scholarly journals The distribution and behavioral characteristics of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Qiu ◽  
Cang Ma ◽  
Fang-Fang Li
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Source Distance ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) are regarded as one of the main reasons for the degradation of alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The population density of plateau pikas is directly related to the degree of grassland damage. In this study, a one-week field observation was conducted in the southeastern QTP in August 2019. Based on the photos and videos, the random encounter model (REM) was used to estimate the population density of plateau pikas, and the frequency of different behaviors was counted. The effects of water source distance and terrain on the distribution of plateau pikas were also investigated. In addition, the frequency of different behaviors of plateau pikas under different population densities was also explored. The observations and knowledge derived from this study provide a reference for the population control of plateau pikas.

scholarly journals The distribution and behavioral characteristics of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

ZooKeys ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1059 ◽  
pp. 157-171
Author(s):  
Jun Qiu ◽  
Cang Ma ◽  
Ying-Hui Jia ◽  
Jin-Zhao Wang ◽  
Shou-Kai Cao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Field Observation ◽  
Population Control ◽  
Water Source ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Behavioral Characteristics ◽  
Population Densities ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Source Distance ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) are regarded as one of the main causes of the degradation of alpine meadows in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). The population density of plateau pikas is directly related to the degree of grassland damage. In this study, field observation was conducted for one week in the southeastern QTP in August 2019. A random encounter model (REM) was used to estimate the population density of plateau pikas from photographs and videos, and the frequencies of different behaviors were calculated. In addition, the effects of water-source distance and terrain on the distribution of plateau pikas and the frequencies of different pika behaviors under different population densities were explored. The observations and knowledge derived from this study provide a reference for the population control of plateau pikas.

scholarly journals Mumia zhuanghuii sp. nov., isolated from the intestinal contents of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 2233-2238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Tian ◽  
Shan Lu ◽  
Dong Jin ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
Ji Pu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Intestinal Contents ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Two Gram-staining-positive, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, aerobic, non-motile, irregular rod-shaped bacterial strains (Z350T and Z527) were isolated from intestinal contents of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) from the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, PR China. Results of phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain Z350T belongs to the genus Mumia (family Nocardioidaceae ) but clearly differs from the currently recognized species Mumia xiangluensis DSM 101040T (98.4 % similarity) and Mumia flava DSM 27763T (97.4 %). Strain Z350T had a DNA G+C content of 70.7 mol% and shared 80.4 and 76.7 % average nucleotide identity values and 23.4 and 20.6 % in silico DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness with M. xiangluensis DSM 101040T and M. flava DSM 27763T, respectively. Further phylogenetic analyses based on 497 core genes indicated that our isolates were members of the genus Mumia but separated from all existing genera within the family Nocardioidaceae . The major cellular fatty acids were C18 : 1 ω9c and 10-methyl C18 : 0. The cell wall contained ll-diaminopimelic acid as the diamino acid, and rhamnose, ribose and glucose as whole cell-wall sugars. MK-9(H4) was detected as the major menaquinone. Polar lipids present were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and one unidentified phospholipid. Based on distinct differences in the genotypic and phenotypic data from the two Mumia species, a novel species, Mumia zhuanghuii sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is Z350T (=CGMCC 4.7464T=DSM 106288T).

Gut microbiome adaptation to extreme cold winter in wild plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2020 ◽  
Vol 367 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yijie Wang ◽  
Rui Zhou ◽  
Qiaoling Yu ◽  
Tianshu Feng ◽  
Huan Li
Keyword(s):  
High Altitude ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Cellulase Activity ◽  
Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Degrading Bacteria ◽  
Extreme Cold ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

ABSTRACT The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a harsh environment characterized by low temperature, high altitude and hypoxia, although some native mammals may adapt well to the extreme climate. However, how animal gut microbial community structure and function adapt to extreme cold climates is not well understood. Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) is an ideal animal model with which to study the effects of climate change on host adaptation by studing intestinal microorganisms. Here, we used 16S rRNA sequencing technology combined with physiological methods to investigate plateau pika gut microbiota in summer and winter. Due to limited diet resources, the pikas in winter have a lower ability of degradation and fermentation for plant-based food (reduced cellulase activity and total short-chain fatty acids) by decreasing gut microbial diversity and some functional microbes, such as fiber-degrading bacteria Oscillospira and Treponema. Metagenomic prediction showed that most of those gene functions associated with metabolism (e.g. energy metabolism and lipid metabolism) were less abundant in winter, implying that the plateau pika slows diet fermentation and weakens energy requirements in the cold season. Our results have significance for explaining the mechanism of wild plateau mammals adapting to a high-altitude cold environment from the perspective of gut microbiome.

scholarly journals Georgenia wutianyii sp. nov. and Georgenia yuyongxinii sp. nov. isolated from plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai–Tibet plateau of China

2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 2318-2324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Tian ◽  
Dezhu Zhang ◽  
Shan Lu ◽  
Dong Jin ◽  
Jing Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Type Strain ◽  
Type Species ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Link Type ◽  
Ochotona Curzoniae ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽  
Type Strains

Four novel bacterial strains, designated Z294T, Z311, Z443T and Z446, were isolated from the intestinal contents of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau of China. Cells were Gram-stain-positive, catalase-positive, oxidase-negative, aerobic, non-motile and short-rod shaped. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the four isolates belong to the genus Georgenia , but clearly separate from the currently recognized species. Both type strains (Z294T and Z443T) shared low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, digital DNA–DNA hybridization relatedness and average nucleotide identity values with Georginia satyanarayanai NBRC 107612T, G. subflava JCM 19765T, G. ruanii JCM 15130T and G. thermotolerans DSM 21501T and against each other. The genomic DNA G+C contents of strains Z294T and Z443T were 73.3 and 70 %, respectively. The major cellular fatty acids of strain Z294T were anteiso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 1 A and C16 : 0, in contrast to anteiso-C15 : 0 and anteiso-C15 : 1 A for strain Z443T. Both type strains (Z294T and Z443T) shared the following common features: glucose, rhamnose and ribose as cell-wall sugars; MK-8(H4) as major menaquinone; alanine, glutamic acid and lysine as cell-wall amino acids; and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol mannoside and one unidentified phosphoglycolipid as polar lipids. Comparing the phenotypic and phylogenetic features among the four strains and their related organisms, strains Z294T and Z443T represent two novel species within the genus Georgenia , for which the names Georgenia wutianyii sp. nov. (type strain Z294T=CGMCC 1.16428T=DSM 106344T) and Georgenia yuyongxinii sp. nov. (type strain Z443T=CGMCC 1.16435T=DSM 106174T) are proposed.

scholarly journals The burying and grazing effects of plateau pika on alpine grassland are small: a pilot study in a semiarid basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6273-6284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuhua Yi ◽  
Jianjun Chen ◽  
Yu Qin ◽  
Gaowei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Net Primary Production ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Alpine Grassland ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Plateau Pika ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Grazing Effects ◽  
Considerable Controversy ◽  
The One ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

Abstract. There is considerable controversy about the effects of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae, hereafter pika) on alpine grassland on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). On the one hand, pika is considered a keystone species. On the other hand, it is being poisoned. Although significant efforts have been made to study the effects of pika at a quadrat scale ( ∼  m2), our knowledge about its distribution and effects at a larger scale is very limited. In this study, we investigated the direct effects, i.e., burying and grazing, of pika by upscaling field sampling at a quadrat scale to a plot scale ( ∼  1000 m2) by aerial photographing. Altogether 168 plots were set on four different types of alpine grassland in a semiarid basin on the QTP. Results showed that (1) the effects of pika pile burying on the reduction of vegetation cover, biomass, soil carbon, and nitrogen were less than 10 %, which was much smaller than the effects of bald patches; and (2) pika consumed 8–21 % of annual net primary production of grassland. We concluded that the direct burying and grazing effects of pika on alpine grassland were minor in this region. The quadcopter is an efficient and economic tool for long-term repeated monitoring over large regions for further understanding the role of pika.

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