Journal
PLANT AND SOIL
Volume 366, Issue 1-2, Pages 491-504Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11104-012-1442-x
Keywords
Alpine meadow; Plateau pika; Lagomorph; CO2 exchange; Pest status; Qinghai-Tibet Plateau
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31070427]
- National Key Basic Research Program of China [2010CB950902]
- National Key Technology RandD Program [2009BAC61B01]
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Because the indigenous burrowing lagomorph plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is considered to have negative ecological impacts on alpine meadow steppe grasslands of the Headwaters Region of the Yellow, Yangtze and Mekong Rivers we investigated its effects on ecosystem productivity and soil properties, and especially net ecosystem carbon flux. We measured net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE) and its components gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) and ecosystem respiration (ER) at peak aboveground biomass by the chamber method with reference to plant and soil characteristics of areas of alpine meadow steppe with different densities of pika burrows. Higher burrow density decreased NEE, GEP and ER. Above-ground biomass, species number, plant cover and leaf area index decreased with increasing pika density. Higher burrow density was associated with lower soil moisture and higher soil temperature. Responses of NEE were related to changes of abiotic and biotic factors affecting its two components. NEE was positively related to soil moisture, soil ammonium nitrogen, plant cover, leaf area index and above-ground biomass but was negatively correlated with higher soil nitrate nitrogen. Decrease of NEE by plateau pika may reduce the carbon sink balance of Qinghai-Tibet plateau grassland. Such effects may be influenced by grazing pressure from domestic livestock, population levels of natural predators, and climate change.
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