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Caching selection by plateau pika and its biological significance

LIU Wei,ZHANG Yu,WANG Xi,ZHAO Jianzhong,XU Qingmin,ZHOU Li   

  1. Northwest Plateau Institute of Biology,the Chinese Academy of Sciences,Xining 810001,China
  • Online:2009-06-20 Published:2009-03-08

高原鼠兔贮草选择及其生物学意义

刘伟, 张毓, 王溪, 赵建中, 许庆民, 周立   

  1. 中国科学院西北高原生物研究所,西宁 810001

Abstract: The study analyzed the placing of haypiles,the quantities of haypiles,and the plant species composition of haypiles
in different habitats,and compared the relation between haypiles and habitats and food items in winter by observational and sampling methods. The results showed that pikas adopted a special way in which haypiles were placed on Lamiophlomis rotata or on Oxytropis kansuensis to protect them from rotting. The haypile quantities were different in three kinds of habitats. The mean was 29.00 ± 17.09 unit/ ha in the forbs meadow,16.33 ±9.50 unit /ha in the Elymus nutans meadow, and 12.67 ± 6.66 unit / ha in the Kobresia humilis meadow. The 5 largest haypiles included 37 plant species in the Kobresia humilis meadow. Preference indices were above 3 for 10 plant species,and the highest proportion for plant species were Oxytropis kansuensis (23.6% ) and Ajania khartensis (19.1% ). The similarity analysis results showed that,except for the second haypiles,the similarity coefficients between the different haypiles were high. The correlation analysis for plant species composition was positive and significant (r = 0.7323,df =6,P <0.05). The enclosed haypiles were not consumed by pikas. Based on these results,we explained the biological significance of caching haypiles by pikas,and we think that pikas collected haypiles as a hedge against an unpredictable food shortage in winter.

Key words: Caching, Haypiles, Habitat, Plateau pika(Ochotona curzoniae)

摘要: 本文采用观察法和样方法对不同栖息地类型高原鼠兔的贮草选择进行了分析,旨在探讨高原鼠兔在不同栖息地类型中干草堆的放置方式、数量、植物种类组成以及与栖息地类型和冬季食物组成的关系,在此基础上,阐明高原鼠兔建立干草堆的生物学意义。结果表明,高原鼠兔堆集干草堆的方式与其它鼠兔不同,它们将干草堆放置于独一味、甘肃棘豆等植物上,以减少干草堆植物的腐烂;不同栖息地类型干草堆数量有所不同,杂类草草甸中干草堆较多,平均为29.00 ± 17.09 个/ hm2 ,其次为垂穗披碱草草甸,干草堆数量平均为16.33 ± 9.50个/hm2 ,矮嵩草草甸中干草堆最少,平均为12.67 ± 6.66 个/ hm2 。在矮嵩草草甸中,5 个较大的干草堆由37 种植物组成,其中10 种植物选择水平在3 级以上,而甘肃棘豆和铺散亚菊占有较大的比例,分别为23.6% 和19.% 。不同干草堆间相似性分析结果表明,除第2 个干草堆外,其余干草堆间相似性指数较高,最高为第3 个和第4 个干草堆之间,为0.9070。相关分析结果显示,干草堆主要植物组成与高原鼠兔冬季食物主要组成之间呈显著的正相关(r = 0.7323,df = 6,P <0.05)。扣笼试验结果表明,高原鼠兔冬季未取食扣笼内的干草堆。在综合分析高原鼠兔的贮草行为的基础上,我们认为,高原鼠兔建立干草堆的目的是为了应付冬季食物条件的不可预测性。

关键词: 高原鼠兔, 贮草, 干草堆, 栖息地