ARe pronghorn a keystone species?

Question

examples of why it is or is not.

Answer 1

When you say keystone Are you referring to Pa.? If so no. Pron horns are plains grazers

Answer 2

It isn't keystone, because the food chain doesn't depend on it.  It is important, though.

Answer 3

well, they are fun to hunt and the biguns look great mounted on the wall, above the couch

Answer 4

I would have to say yes and no.  

As a keystone specie, Pronghorns would  hold a community together (like a keystone in a block archway), remove and it collapses.  The only community supported by the existence of a pronghorn is the life forms on its hide and inside the animal itself; like bacteria, parasites and other  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€Âœgerms”.  In this way, YES it is a keystone.

A good example of a Keystone specie is the gopher tortoise.  The burrow dug by these guys provide a year round home for many species like frogs, lizards and what not.  But its importance is best observed during a prescribed (or nature) fire when it becomes a haven for many commensurate species; small mammals, reptiles, insects and amphibians that seek refuge from the flames.  The animals have evolved with fire and the burrow provides safety and a truce where snakes and rats can co-exist… at least until the fire passes.  Without these creatures many animals would perish.

In addition, the gopher, by digging and enlarging his burrow actually turns the soil by bringing up sand and covering ash rich soil (from prescribed fires) thus adding fertilizer and burying seeds.  Continuing the flora diversity.

The Pronghorn, in its environment is just a link, as others have pointed out.  Few are dependent on it; so in this context, it is not a keystone specie.

Answer 5

i don't think it is, as it is not the only prey species in that food chain and not key to many plants reproducing.  It is certainly an important part of the area but not key stone.

Answer 6

No, pronghorn are not a keystone species, and let me explain why.

A keystone species is a species that has a DISPROPORTIONAL affect on the ecosystem.  In very general terms, that means there aren't a lot of them, but they are really, really important.

The classical example was done research done by Robert Pain at the Univ of Washington.  He showed that a single starfish species (which is a predator and not numerically common) was a keystone species.  He excluded the starfish from some intertidal pools and allowed them in others.  The end result was decreased biodiversity when the starfish was excluded.  Again, in general terms, the starfish kept the playing ground even for all the species, but when the predator wasn't around, a single species (California Mussel) took over and everything else disappeared.

Pronghorn are very cool and important (they are my favorite animal), but they are not a keystone species.  First, they are very, very abundant (or at least are supposed to be).  Second, no species really depends on them--they typically have no predators other than people.  Third, they are a generalist herbivore that consumes vegetation the same way a deer, elk, or bison does (thus, they don't do anything super special to the plants).

The keystone species in a ecosystem with pronghorn would be wolves.  Some recent papers demonstrated that wolves (which are still relatively rare), have a big impact on elk, deer, pronghorn and coyotes.  The removal or addition of wolves to an ecosystem (even just 1 pack of them) can have HUGE impacts.  That is a keystone species.