The impact of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) on alpine grassland vegetation and soil is not uniform within the home range of pika families

ABSTRACT

Background: Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is a small lagomorph mammal, common in alpine meadows. Previous studies show that pika activity is not uniform within a home range of a pika family. However, whether such small-scale differences in pika activities induce spatial patterns of soil and vegetation parameters is unclear.

Aims: Our aim was to examine if the impact of pikas on the vegetation and soil was uniform within a pika family’s home range.

Methods: Vegetation and soil were sampled in eight individual pika family’s home ranges and control areas. We divided each pika home range into three areas that differed in pika activity, the highest activity being in the central of the home range, declining further away from the central.

Results: Vegetation cover, vegetation height, above-ground biomass the abundance of graminoids, root biomass, soil moisture, NO3-N, soil organic carbon, the soil pH,soil bulk density and NH4-N showed a clear pattern that correlated with pika activity levels. However, other soil nutrients showed no clear patterns.

Conclusion: Because individual pika families do notuse their home ranges uniformly, their spatial pattern of activity intensity within a home range induce a spatial patchiness in boththe vegetation and the soil.

KEYWORDS:

• Alpine meadow
• home range
• plateau pika
• Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
• soil nutrients

Acknowledgements

We thank Anwei Ma and Daihong Wei for help in the field. This research was financially supported by the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest (201203041), the Fundamental Research Funds of China West Normal University (18Q046), the Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Program (1054nkcp159) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470480, 41501227) .

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the the Fundamental Research Funds of China West Normal University [18Q046];the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31470480];the Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Program [1054nkcp159];the National Natural Science Foundation of China [41501227];the Special Fund for Agro-Scientific Research in the Public Interest [201203041].

Notes on contributors

Wanrong Wei

Wanrong Wei is a lecturer who focuses on the relationship between small herbivore and plant ecology, and soil ecology.

Johannes M. H. Knops

Johannes M. H. Knops is a professor who is broadly interested in all areas of ecology but especially in the interface between population, community and ecosystem ecology.

Weiguo Zhang

Weiguo Zhang is a professor who is interested in alpine meadow ecosystem and the management of rodent pests.