关键词: 高原鼠兔, 移动, 间断性, 捕食风险

Abstract: We measured the frequency of locomotions above-ground and within burrows, as well as the distance of each movement, of plateau pikas ( Ochotona curzoniae) using direct field observations. Locomotion rates and distances differed significantly by sex and age of pikas, as well as by month of the year. Prior to the breeding season, adult male pikas moved significantly more frequently above-ground than did females. Locomotion frequency of adult females was higher during the breeding period than after it. We observed no significant differences in locomotion rates of adults vs. juveniles during the breeding season. Males traveled greater distances during each locomotion than did females early in the breeding season, but no gender difference was observed during other time periods. Among males, distances traveled during each locomotion bout tended to decrease gradually from April to August. In contrast, we observed no discernible seasonal patterns among females. Our results were in accord with predictions that small herbivores living with high predation risk would adopt a discontinuous mode of locomotion and increase their investment in anti-predators behaviors.

Key words: Discontinuous locomotion, Locomotion, Plateau pika( Ochotona curzoniae), Predation