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Wang Z, Martin A, Brunton D, Grueter CC, Qu J, He JS, Ji W, Nan Z. The effects of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of a small mammal. Integr Zool 2024. [PMID: 38704846 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Grassland degradation is challenging the health of grassland ecosystems globally and causing biodiversity decline. Previous studies have demonstrated the impact of grassland degradation on the abundance and behavior of small mammals. Little is known about how it affects the genetic structure of gregarious mammals in the wild. This study explores the effects of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of a small burrowing mammal, plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). We used nine microsatellite loci to analyze the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation between colonies and genetic relatedness between individuals within the colony. We found that pikas in severely degraded grasslands had a significantly higher genetic diversity within colonies, a higher level of gene flow between colonies, and a lower genetic differentiation between colonies compared to pikas in less degraded grasslands. Individuals within colonies had a significantly lower genetic relatedness in severely degraded grasslands than in less degraded grasslands. This study has provided potential evidence of a significant impact of grassland degradation on the genetic structure of pikas, which has caused a breakdown of their kin-selected colony structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaiwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Amy Martin
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Dianne Brunton
- School of Natural Sciences (SNS), Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, China
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jiapeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Province Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weihong Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- School of Natural Sciences (SNS), Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Wang Z, Yan J, Martin A, Brunton DH, Qu J, He JS, Ji W, Nan Z. Alpine grassland degradation intensifies the burrowing behavior of small mammals: evidence for a negative feedback loop. Integr Zool 2024; 19:240-252. [PMID: 37243518 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
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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Affiliation(s)
- Zaiwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jiawen Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Amy Martin
- Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, Lincoln, New Zealand
| | - Dianne H Brunton
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University (Albany Campus), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jiapeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Haibei National Field Research Station of Alpine Grassland Ecosystem, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
| | - Jin-Sheng He
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weihong Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University (Albany Campus), Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Zhibiao Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Qu J, Wang Y, Kong Y, Zhu H, Yu Y, Zhong L. Effect of chronic traffic noise on behavior and physiology of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae). Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1065966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During the last two decades, numerous studies have shown the effects of traffic noise on animal vocal communication. However, studies on the influences of traffic noise on wildlife behavior and physiology are scarce. In the present study, we experimentally manipulated the traffic noise exposure of plateau pika, a native small mammal widely distributed in the alpine meadow of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, to explore the effects of traffic noise exposure on its behavior and physiology. We showed that noise exposure increased the pika’s exploration and cortisol concentration (CORT) but decreased the resting metabolic rate (RMR). In addition, the relationships between RMR and exploration or CORT appeared under traffic noise treatment. This study suggests that traffic noise plays a large role in the behavior and physiology of plateau pikas and may have a long-term negative effect on the fitness of rodent populations. Generalizing these non-lethal effects to different taxa is crucial for the conservation and management of biodiversity in this increasingly noisy world.
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Wei W, Zhang Y, Tang Z, An S, Zhen Q, Qin M, He J, Oosthuizen MK. Suitable grazing during the regrowth period promotes plant diversity in winter pastures in the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.991967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Vegetation is a crucial component of any ecosystem and to preserve the health and stability of grassland ecosystems, species diversity is important. The primary form of grassland use globally is livestock grazing, hence many studies focus on how plant diversity is affected by the grazing intensity, differential use of grazing time and livestock species. Nevertheless, the impact of the grazing time on plant diversity remains largely unexplored. We performed a field survey on the winter pastures in alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) to examine the effects of grazing time on the vegetation traits. Livestock species, grazing stocking rates and the initiation time of the grazing were similar, but termination times of the grazing differed. The grazing termination time has a significant effect on most of the vegetation traits in the winter pastures. The vegetation height, above-ground biomass, and the Graminoids biomass was negatively related to the grazing termination time in the winter pastures. In contrast, vegetation cover and plant diversity initially increased and subsequently decreased again as the grazing termination time was extended. An extension of the grazing time did not have any effect on the biomass of forbs. Our study is the first to investigate the effects of grazing during the regrowth period on vegetation traits and imply that the plant diversity is mediated by the grazing termination time during the regrowth period in winter pastures. These findings could be used to improve the guidelines for livestock grazing management and policies of summer and winter pasture grazing of family pastures on the QTP from the perspective of plant diversity protection.
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Structural changes in vegetation coincident with reseeding Elymus nutans can increase perceived predation risk of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae). Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Wei W, Zhen Q, Deng J, Yue H, Qin M, Oosthuizen MK. Grazing during the grassland greenup period promotes plant species richness in alpine grassland in winter pastures. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:973662. [PMID: 36051297 PMCID: PMC9426632 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.973662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although grazing is the most common use of grassland, the ecological function of grassland far exceeds its productivity. Therefore, the protection of plant diversity is of the utmost importance and cannot be ignored. Existing research on the effect of grazing on grassland mainly focuses on grazing intensity and the type of livestock, but the consequences of the timing of the grazing on the vegetation community remains unclear. We investigated plant community characteristics of winter pastures in alpine meadow with different grazing termination times (grazing before and during the grassland greenup periods) in Maqu County, eastern QTP. The results showed that vegetation height, coverage, aboveground biomass and Graminoid biomass were lower in grassland when grazing happened during the greenup period compared to grassland where grazing was terminated before the greenup period. However, the total plant species richness and forbs richness were higher in grassland with grazing during the greenup period compared to grassland without grazing during the greenup period. Our structural equation modeling reveals a potential indirect implication for the total plant species richness and forbs richness of winter pastures mainly through a decrease in the vegetation coverage and grass biomass abundance. Our findings imply that grazing during the grassland greenup period may facilitate the maintenance of plant diversity in winter pastures. These findings have important implications for grassland ecosystem functioning and for the conservation of plant diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanrong Wei
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | | | - Jia Deng
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Hanlin Yue
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Mingsen Qin
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation, College of Life Sciences, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Maria K. Oosthuizen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
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