Rodent Biology and Management; Abstracts of papers presented at the International Conference on Rodent Biology and Management, held at Beijing, China, 5-9 October 1998

Farm Management,

Population Dynamics - Session 2

Multi-scale density-dependent dispersal in spatially structured populations Xavier Lambin, Chris Sutherland, David Elston Coupling agent-based with equation-based models to study spatially explicit megapopulation dynamics Patrick Giraudoux, Nicolas Marilleau, Christophe Lang The Bruce effect revisited: is pregnancy termination in female rodents an adaptation to ensure breeding success after male turnover in low densities? Jana A. Eccard, Melanie Dammhahn, Hannu Ylönen The long-haired rat (Rattus villosissimus): an ecosystem disrupter in arid Australia Chris R. Pavey, Catherine E. M. Nano The role of food availability in life history traits and population dynamics of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in pine dominated forest Zbigniew Borowski, Kateryna Fyjałkowska, Anna Tereba, Aleksandra Tadeusiak Does anticipatory reproduction exist? Victoria A. Vekhnik, Vladimir P. Vekhnik Small mammals in montane forests: not where, but when? Ana Maria Benedek, Ioan Sîrbu Breeding versus survival: proximal causes of abrupt population decline under environmental change in a desert rodent Andrey Tchabovsky, Ludmila Savinetskaya, Elena Surkova Habitat preferences and spatial distribution of lemmings in western Taimyr Igor Yu. Popov The linkage between Melocanna bamboo flowering and rodent outbreaks: an empirical study from Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh Nikhil Chakma, Noor Jahan Sarker, Steven R. Belmain, Sohrab Uddin Sarker, Ken Aplin, Nazira Q. Kamal, Sontosh Kumar Sarker, AID-Comilla Population dynamics and breeding patterns of multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensi, Smith 1832) in semi-arid areas in Tanzania Emmanuel C.M. Mlyashimbi, Marien Joackim, Akwilini J. P. Tarimo, Didas N. Kimaro, Moses Isabirye, Robert S. Machang'u, Mashaka E. Mdangi, Rhodes H. Makundi, Herwig Leirs, Loth S. Mulungu Effects of stream proximity on trails of Cuniculus paca: a 20 year survey Jose M. Mora, Eduardo Carrillo It’s a trap: effective methods for monitoring mouse populations in Australia Peter R. Brown, Steve Henry, Roger P. Pech, Jennyffer Cruz, Lyn A. Hinds, Nikki Van de Weyer, Peter Caley Study on the evolutionary ecology of small herbivorous mammals: life history strategy of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae)Haiyan Nie, Jike LiuMulti-scale density-dependent dispersal in spatially structured populations Xavier Lambin, Chris Sutherland, David Elston Coupling agent-based with equation-based models to study spatially explicit megapopulation dynamics Patrick Giraudoux, Nicolas Marilleau, Christophe Lang The Bruce effect revisited: is pregnancy termination in female rodents an adaptation to ensure breeding success after male turnover in low densities? Jana A. Eccard, Melanie Dammhahn, Hannu Ylönen The long-haired rat (Rattus villosissimus): an ecosystem disrupter in arid Australia Chris R. Pavey, Catherine E. M. Nano The role of food availability in life history traits and population dynamics of the edible dormouse (Glis glis) in pine dominated forest Zbigniew Borowski, Kateryna Fyjałkowska, Anna Tereba, Aleksandra Tadeusiak Does anticipatory reproduction exist? Victoria A. Vekhnik, Vladimir P. Vekhnik Small mammals in montane forests: not where, but when? Ana Maria Benedek, Ioan Sîrbu Breeding versus survival: proximal causes of abrupt population decline under environmental change in a desert rodent Andrey Tchabovsky, Ludmila Savinetskaya, Elena Surkova Habitat preferences and spatial distribution of lemmings in western Taimyr Igor Yu. Popov The linkage between Melocanna bamboo flowering and rodent outbreaks: an empirical study from Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh Nikhil Chakma, Noor Jahan Sarker, Steven R. Belmain, Sohrab Uddin Sarker, Ken Aplin, Nazira Q. Kamal, Sontosh Kumar Sarker, AID-Comilla Population dynamics and breeding patterns of multimammate rat (Mastomys natalensi, Smith 1832) in semi-arid areas in Tanzania Emmanuel C.M. Mlyashimbi, Marien Joackim, Akwilini J. P. Tarimo, Didas N. Kimaro, Moses Isabirye, Robert S. Machang'u, Mashaka E. Mdangi, Rhodes H. Makundi, Herwig Leirs, Loth S. Mulungu Effects of stream proximity on trails of Cuniculus paca: a 20 year survey Jose M. Mora, Eduardo Carrillo It’s a trap: effective methods for monitoring mouse populations in Australia Peter R. Brown, Steve Henry, Roger P. Pech, Jennyffer Cruz, Lyn A. Hinds, Nikki Van de Weyer, Peter Caley Study on the evolutionary ecology of small herbivorous mammals: life history strategy of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae)Haiyan Nie, Jike Liu             Haiyan Nie, Jike Li

Herbivory and Competition of Tibetan Steppe Vegetation in Winter Pasture: Effects of Livestock Exclosure and Plateau Pika Reduction

abstract: Rangeland degradation has been identified as a serious concern in alpine regions of western China on the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau (QTP). Numerous government-sponsored programs have been initiated, including many that feature long-term grazing prohibitions and some that call for eliminating pastoralism altogether. As well, government programs have long favored eliminating plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae), assumed to contribute to degraded conditions. However, vegetation on the QTP evolved in the presence of herbivory, suggesting that deleterious effects from grazing are, to some extent, compensated for by reduced plant-plant competition. We examined the dynamics of common steppe ecosystem species as well as physical indicators of rangeland stress by excluding livestock and reducing pika abundance on experimental plots, and following responses for 4 years. We established 12 fenced livestock exclosures within pastures grazed during winter by local pastoralists, and removed pikas on half of these. We established paired, permanent vegetation plots within and outside exclosures and measured indices of erosion and biomass of common plant species. We observed modest restoration of physical site conditions (reduced bare soil, erosion, greater vegetation cover) with both livestock exclusion and pika reduction. As expected in areas protected from grazing, we observed a reduction in annual productivity of plant species avoided by livestock and assumed to compete poorly when protected from grazing. Contrary to expectation, we observed similar reductions in annual productivity among palatable, perennial graminoids under livestock exclusion. The dominant grass, Stipa purpurea, displayed evidence of density-dependent growth, suggesting that intra-specific competition exerted a regulatory effect on annual production in the absence of grazing. Complete grazing bans on winter pastures in steppe habitats on the QTP may assist in the recovery of highly eroded pastures, but may not increase annual vegetative production.The article is published at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.013289

Using a landscape ecological perspective to analyze regime shifts in social–ecological systems: a case study on grassland degradation of the Tibetan Plateau

Context Landscape ecology thinking and social–ecological system (SES) thinking investigate human–environment relationships from the perspective of ‘space’ and ‘system’, respectively. To date, empirical landscape ecology studies attempting to understand SES complexities are rare. Objectives Using the Tibetan pastoral landscape as an empirical example, we conceptualize the black-soil formation as SES regime shifts. We seek to illustrate the spatial patterns of black-soil formation in the Tibetan SES, and to reveal their underlying ecological processes. Methods We conducted interdisciplinary research in a Tibetan pastoral village. We obtained quantitative data on historical land-use intensity (LUI) and the associated management narratives. Landsat-based NDVI time series were used to derive a grassland productivity proxy and to reconstruct the process leading to the up-scaling of the regime shift of degradation. Results Important SES features, such as LUI, productivity and degradation risk are heterogeneously distributed in space. Land-use intensification at farm-scales in the 1990s increased landscape-scale degradation risks. Eventually the regime shift of degradation scaled up from the plot level to the landscape level in the 2010s. The time lag was related to the gradual invasion of a native burrowing animal, the plateau pika, which inhabits low-vegetation height pastures. Conclusions Our study shows that landscape ecology thinking provides an important spatial perspective to understanding SES complexities. The finding that unfavorable SES regime shifts are strongly linked across spatial scales implies that an ‘entry point’ into an adaptive management circle should be initiated when local-scale regime shifts are perceived and interpreted as early warning signals

Qinghai–tibetan plateau peatland sustainable utilization under anthropogenic disturbances and climate change

Often referred to as the “Third Pole,” China's Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau developed large amounts of peatland owing to its unique alpine environment. As a renewable resource, peat helps to regulate the climate as well as performing other important functions. However, in recent years, intensifying climate change and anthropogenic disturbances have resulted in peatland degradation and consequently made sustainable development of peatland more difficult. This review summarizes peatland ecological and economic functions, including carbon sequestration, biodiversity conservation, energy supplies, and ecotourism. It identifies climate change and anthropogenic disturbances as the two key factors attributing to peatland degradation and ecosystem carbon loss. Current problems in environmental degradation and future challenges in peatland management under the effects of global warming are also discussed and highlighted

Rewilding soil-disturbing vertebrates to rehabilitate degraded landscapes: benefits and risks

Soil-disturbing animals are common globally and play important roles in creating and maintaining healthy functional soils and landscapes. Yet many of these animals are threatened or locally extinct due to habitat loss, predation by non-native animals or poaching and poisoning. Some reintroduction and rewilding programmes have as their core aims to increase animal populations and reinstate processes that have been lost due to their extirpation. Here we use a meta-analytical approach to review the effects of soil-disturbing vertebrates on ecosystem processes, and advance the argument that they can be used to rehabilitate degraded ecosystems by altering mainly composition and function, but with fewer positive effects on structure. We describe four examples where the loss or reintroduction of soil-disturbing vertebrates leads to ecosystem state changes and highlight the role of spatial scale, covarying management changes, and species co-occurrence in modulating their effects. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using soil-disturbing vertebrates over mechanized engineering approaches such as pitting and furrowing, considering some advantages to include more self-sustainable and heterogeneous disturbances, creation of new habitats and added recreational values. Finally, we identify key knowledge gaps in our understanding of the use of soil-disturbing vertebrates for rehabilitating degraded ecosystems.This research was funded by the Hermon Slade Foundation (grant no. HSF21040)

The Kobresia pygmaea ecosystem of the Tibetan highlands – Origin, functioning and degradation of the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem: Kobresia pastures of Tibet

With 450,000 km2 Kobresia (syn. Carex) pygmaea dominated pastures in the eastern Tibetan highlands are the world's largest pastoral alpine ecosystem forming a durable turf cover at 3000–6000 m a.s.l. Kobresia's resilience and competitiveness is based on dwarf habit, predominantly below-ground allocation of photo assimilates, mixture of seed production and clonal growth, and high genetic diversity. Kobresia growth is co-limited by livestock-mediated nutrient withdrawal and, in the drier parts of the plateau, low rainfall during the short and cold growing season. Overstocking has caused pasture degradation and soil deterioration over most parts of the Tibetan highlands and is the basis for this man-made ecosystem. Natural autocyclic processes of turf destruction and soil erosion are initiated through polygonal turf cover cracking, and accelerated by soil-dwelling endemic small mammals in the absence of predators. The major consequences of vegetation cover deterioration include the release of large amounts of C, earlier diurnal formation of clouds, and decreased surface temperatures. These effects decrease the recovery potential of Kobresia pastures and make them more vulnerable to anthropogenic pressure and climate change. Traditional migratory rangeland management was sustainable over millennia, and possibly still offers the best strategy to conserve and possibly increase C stocks in the Kobresia turf. © 201

Grassland Resources and Protections in the Yellow River Source Zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

This paper summarises resources and protections of the Yellow River Source Zone on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. A concerted effort has been made to address concerns for overgrazing on the alpine steppe and alpine meadow landscapes in the source zone of the Yellow River. An assessment of the impacts of overgrazing includes consideration of the role of small mammals (on the one hand they are considered as a critical ecosystem engineer, on the other they are perceived as a major threatening pest). Analyzed in this paper are management options in the restoration of degraded grasslands