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

Qian, Dawen; Li, Qian; Fan, Bo; Lan, Yuting; Cao, Guangmin

doi:10.1002/ece3.8176

Cited by 11 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…These strategies may maintain local population size even with the limited food resources in severely degraded grasslands. In contrast, some previous studies found that the population size of pika was highest in severely degraded (Sun et al 2015;Qian et al 2021). However, these studies used burrow entrance density as proxies for the population size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

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Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop

et al. 2023

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Globally, grassland degradation is an acute ecological problem. In alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, increased densities of various small mammals in degraded grassland are assumed to intensify the degradation process and these mammals are subject to lethal control. However, whether the negative impact of small mammals is solely a result of population size or also a result of activity and behavior has not been tested. In this study, we use plateau pika as a model to compare population size, core area of colony, and the number of burrow entrances and latrines between lightly and severely degraded grassland. We test whether the alleged contribution of pika to grassland degradation is a result of increased population size or increased burrowing activities of individuals in response to lower food abundance. We found that grassland degradation resulted in lower plant species richness, plant height, and biomass. Furthermore, the overall population size of pika was not significantly affected by location in lightly and severely degraded grassland. However, pika core areas in severely grassland degradation were significantly larger and had significantly higher densities of burrows and latrines. Our study provides convincing evidence that habitat‐induced changes in the behavior of small, burrowing mammals, such as pika, can exacerbate grassland degradation. This finding has significant implications for managing small mammals and restoring degraded grassland ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…2015; Qian et al. 2021). However, these studies used burrow entrance density as proxies for the population size.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop

et al. 2023

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“…The activities of rodents are also an important cause of grassland degradation on the TP. In degraded grasslands, bare land provides favorable conditions for rodent digging, and rodent activity further accelerates degradation [62,63]. In addition, large-scale surface destruction such as mining and the construction of railroads are also important factors in the degradation of grasslands on the TP, which will take decades to recover [64].…”

Section: Grassland Degradation Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Grassland Degradation on the Tibetan Plateau Based on Multi-Source Data

et al. 2022

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Grassland is one of the most widely distributed ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) accounting for about 60% of the total area. The grassland degradation has spread throughout the TP, and the scope and degree are increasing. The inconsistency of multi-source data poses a great challenge to accurately obtaining information about grassland degradation on the TP. This study used five land cover products and six vegetation indexes to analyze the spatial-temporal change in grassland area and quality at the pixel level across the TP from 2000 to 2020. Then, 279 observed grassland degradation points that were collected from 86 published papers were used to verify the grassland degradation information. The grassland fusion product demonstrated that the grassland area increased by 8.84% from 2000 to 2020, and the rate of grassland degradation exceeded the rate of grassland greening during 2010–2020. The superimposed six vegetation indexes showed that 25.88% of the grassland quality has been degraded on the TP from 2000 to 2020. In Changdu City, Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Rikaze City, Shannan City and Nagqu City, the grassland quality degraded by more than in 20% and the degraded grassland area exceeded 2,000 km2. The observed grassland degradation points were mainly distributed in the northeastern and central parts of the TP. The consistency of six vegetation indexes with the observed grassland degradation points on the TP was 56.63%, with solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) being more effective than other vegetation indexes for monitoring grassland degradation on the TP. In general, the degradation of grassland on the TP has been a looming problem in recent decades.

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“…Dasiphora fruticosa is a common woody shrub in the alpine meadows of the Tibetan Plateau that plays an important role in preventing grassland degradation (Qian et al, 2021). Wang et al (2019) showed that D. fruticosa affects bacterial and fungal richness and through this influences soil nematode richness.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting influences of two dominant plants, Dasiphora fruticosa and Ligularia virguarea, on aboveground and belowground communities in an alpine meadow

et al. 2023

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Soil organisms are abundant, phylogenetically and functionally diverse, and interact to catalyse and regulate critical soil processes. Understanding what structures belowground communities is therefore fundamental to gaining insight into ecosystem functioning. Dominant plants have been shown to influence belowground communities both directly and indirectly through changes in abiotic and biotic factors. In a field study, we used piecewise structural equation modelling to disentangle and compare the effects of a dominant allelopathic plant, Ligularia virgaurea, and a dominant facilitative plant, Dasiphora fruticosa, on understory plant, soil microbial and nematode community composition in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan plateau. Dasiphora fruticosa was associated with changes in edaphic variables (total nitrogen, soil organic carbon, pH and ammonium), understory plant and soil bacterial communities, whereas Ligularia virguarea was associated with increased soil ammonium content and soil fungal richness relative to dominant plant-free control plots. Moreover, nematode richness was significantly greater under D. fruticosa, with no change in nematode community composition. By contrast, nematode richness under Ligularia virgaurea was similar to that of dominant plant-free control plots, but nematode community composition differed from the control. The effects of both plants were predominantly direct rather than mediated by indirect pathways despite the observed effects on understory plant communities, soil properties and microbial assemblages. Our results highlight the importance of plants in determining soil communities and provide new insight to disentangle the complex above- and belowground linkages.

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

Cited by 11 publications

References 49 publications

Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop

Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop

Assessment of Grassland Degradation on the Tibetan Plateau Based on Multi-Source Data

Contrasting influences of two dominant plants, Dasiphora fruticosa and Ligularia virguarea, on aboveground and belowground communities in an alpine meadow

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