高原鼠兔洞穴对土壤入渗的影响及机制.

[Objective] The aims of this study are to investigate the effects of plateau sage grouse burrows on the infiltration performance of alpine meadow soils and its related factors and to reveal its potential role on water cycling and soil hydrological functions in alpine meadow ecosystems. [Methods] Soil infiltration rates were measured by the single-loop method in different parts of alpine meadow plateau pika burrows, including the entrance (PE) and the burrow pathway (PB), and the control was an undisturbed alpine meadow (AM) with no distribution of plateau pika burrows. [Results] (1) Compared with the native alpine meadow, the total porosity and capillary porosity of surface soil at the plateau pika cave entrance were significantly reduced by 4.69% and 16.27%, respectively, while the non-capillary porosity was significantly increased by 22.47%, and the mean weight diameters of aggregates at the entrance and burrow were significantly decreased by 20.09% and 9.45%, respectively. The soil organic matter content decreased significantly, and soil organic matter content of each part followed the order: native alpine meadow burrow> entrance (p<0.05). (2) Compared with native alpine meadow, the initial infiltration rate of the cave entrance and burrow increased by 377.63% and 189.47%, respectively, and the stable infiltration rate increased by 314.29% and 220.00% (p<0.05). (3) Plateau pika caves promoted the soil infiltration performance mainly through the destruction of mattic layer roots, and root biomass was the dominant factor affecting initial and stable infiltration rates, with the standardized total effects of 0.717 and 0,539, respectively. To some extent. pika caves were conducive to the water conservation of alpine meadow ecosystem. [Conclusion] Sage-grouse burrows favor water circulation in alpine meadow ecosystems to a certain extent, but also damage the original soil structure of alpine meadows and exacerbate the risk of alpine meadow degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]