Herbivores can influence plant species richness and plant aboveground biomass. However, only a few studies have examined their impact on the relationship between plant aboveground biomass and plant species richness, focusing on large herbivores. This study examined the influence of a small burrowing herbivore, the plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) with averaging 150 g, on the plant aboveground biomass, plant species richness, and their relationship in the alpine meadows on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The study used a random stratified paired sampling design to collect data on plant species richness and plant aboveground biomass across five sites. Each site contained 10 pairs of plots. Each pair consisted of an undisturbed plot and a disturbed plot. Plant species richness was higher in the disturbed plots; whereas, plant aboveground biomass did not differ in relation to plateau pika disturbance. In the undisturbed plots, the plant species richness increased positively with plant aboveground biomass. In the disturbed plots, the plant species richness peaked at intermediate plant aboveground biomass levels. The findings suggest that small herbivores could alter the relationship between plant aboveground biomass and plant species richness by inducing an increase in plant species diversity, and they should be considered for assessing the management and conservation measures of alpine meadow.

中文翻译：

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高原鼠兔对植物地上生物量与植物物种丰富度关系的影响

草食动物会影响植物物种的丰富性和植物地上生物量。但是，只有少数研究检查了它们对植物地上生物量与植物物种丰富度之间关系的影响，重点是大型草食动物。这项研究检查了一个小型穴居食草动物，高原鼠兔（Ochotona curzoniae）平均每公顷150克，青藏高原高寒草甸植物地上生物量，植物物种丰富度及其相互关系。该研究使用随机分层配对抽样设计来收集有关五个地点的植物物种丰富度和植物地上生物量的数据。每个站点包含10对地块。每对包括一个不受干扰的图和一个受干扰的图。受干扰区的植物物种丰富度较高。相反，植物地上生物量与高原鼠兔干扰无差异。在未受干扰的地块中，植物物种丰富度随着植物地上生物量的增加而正增加。在受干扰的地块中，植物物种丰富度在中间植物地上生物量水平达到峰值。