Behaviour and reproductive fitness of postdispersal in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Tibetan Plateau

Qu, Jiapeng; Chen, Qianquan; Zhang, Yanming

doi:10.1007/s13364-017-0344-y

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…1). The distances between sites ranged from 180 km to 285 km, and the normal dispersal distance of plateau pika is about 40 m [42]; therefore, gene flow among the three populations is limited. At all sites, the climate is dry and cool, typical of a plateau continental climate [43].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Among-population divergence in personality is linked to altitude in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

Réale

Fletcher

et al. 2019

Front Zool

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Background Animals inhabiting high altitudes consistently show slow life-histories. The pace-of-life syndrome (POLS) hypothesis posits behavioural, physiological and/or morphological traits that mediate the trade-off between current and future reproduction or survival, which have coevolved along a slow-fast life history continuum. Previous studies have shown that the life histories of plateau pikas varied across altitude, high-altitude individuals showed slow pace of life which were characterized by few litters per year with small litter sizes. Thus, we hypothesized that pikas populations at higher altitudes would also express personalities characteristic associated with slow life history, such as high sociability, low activity or aggressiveness. We tested this hypothesis by comparing the activity and docility of three plateau pika ( Ochotona curzoniae ) populations distributed along an altitudinal gradient of the Tibetan Plateau. We predicted that high-altitude pika would be more docile and less active. Results The behaviour of 556 pikas, from which 120 individuals were measured at least twice, was quantified. We observed that plateau pikas at high altitudes were less active and more docile than pika at lower altitudes. Activity and docility were significantly and negatively correlated in populations from high altitudes but not in populations from low altitudes. Conclusions Our results support the POLS hypothesis, highlight the existence of personality variation among populations distributed along an altitudinal gradient and emphasise the importance of environmental selection on personality divergence.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Among-population divergence in personality is linked to altitude in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

Réale

Fletcher

et al. 2019

Front Zool

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“…We used large-scale plots because natural grazing impacts by livestock are better mimicked in large enclosures, and allowed for a better estimate pika population response to grazing. Family-occupied home range size of pikas is reported to be about 106-178 m 2 (Qu et al, 2018) or even larger at our site.…”

Section: Experimental Design and Grazing Treatmentsmentioning

confidence: 57%

Livestock grazing impacts on plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) vary by species identity

Wang

et al. 2019

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Livestock and small burrowing mammals are potential ecosystem engineers and major drivers of ecosystem processes. Small mammals, often considered competitors with livestock, have been reported to increase in recent years and have been identified for their negative impacts on ecosystem services such as plant production and soil carbon sequestration.However, these increases and impacts by small mammals have rarely been studied with respect to how they may be influenced by livestock grazing. Here we experimentally manipulated large enclosures on the alpine grassland of Qinghai-Tibetan plateau, each with different livestock assemblages: yak (Bos grunniens), Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries), mixed populations of yak and sheep, and a control plot containing no livestock to study the potential impacts of livestock on the dominant small mammalian herbivore in the region, the plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae). We found that during the period of peak vegetative growth all pika populations in livestock experimental plots increased compared with those in the control plots. Additionally, pika populations and active pika burrow density increased more in experimental plots containing yaks compared with the sheep-only experimental plots. These results provide evidence that livestock grazing can increase the risk of pika outbreaks, which has led to this species being classified as a pest and subject to widespread control measures.We suggest explicitly incorporating livestock species identity in addition to grazing intensity and duration into management considerations to ensure maintenance of native biodiversity and long-term sustainability on the alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau.

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“…As pika migrate, the number of new burrows inevitably increases, and as pikas become larger and increase in number due to constant breeding, their burrow area increases to accommodate their size and the growing number of family members. The increasing number of burrows in a limited habitat inevitably leads to a reduction in the distance between burrows (Cao et al, 2019; Qu et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the spatial distribution of plateau pika burrows along an alpine grassland degradation gradient on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Qian

Fan

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Plateau pika burrows are common feature of degraded grassland in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) and serve as an important indicator of pika activity and grassland degradation. However, the current understanding of the spatial pattern changes of pika burrows and their critical thresholds across a degradation gradient in alpine grassland is deficient. In this study, we investigated and quantified changes in the spatial pattern of plateau pika burrows under typical degraded alpine shrub meadows in the northeastern QTP using an unmanned aerial vehicle and landscape pattern metrics. The degradation of the alpine shrub meadow leads to a change in landscape pattern from a two‐layered structure of alpine shrub and alpine meadow to a mosaic of alpine meadow and bare soil, with plateau pika burrows scattered throughout. Moderate degradation is the tipping point for changes in surface landscape patterns, followed by the disappearance of alpine shrub, the retreat of alpine meadows and the encroachment of bare soil, and the increasing density and size of pika burrows. The area characteristics of alpine meadows have influenced changes in the spatial pattern of pika burrow, and maintaining its proportional area is a vital measure to control the threat of pika burrows to pastures. The results of this paper provide a methodological reference and guidance for the sustainable utilization of grassland on the QTP.

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Behaviour and reproductive fitness of postdispersal in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Tibetan Plateau

Cited by 14 publications

References 55 publications

Among-population divergence in personality is linked to altitude in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

Among-population divergence in personality is linked to altitude in plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

Livestock grazing impacts on plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) vary by species identity

Characterization of the spatial distribution of plateau pika burrows along an alpine grassland degradation gradient on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

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