Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) and plateau zokors (Myospalax baileyi) occur naturally in the alpine meadow of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Their feeding and burrowing activities affect plant composition and soil properties (e.g., soil carbon accumulation and soil nitrogen cycling), but research to study the complex interactions between small mammals, livestock, and habitat is currently lacking. We conducted a sheep grazing trial to determine the effect of grazing management on pika burrow and zokor mound density, and the relationships between sheep production and pika burrow and zokor mound density. The grazing management approaches were warm‐season rotational grazing at 24 and 48 sheep months (SM)/ha, cold‐season rotational grazing at 24 and 48 SM/ha, seasonal continuous grazing at 24 SM/ha, and whole‐year continuous grazing at 48 SM/ha. The results of this study suggested that warm‐season rotational grazing at low stocking rate did not significantly change both pika and zokor densities. Cold‐season rotational grazing at both high and low stocking rates and seasonal continuous grazing at low stocking rate led to an increase in zokor mound density, but not pika burrow density. Whole‐year continuous grazing at high stocking rate increased both pika and zokor densities. The influence of pika and zokor activities on sheep production was complex and differed between grazing management. Sheep liveweight gain peaked at moderate pika burrow and zokor mound density at low stocking rate under both warm‐ and cold‐season rotational grazing. The threshold values of pika density were about 110 and 70 burrows per hectare in warm and cold seasons, respectively. The threshold value of zokor density was about 400 mounds per hectare in the cold season. In contrast, under high stocking rate regardless of management approach, sheep liveweight gain declined significantly as both pika burrow and zokor mound density increased. This paper provides a theoretical understanding and experimental evidence for sustainable grazing management and restoration of degraded grassland by local herders and policymakers.

中文翻译：

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高寒草甸皮卡洞穴和z鼠丘的密度及其与放牧管理和绵羊生产的关系

高原鼠兔（Ochotona curzoniae）和高原鼠兔（Myospalax baileyi）自然发生在青藏高原（QTP）的高山草甸上。它们的取食和穴居活动影响植物的组成和土壤特性（例如，土壤碳的积累和土壤氮循环），但目前尚缺乏研究小型哺乳动物，牲畜和栖息地之间复杂相互作用的研究。我们进行了放牧绵羊试验，以确定放牧管理对鼠兔洞穴和果蝇丘密度的影响，以及绵羊产量与鼠兔洞穴和果蝇丘密度之间的关系。放牧管理方法为：暖季轮牧为24和48个羊月（SM）/ ha，冷季轮牧为24和48 SM / ha，季节性连续放牧为24 SM / ha，以及全年连续放牧以48 SM / ha。这项研究的结果表明，低放养率的暖季轮牧不会显着改变鼠兔和z鼠的密度。高放养率和低放养率的冷季轮牧和低放养率的季节性连续放牧导致z鼠丘密度增加，但鼠兔洞穴密度没有增加。全年以高放养率连续放牧增加了鼠兔和z​​鼠的密度。皮卡和z鼠活动对绵羊生产的影响是复杂的，放牧管理之间也存在差异。在低温和低温季节轮作放牧的情况下，低活畜率下，适度的皮卡洞穴和z鼠丘密度使绵羊的活体重增加达到峰值。在温暖和寒冷的季节，鼠兔密度的阈值分别为每公顷约110和70个洞穴。在寒冷季节，z鼠密度的阈值约为每公顷400土墩。相反，无论采用何种饲养方式，在高放养率下，绵羊的体重增加都显着下降，因为皮卡洞穴和bur鼠丘的密度都增加了。本文为当地牧民和决策者提供可持续的放牧管理和退化草地恢复的理论理解和实验证据。