Rodent disturbances inhibit ecosystem respiration in an alpine meadow

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2025.0055

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Recent years have witnessed an acceleration in the degradation of alpine meadows on Qingzang Plateau due to rodent disturbances. While it is widely recognized that the digging and foraging activities of rodents significantly influence plant communities and soil properties, the effects of these disturbances on ecosystem respiration (Re) in alpine meadows, as well as the key driving factors associated with this process, have been seldom examined. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of rodent disturbances on soil respiration and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms in an alpine meadow.

Methods The static chamber-gas chromatography technique was employed to measure ecosystem respiration flux over a one-year period, spanning from October 2022 to October 2023. The differences in ecosystem respiration between healthy meadows (HM, control) and zokor-induced mound patches (ZM, treatment) were determined in an alpine meadow located in the northeastern Qingzang Plateau.

Important findings The annual cumulative respiration (Re) flux was observed to be 27.60% lower in the ZM plots compared to the HM plots. During the growing season, the cumulative Re flux in the ZM plots was 28.64% lower, and in the non-growing season, it was 16.39% lower. The difference in temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) was minimal between the HM and ZM plots on an annual basis (6.11 ± 0.31 for HM and 5.78 ± 0.41 for ZM) and on a seasonal basis (4.13 ± 0.85 for the growing season and 4.10 ± 0.61 for the non-growing season). Notably, the Q₁₀ value during the non-growing season was significantly higher in the HM plots (11.90 ± 1.80) compared to the ZM plots (4.76 ± 1.00). The seasonal variation pattern of Re was consistent across the different treatments. Soil temperature, along with its interaction with soil moisture, significantly contributed to the variation in Re emissions, with soil temperature alone accounting for 59.7% to 85.3% of the observed variations. This study demonstrates that rodent disturbance significantly inhibits respiration in meadow ecosystems, which has important implications for carbon cycling and ecosystem management in grassland environments.

Key words: rodent, disturbance, alpine meadow, ecosystem respiration, soil temperature, temperature sensitivity

YU Dong-Sheng, ZHANG Ze-Long, GAN De-Zhao, LI Zheng, LI Hui-Nan, LIN Zhen-Rong, MA Lei, NAN Li-Li. Rodent disturbances inhibit ecosystem respiration in an alpine meadow[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2026, 50(6): 1380-1392.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2025.0055

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2026/V50/I6/1380

Figures/Tables 9

Table 1 Basic soil and vegetation characteristics of healthy meadow (HM) and zokor mound (ZM) plots in the alpine meadows of the northeastern Qingzang Plateau (mean ± SE)

指标 Index	健康草甸 HM	鼠丘斑块 ZM
经纬度 Longitude and latitude	32.80° N, 102.55° E	32.80° N, 102.55° E
土壤容重 Soil bulk density (g·cm^-3) (0-5 cm)	0.89 ± 0.04^a	0.81 ± 0.02^a
土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (g·kg^-1)	53.86 ± 0.44^a	40.41 ± 0.77^b
土壤全氮含量 Soil total nitrogen content (g·kg^-1)	3.39 ± 0.32^a	4.47 ± 0.16^a
pH	5.53 ± 0.00^a	5.54 ± 0.01^a
地上生物量 Aboveground biomass (g·m^-2)	481.54 ± 103.73^a	231.60 ± 25.92^b
植被盖度 Vegetation coverage (%)	97.00 ± 1.08^a	52.25 ± 12.75^b
优势物种 Dominant species	矮生嵩草、薹草、雪白委陵菜、连翘叶黄芩 Carex alatauensis, Carex sp., Potentilla nivea, Scutellaria hypericifolia	草地早熟禾、发草、垂穗披碱草、雪白委陵菜 Poa pratensis, Deschampsia caespitosa, Elymus nutans, Potentilla nivea

Fig. 1 Daily variation in snow depth (A), air temperature (Ta), and precipitation (B) in the alpine meadows on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau.

Fig. 2 Types of plant patches and plot settings in the alpine meadows on the northeastern edge of the Qingzang Plateau. A, Sample plot layout. B, Healthy meadow patch (HM). C, Rodent-disturbed area. D, Zokor mound patches (ZM).

Fig. 3 Seasonal variation patterns of 0-5 cm soil temperature (Ts, A), soil water content (SWC, C), and ecosystem respiration (Re, E) in healthy meadow (HM) and zokor mounds patches (ZM) of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of the Qingzang Plateau, as well as the mean differences for the annual, non-growing season (NGS), and growing season (GS) (B, D, F) (mean ± SE). Different lowercase letters denote significant differences between treatments at different times (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Differences in cumulative fluxes of ecosystem respiration for the annual, growing season (GS), and non-growing season (NGS) in the healthy meadow (HM) and zokor mounds patches (ZM) of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau. Different lowercase letters denote significant differences among different treatments across the three periods (p < 0.05). * denote significance at the levels of p < 0.05, and ns indicates no significance.

Fig. 5 Cumulative ecosystem respiration flux in the healthy meadow (HM) and zokor mounds patches (ZM) (A) and the contribution of non-growing season (B) (mean ± SE) of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau.

Fig. 6 Effect of soil temperature (Ts) on ecosystem respiration flux (Re) for the annual (A, D), growing season (GS, B, E), and non-growing season (NGS, C, F) in the healthy meadow and zokor mounds patches of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau (mean ± SE). HM, healthy meadow; ZM, zokor mound patches.

Fig. 7 Temperature sensitivity (Q10) of ecosystem respiration flux (Re) in healthy meadow (HM) and zokor mounds patches of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau for the annual, non-growing season (NGS) and growing season (GS) (mean ± SE). Different lowercase letters denote significant differences among different treatments across the three periods (p < 0.05). * denote significance at the levels of p < 0.05, and ns indicates no significance.

Fig. 8 Effect of soil water content (SWC) on seasonal ecosystem respiration flux (Re) of an alpine meadow on the northeastern edge of Qingzang Plateau (mean ± SE). HM, healthy meadow; ZM, zokor mound patches. GS, growing season; NGS, non-growing season.

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