Zhang Rui, Liu Wei
College of Coastal Agricultural Sciences Guangdong Ocean University Zhanjiang China.
Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology Chinese Academy of Sciences Xining China.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Jun 18;14(6):e11564. doi: 10.1002/ece3.11564. eCollection 2024 Jun.
Burrow-dwelling animals such as the plateau pika () often seek sturdy entrances for their burrows, which can reduce the need for frequent maintenance. The toughness of the ground surface is often reinforced by the interweaving of plant roots and often varies with the root characteristics. To better understand ground cover preferences when selecting burrow entrances by plateau pikas, we investigated the ratios of different ground covers at the rear of the entrances, as well as their coverage and underlying soil compaction in an undegraded alpine meadow on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. The results indicated a clear preference hierarchy of sedges > forbs > grass > bare soil. This distribution was aligned with the soil compaction hierarchy of the topsoil layer beneath each cover type. The sedge coverage was significantly negatively correlated with burrow density, suggesting that plateau pikas opt for sturdy entrances with a natural inclination toward energy conservation. However, there is consensus that the population density of plateau pikas often reaches its maximum on almost nonvegetated "black soil beaches." We hypothesized that the survival benefits brought about by vegetation degradation would be higher than the maintenance costs of burrow entrances.
像高原鼠兔（ ）这样的穴居动物通常会为它们的洞穴寻找坚固的入口，这可以减少频繁维护的需求。地面的韧性通常通过植物根系的交织得到加强，并且常常随根系特征而变化。为了更好地了解高原鼠兔在选择洞穴入口时对地面覆盖物的偏好，我们调查了青藏高原未退化高寒草甸中洞穴入口后方不同地面覆盖物的比例，以及它们的覆盖度和下层土壤压实情况。结果表明，高原鼠兔对地面覆盖物的偏好顺序为莎草>杂类草>禾本科植物>裸土。这种分布与每种覆盖类型下表层土壤的压实顺序一致。莎草覆盖度与洞穴密度显著负相关，这表明高原鼠兔倾向于选择坚固的入口，并且有节约能量的自然倾向。然而，人们普遍认为，高原鼠兔的种群密度在几乎没有植被的“黑土滩”上往往达到最大值。我们推测，植被退化带来的生存益处将高于洞穴入口的维护成本。
