区别。我们的研究结果表明，在半干旱草原干旱期间，土拨鼠提供的生态系统服务（例如改善生物多样性）并未达到可检测的水平。鉴于土拨鼠的数量急剧减少，随着气候变化增加了前沿地区干旱的频率，土拨鼠提供的生态系统服务将继续直线下降。在半干旱草原干旱期间，没有以可检测的水平发生。鉴于土拨鼠的数量急剧减少，随着气候变化增加了前沿地区干旱的频率，土拨鼠提供的生态系统服务将继续直线下降。在半干旱草原干旱期间，没有以可检测的水平发生。鉴于土拨鼠的数量急剧减少，随着气候变化增加了前沿地区干旱的频率，土拨鼠提供的生态系统服务将继续直线下降。