Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology o...Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology of the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae is examined to better understand the resilience and sustainability of the high alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).The key functional traits of plateau pikas are their abundance and behavior of digging extensive burrow systems.Plateau pikas have been poisoned over a significant part of their original geographic distribution across the QTP,allowing comparison of ecological communities with and without pikas.Nearly all mammalian and avian carnivores,most of which are obligate predators on pikas,have been lost in regions where pikas have been poisoned.Most endemic birds on the QTP nest in pika burrows;when pikas are poisoned,burrows collapse,and these birds are greatly reduced in number.Due to the biopedturbation resulting from their burrows,regional plant species richness is higher in areas with pikas than without.The presence of pika burrows allows higher rates of infiltration during heavy monsoon rains compared to poisoned areas,possibly mitigating runoff and the potential for serious downslope erosion and flooding.Thus,the functional traits of plateau pikas enhance native biodiversity and other important ecosystem functions;these traits are irreplaceable.As plateau pikas are not natural colonizers,active reintroduction programs are needed to restore pikas to areas from which they have been poisoned to restore the important functional ecological traits of pikas.展开更多
基金the following sources over the years:National Science Foundation(INT-8920440,INT-9016551,INT-9249613,Dynamics of Coupled Natural and Human Systems Pro-gram-0815441Pre-doctoral Fellowship Program)+11 种基金National Geographic SocietyNational Academy of Sci-ences(Henry Fund)Earthwatch-the Center for Field StudiesKadoorie Charitable Foundation(Hong Kong)Biodiversity Working Group-China Council for Interna-tional Cooperation in Environment and DevelopmentUnited Board for Christian Higher EducationKeidanren Nature Conservation Fund,JapanPhoenix Zoo Conservation and Science Grants ProgramCleveland Metroparks Zoo Asia Seed FundProject 111-PRC Min-istry of EducationNational Security Education Program-David L.Boren FellowshipArizona State University(School of Life Sciences,Center for Asian Studies,College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,Graduate Col-lege).Sharon Hall kindly supplied information on the unique soil properties found on the QTP.We are grate-ful to Aryn Musgrave for drafting the range map of the plateau pika.We thank Harriet Smith for her insightful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.
文摘Understanding a species’functional traits allows for a directed and productive perspective on the role a species plays in nature,and thus its relative importance to conservation planning.The functionaltrait ecology of the plateau pika Ochotona curzoniae is examined to better understand the resilience and sustainability of the high alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau(QTP).The key functional traits of plateau pikas are their abundance and behavior of digging extensive burrow systems.Plateau pikas have been poisoned over a significant part of their original geographic distribution across the QTP,allowing comparison of ecological communities with and without pikas.Nearly all mammalian and avian carnivores,most of which are obligate predators on pikas,have been lost in regions where pikas have been poisoned.Most endemic birds on the QTP nest in pika burrows;when pikas are poisoned,burrows collapse,and these birds are greatly reduced in number.Due to the biopedturbation resulting from their burrows,regional plant species richness is higher in areas with pikas than without.The presence of pika burrows allows higher rates of infiltration during heavy monsoon rains compared to poisoned areas,possibly mitigating runoff and the potential for serious downslope erosion and flooding.Thus,the functional traits of plateau pikas enhance native biodiversity and other important ecosystem functions;these traits are irreplaceable.As plateau pikas are not natural colonizers,active reintroduction programs are needed to restore pikas to areas from which they have been poisoned to restore the important functional ecological traits of pikas.
