scholarly journals Characterization of the spatial distribution of plateau pika burrows along an alpine grassland degradation gradient on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawen Qian ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
Bo Fan ◽  
Yuting Lan ◽  
Guangmin Cao
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Grassland Degradation ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

scholarly journals The burying and grazing effects of plateau pika on alpine grassland are small: a pilot study in a semiarid basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6273-6284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhua Yi ◽  
Jianjun Chen ◽  
Yu Qin ◽  
Gaowei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Effects ◽  
Considerable Controversy ◽  
The One ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract. There is considerable controversy about the effects of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae, hereafter pika) on alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). On the one hand, pika is considered a keystone species. On the other hand, it is being poisoned. Although significant efforts have been made to study the effects of pika at a quadrat scale ( ∼  m2), our knowledge about its distribution and effects at a larger scale is very limited. In this study, we investigated the direct effects, i.e., burying and grazing, of pika by upscaling field sampling at a quadrat scale to a plot scale ( ∼  1000 m2) by aerial photographing. Altogether 168 plots were set on four different types of alpine grassland in a semiarid basin on the QTP. Results showed that (1) the effects of pika pile burying on the reduction of vegetation cover, biomass, soil carbon, and nitrogen were less than 10 %, which was much smaller than the effects of bald patches; and (2) pika consumed 8–21 % of annual net primary production of grassland. We concluded that the direct burying and grazing effects of pika on alpine grassland were minor in this region. The quadcopter is an efficient and economic tool for long-term repeated monitoring over large regions for further understanding the role of pika.

scholarly journals Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii from Qinghai vole, Plateau pika and Tibetan ground-tit on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao-Xuan Zhang ◽  
Zhong-Zi Lou ◽  
Si-Yang Huang ◽  
Dong-Hui Zhou ◽  
Wan-Zhong Jia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Genetic Characterization ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Legacy effect of warming on the heterotrophic respiration of alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 104093
Author(s):  
Fei Peng ◽  
Wenjuan Zhang ◽  
Chimin Lai ◽  
Chengyang Li ◽  
Quangang You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heterotrophic Respiration ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Legacy Effect ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

scholarly journals Vector-Borne Pathogens with Veterinary and Public Health Significance in Melophagus ovinus (Sheep Ked) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 249
Author(s):  
Qing-Xun Zhang ◽  
Ye Wang ◽  
Ying Li ◽  
Shu-Yi Han ◽  
Bo Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Molecular Characterization ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Border Disease Virus ◽  
Public Health Significance ◽  
Melophagus Ovinus ◽  
Health Significance ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Melophagus ovinus (sheep ked) is a hematophagous ectoparasite that mainly parasitizes sheep. In addition to causing inflammation, wool loss, and skin damage to the animal hosts, M. ovinus also serves as a vector for a variety of pathogens and is highly likely to participate in the life and transmission cycle of pathogenic organisms. Herein, we investigated the presence and molecular characterization of vector-borne pathogens in M. ovinus from Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China. A total of 92 M. ovinus pools collected from the Qinghai province of China were screened for the presence of selected vector-borne pathogens. The overall positive rate of A. ovis, A. bovis, A. phagocytophilum, and T. ovis in M. ovinus was 39.1%, 17.4%, 9.8%, and 89.1%, respectively. All of the samples were negative for Border disease virus (BDV), other Anaplasma species, Babesia spp., Rickettsia spp., and Borrelia spp. Co-infection of different Anaplasma species and T. ovis occurred in 51.2% of all samples with T. ovis. The positive rates of A. ovis, A. bovis, and A. phagocytophilum in different regions and altitudes of the sampling sites were significantly different. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of target genes confirmed their identity with corresponding pathogens. Our results elucidate the occurrence and molecular characterization of Anaplasma spp. and Theileria spp. in M. ovinus, which could act as potential zoonotic reservoirs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the detection of A. bovis and A. phagocytophilum DNA in M. ovinus. This study gives the first extensive molecular survey of vector-borne pathogens with veterinary and public health significance in M. ovinus from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China.

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