College of Grassland Science, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem (Ministry of Education), Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Gansu Agricultural University-Massey University Research Centre for Grassland Biodiversity, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, 730070, China.
Sci Rep. 2023 Aug 1;13(1):12459. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-39530-7.
Mounds formed by plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi) in alpine meadows are easily disturbed by livestock. We aimed to reveal the effect of moderate livestock grazing (from October 15 to March 15 of the following year) on plant and soil characteristics of zokor mounds. This study explored the effect of zokor mounds of different ages (2015-2018) on soil nutrient content, soil enzymatic activity, plant diversity, and aboveground biomass (AGB) at grazing and non-grazing sites. Compared with the non-grazing sites, soil organic carbon (SOC), total soil phosphorus, and ratio of SOC to total nitrogen were 16.6%-98.7% higher and soil urease activity was 8.4% and 9.6% higher in 1- and 3-year-old mounds, respectively, at the grazing sites. Grazing significantly increased the plant Pielou index, richness, and Shannon-Wiener diversity index of 4-year-old mounds by 20.7%-52.4%. Partial least squares path modeling showed that plant species diversity was the main factor affecting the plant AGB of mounds at the grazing sites, whereas soil enzyme activity was the primary factor at the non-grazing sites. We propose that moderate grazing increases soil nutrient content and the plant diversity in zokor mounds in alpine meadows, which should be considered in future grassland restoration.
高原鼢鼠（Eospalax baileyi）洞穴堆积体易受放牧家畜的影响。我们旨在揭示适度放牧（当年 10 月 15 日至次年 3 月 15 日）对高原鼢鼠洞穴堆积体周围植物和土壤特征的影响。本研究探讨了不同年代（2015-2018 年）的高原鼢鼠洞穴堆积体对放牧和非放牧点土壤养分含量、土壤酶活性、植物多样性和地上生物量（AGB）的影响。与非放牧点相比，放牧点 1 年和 3 年生洞穴堆积体的土壤有机碳（SOC）、总土壤磷和 SOC 与总氮的比值分别高 16.6%-98.7%，土壤脲酶活性分别高 8.4%和 9.6%。放牧显著增加了 4 年生洞穴堆积体植物的 Pielou 指数、丰富度和 Shannon-Wiener 多样性指数，分别增加了 20.7%-52.4%。偏最小二乘路径模型表明，植物物种多样性是放牧点洞穴堆积体植物 AGB 的主要影响因素，而土壤酶活性是非放牧点的主要影响因素。我们提出，适度放牧会增加高山草甸高原鼢鼠洞穴堆积体土壤养分含量和植物多样性，这在未来的草地恢复中应予以考虑。
