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Li X, Zhu N, Ming M, Li LL, Bu F, Wu XD, Yuan S, Fu HP. The Spatial Niche and Influencing Factors of Desert Rodents. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:734. [PMID: 38473118 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2024] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Resource partitioning may allow species coexistence. Sand dunes in the typical steppe of Alxa Desert Inner Mongolia, China, consisting of desert, shrub, and grass habitats, provide an appropriate system for studies of spatial niche partitioning among small mammals. In this study, the spatial niche characteristics of four rodents, Orientallactaga sibirica, Meriones meridianus, Dipus sagitta, and Phodopus roborovskii, and their responses to environmental changes in the Alxa Desert were studied from 2017 to 2021. Using the capture-mark-recapture method, we tested if desert rodents with different biological characteristics and life history strategies under heterogeneous environmental conditions allocate resources in spatial niches to achieve sympatric coexistence. We investigated the influence of environmental factors on the spatial niche breadth of rodents using random forest and redundancy analyses. We observed that the spatial niche overlap between O. sibirica and other rodents is extremely low (overlap index ≤ 0.14). P. roborovskii had the smallest spatial niche breadth. Spatial niche overlap was observed in two distinct species pairs, M. meridianus and D. sagitta, and P. roborovskii and D. sagitta. The Pielou evenness index of rodent communities is closely related to the spatial distribution of rodents, and the concealment of habitats is a key factor affecting the spatial occupation of rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Li
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Na Zhu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Ming Ming
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Lin-Lin Li
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Fan Bu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Xiao-Dong Wu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Shuai Yuan
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - He-Ping Fu
- College of Grassland, Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, 29 Erdos East Street, Saihan District, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control, Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, 29 Erdos East Street, Hohhot 010011, China
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Li X, Yuan S, Li L, Zhang H, Jin Y, Liu L, Zhang R, Bu F, Sun S, Fu H, Wu X. Influence of grazing on the activity pattern and temporal niche of two dominant rodent species in Alxa desert. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1105729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Grazing by large herbivores can potentially affect interspecific interactions between small herbivores by reducing the ecological fitness of animals. Desert rodents are important components in desert ecosystems and indicators of environmental change. Grazing reduces food resources, but rodents can decrease interspecific niche overlap by adaptive behavior. However, the key factors driving rodent behavioral activities and coexistence in the Alxa desert remains unstudied. We monitored population density and behavioral activities of Midday gerbil (Meriones meridianus) and northern three-toed jerboa (Dipus sagitta) in a grazing exclusion experiment in Alxa desert, Inner Mongolia, China, in 2017. We assessed the relationship between environmental factors (such as plant height, density, coverage, rainfall and temperature) and the behavioral activities of two coexisting rodent species. The results showed that: (1) In summer, grazing significantly reduced the activity time of gerbil and jerboa compared to that in grazing exclusion areas (gerbil: F = 5.98, p < 0.05, η2 = 0.22; jerboa: F = 8.57, p < 0.01, η2 = 0.28). Grazing reduced the temporal niche overlap with an obvious shifting of activity peaks between two species. (2) Grazing exclusion enhanced the temporal niche overlap between the two rodent species due to greater food availability which relieved inter-specific competition in each season. (3) Grazing strengthened the sensitivity of rodents to environmental changes in all seasons. These results indicated that grazing affected competition between the rodent species by altering vegetation conditions, which in turn affected the temporal niche and activity patterns of rodents.
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Zhang FS, Wang Y, Wu K, Xu WY, Wu J, Liu JY, Wang XY, Shuai LY. Effects of artificial light at night on foraging behavior and vigilance in a nocturnal rodent. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 724:138271. [PMID: 32268292 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Artificial light at night has greatly changed the physical environment for many organisms on a global scale. As an energy efficient light resource, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used in recent years. As LEDs often have a broad spectrum, many biological processes may be potentially affected. In this study, we conducted manipulated experiments in rat-proof enclosures to explore the effects of LED night lighting on behavior of a nocturnal rodent, the Mongolian five-toed jerboa (Allactaga sibirica). We adopted the giving-up density (GUD) method and camera video trapping to study behavioral responses in terms of patch use, searching efficiency and vigilance. With the presence of white LED lighting, jerboas spent less time in patches, foraged less intensively (with higher GUDs) and became vigilant more frequently, while their searching efficiency was higher than under dark treatment. Although both positive and negative effects of LEDs on foraging were detected, the net effect of LEDs on jerboas is negative, which may further translate into changes in population dynamics, inter-specific interaction and community structure. To our knowledge, this is the first field study to explore how LED lighting affect foraging behavior and searching efficiency in rodents. Our results may have potential implications for practices such as pest control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fu-Shun Zhang
- Grassland Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot 010010, China
| | - Yun Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Ke Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Wen-Yan Xu
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Jing Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Jun-Yao Liu
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Xiao-Yin Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China
| | - Ling-Ying Shuai
- College of Life Sciences, Huaibei Normal University, Huaibei 235000, China.
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