Wildlife Institute, School of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China.
Eco-Bridge Continental, Haidian District, Beijing, China.
Integr Zool. 2023 Jan;18(1):110-128. doi: 10.1111/1749-4877.12615. Epub 2022 Jan 21.
Of the approximately 30 extant species of pika (Ochotona; Ochotonidae; Lagomorpha), at least 23 occur in China. Of these, 8 are endemic, and 3 are classified as Endangered by the IUCN. Research into most Chinese species is scarce, and there is much to learn about basic aspects of their ecology. We reviewed the literature on the 23 Chinese Ochotona species, with the aim of highlighting knowledge gaps and biases in research allocation. Specifically, we identify (1) which pika species receive the most attention from researchers, (2) which topics are the most frequently studied, and (3) how well research satisfies conservation priorities. We covered a total of 879 articles, most of which were written in English or Chinese. Around 75% of all publications focused on the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae. Seven species were represented by 10 or fewer publications each. Endangered and endemic species were particularly poorly represented. 204 papers treated pikas as a pest, while 13 studied conservation issues. Nine species were considered possible targets for pest control, including some poorly known endemics. We make some recommendations on how research into Chinese Ochotona could be improved, including: (1) recognizing that the current species-level taxonomy may be an ineffective way to prioritize conservation research in Ochotona, (2) directing more research toward threatened and endemic species, subspecies, and populations, (3) researching the ecosystem engineering effects of pikas, (4) collecting basic data on natural history of the many understudied species, and (5) researching threats, including climate change and pest control campaigns.
在中国，现存的约 30 种鼠兔中（鼠兔属；鼠兔科；兔形目），至少有 23 种。其中，有 8 种为特有种，有 3 种被 IUCN 列为濒危物种。对大多数中国物种的研究很少，还有很多关于它们生态学的基本方面需要了解。我们回顾了关于 23 种中国鼠兔的文献，旨在突出研究分配中的知识空白和偏见。具体来说，我们确定了（1）哪些鼠兔物种受到研究人员的关注最多，（2）哪些主题是最常研究的，以及（3）研究在多大程度上满足了保护重点。我们共涵盖了 879 篇文章，其中大部分是用英语或中文撰写的。大约 75%的出版物集中在高原鼠兔 Ochotona curzoniae 上。有 7 种物种的文献数量少于 10 篇。濒危和特有物种的代表性尤其不足。204 篇论文将鼠兔视为害虫，而 13 篇论文研究了保护问题。有 9 种物种被认为可能是害虫防治的目标，其中包括一些鲜为人知的特有种。我们就如何改进对中国鼠兔的研究提出了一些建议，包括：（1）认识到当前的物种分类可能不是优先研究鼠兔保护的有效方法，（2）将更多的研究转向受威胁和特有物种、亚种和种群，（3）研究鼠兔对生态系统工程的影响，（4）收集许多研究不足的物种自然历史的基本数据，以及（5）研究威胁，包括气候变化和害虫防治运动。
