Although an icon of the western United States, the horse is not a native species; horses were introduced by Spanish explorers in the early 1500s. What does the integration of the horse to the semiarid grassland communities of the Southwest suggest?

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The fact that the horse was able to integrate into the semiarid grassland communities of the Southwest suggests that neutral groups within the community had enough ecological flexibility to accommodate the new species without significant disruption. This implies that the community was not at its saturation point and did not require the disappearance of a similar species. It also suggests that terrestrial communities can handle the introduction of new species better than aquatic communities.

Although an Icon of the Western United States, the Horse