![]() The plateau pika should be managed in concert with other uses of the land to ensure preservation of China's native biodiversity, as well as long-term sustainable use of the pastureland by domestic livestock. Black-lipped pikas are found in the Alpine meadows and steppes of the Tibetan plateau in the Chang Taung region of the Peoples Republic. The plateau pika is a keystone species because it: (i) makes burrows that are the primary homes to a wide variety of small birds and lizards (ii) creates microhabitat disturbance that results in an increase in plant species richness (iii) serves as the principal prey for nearly all of the plateau's predator species (iv) contributes positively to ecosystem-level dynamics. The studies on the reproduction ecology of Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae),as a part of a five-year (1984-1988) project of the behavioural ecology of the. This study showed that plateau pika bioturbation was related to lower organic C concentrations in bare soil in the 010 cm and 1020 cm layers than in vegetated soil and to lower total N. ![]() In contrast, we highlight the important role the plateau pika plays as a keystone species in the Tibetan plateau ecosystem. ![]() Putative reasons for these control measures are that pika populations may reach high densities and correspondingly reduce forage for domestic livestock (yak, sheep, horses), and because they may be responsible for habitat degradation. Pikas, tiny mammals which live in the meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau at altitudes of some 16,400 feet, were studied by experts with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Plateau pikas ( Ochotona curzoniae) are poisoned widely across the plateau. Photo: Andrew Smith (cover photo for Integrative Zoology Issue 13.4). The Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is a medium-sized rodent (c140g) that occurs mainly on the high desert plateaux of China, but also in Tibet, Pakistan. Plateau pika evolved with the uplifting of the Tibetan Plateau (Yu et. Yale University Press, New Haven, Connecticut, pp 233256 Smith AT, Dobson FS (2004) Social dynamics in the plateau pika. It is necessary to look at the big picture when managing biological resources on the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibetan) plateau. Download scientific diagram The plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). In August, population densities may range from 100 to 400 pikas ha1 (Liu et al., 1982).
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