Journal
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Volume 8, Issue 8, Pages 3919-3926Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3949
Keywords
aboveground net primary productivity; burrow density; Citellus dauricus; community cover; semiarid grassland
Categories
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [31670477, 31670380, 41773086]
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2017M612389, 2013T60699]
- Outstanding Youth Training Foundation of Henan University [yqpy20140031]
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Rodent damage is a serious threat to sustainable management of grassland. The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition and grassland management on rodent damage have been scarcely studied. Here, we reported the effects of 2years of N addition and mowing on burrow density and damage area of Citellus dauricus in a semiarid steppe in Inner Mongolia. N addition significantly aggravated, while mowing alleviated rodent damage in the grassland under study. Burrow density and damage area increased 2.8-fold and 4.7-fold, in N addition plots compared to the ambient N addition treatment, respectively. Conversely, mowing decreased burrow density and damage area by 75.9% and 14.5%, respectively, compared to no mowing plots. Observed changes in rodent damage were mainly due to variations in plant community cover, height, and aboveground net primary productivity. Our findings demonstrate that N addition and mowing can affect the rodent density and activity in grassland, suggesting that the effects of a changing atmospheric composition and land use on rodent damage must be considered in order to achieve better grassland management.
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