Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi)

NWIPB OpenIR

	Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi)
	Xie, Jiu-Xiang ; Lin, Gong-Hua ; Liu, Cui-Xia ; Yang, Chuan-Hua ; Deng, Xiao-Gong ; Cui, Xue-Feng ; Li, Bang ; Zhang, Tong-Zuo ; Su, Jian-Ping
	2014-04-01
发表期刊	ACTA THERIOLOGICA ; Xie, JX; Lin, GH; Liu, CX; Yang, CH; Deng, XG; Cui, XF; Li, B; Zhang, TZ; Su, JP.Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi),ACTA THERIOLOGICA,2014,59(2):337
摘要	Subterranean herbivores affect the plant community by plant consumption and burrowing activities. However, diet selection of subterranean herbivores has not been studied in detail in complex natural fields, mainly for lack of an accurate method to determine diet species, frequency, and biomass. Plateau zokors' (Eospalax baileyi) caching habit for the long inclement winter makes it possible to solve this problem. We studied the diet composition and biomass in caches and vicinity of plateau zokors' burrow systems. We found that plateau zokors are dietary generalist but show a significant selection among the available food items, plant parts, functional groups, organ types, and habitats. These results suggested that plateau zokors strictly selected their diet and were able to adjust their foraging strategy according to the different conditions of food abundance and quality. Plateau zokors' selective foraging can directly reduce the proportion of toxicity forbs; plateau zokors can be recognized as an important element to influence the alpine meadow plant community and cattle husbandry.; Subterranean herbivores affect the plant community by plant consumption and burrowing activities. However, diet selection of subterranean herbivores has not been studied in detail in complex natural fields, mainly for lack of an accurate method to determine diet species, frequency, and biomass. Plateau zokors' (Eospalax baileyi) caching habit for the long inclement winter makes it possible to solve this problem. We studied the diet composition and biomass in caches and vicinity of plateau zokors' burrow systems. We found that plateau zokors are dietary generalist but show a significant selection among the available food items, plant parts, functional groups, organ types, and habitats. These results suggested that plateau zokors strictly selected their diet and were able to adjust their foraging strategy according to the different conditions of food abundance and quality. Plateau zokors' selective foraging can directly reduce the proportion of toxicity forbs; plateau zokors can be recognized as an important element to influence the alpine meadow plant community and cattle husbandry.
文献类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://210.75.249.4/handle/363003/32298
专题	中国科学院西北高原生物研究所
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Xie, Jiu-Xiang,Lin, Gong-Hua,Liu, Cui-Xia,et al. Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi)[J]. ACTA THERIOLOGICA, Xie, JX; Lin, GH; Liu, CX; Yang, CH; Deng, XG; Cui, XF; Li, B; Zhang, TZ; Su, JP.Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi),ACTA THERIOLOGICA,2014,59(2):337,2014.
APA	Xie, Jiu-Xiang.,Lin, Gong-Hua.,Liu, Cui-Xia.,Yang, Chuan-Hua.,Deng, Xiao-Gong.,...&Su, Jian-Ping.(2014).Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi).ACTA THERIOLOGICA.
MLA	Xie, Jiu-Xiang,et al."Diet selection in overwinter caches of plateau zokor (Eospalax baileyi)".ACTA THERIOLOGICA (2014).