Full metadata
Title
The plateau pika: a keystone engineer on the Tibetan Plateau
Description
The highly-social plateau pika (Lagomorpha: Ochotona curzoniae) excavates vast burrow complexes in alpine meadows on the Tibetan Plateau. Colonies of over 300 individuals/ha have been reported. As an ecosystem engineer, their burrowing may positively impact ecosystem health by increasing plant species diversity, enhancing soil mixing, and boosting water infiltration. However, pikas are commonly regarded as pests, and are heavily poisoned throughout their range. The underlying assumption of eradication programs is that eliminating pikas will improve rangeland quality and decrease soil erosion. This dissertation explores the link between plateau pikas and the alpine meadow ecosystem in Qinghai Province, PRC. This research uses both comparative field studies and theoretical modeling to clarify the role of pika disturbance. Specifically, these studies quantify the impact of pikas on nutrient cycling (via nutrient concentrations of vegetation and soil), hydrology (via water infiltration), local landscape properties (via spatial pattern description), and vascular plant communities (via species richness and composition). The competitive relationship between livestock and pikas is examined with a mathematical model. Results of this research indicate that pika colonies have both local and community level effects on water infiltration and plant species richness. A major contribution of pika disturbance is increased spatial heterogeneity, which likely underlies differences in the plant community. These findings suggest that the positive impact of plateau pikas on rangeland resources has been undervalued. In concurrence with other studies, this work concludes that plateau pikas provide valuable ecosystem services on the Tibetan Plateau.
Date Created
2010
Contributors
- Hogan, Brigitte Wieshofer (Author)
- Smith, Andrew T. (Thesis advisor)
- Anderies, J. Marty (Committee member)
- Briggs, John M. (Committee member)
- Stromberg, Juliet C. (Committee member)
- Wu, Jianguo (Committee member)
- Arizona State University (Publisher)
Topical Subject
Geographic Subject
Resource Type
Extent
xiii, 197 p. : ill. (some col.)., col. maps)
Language
Copyright Statement
In Copyright
Primary Member of
Peer-reviewed
No
Open Access
No
Handle
https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.8765
Statement of Responsibility
by Brigitte Wieshofer Hogan
Description Source
Retrieved Sept. 20, 2012
Level of coding
full
Note
Partial requirement for: Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2010
Note type
thesis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-174)
Note type
bibliography
Field of study: Biology
System Created
- 2011-08-12 02:58:37
System Modified
- 2021-08-30 01:56:10
- 2 years 8 months ago
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