Impact of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae) on soil properties and nitrous oxide fluxes on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

This paper demonstrates the impact of an endemic fossorial animal, plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae), on soil properties and N(2)O flux at the Zoige Wetland. Pika burrow and control sites without disturbance by pika were selected to measure the soil water content, bulk density, soil organic matter (SOM), NH(4)-N content and NO(3)-N content in August 2012. N(2)O fluxes were measured with static opaque chambers at these sites in June and August 2012. Pika burrowing altered soil aeration by transferring deeper soil to the surface and by constructing underground burrows, which significantly increased bulk density, and reduced soil water content, SOM and NH(4)-N content at 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil depth. N(2)O flux had a significant correlation with bulk density, SOM and NH(4)-N content. Pika burrowing significantly influenced N(2)O flux by increasing N(2)O flux at the control site from near zero to 0.063±0.011 mg m(-2) h(-1). Our findings described how pika burrowing influences the soil traits and significantly increases the principal greenhouse gas N(2)O emission. As plateau pika was commonly considered as a pest, our findings give a novel clue to effectively manage populations of plateau pika on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau from the perspective of greenhouse gas emission.