The Tibetan plateau is flooded with pikas, the number of which is as high as 65.438+0.2 billion. Why do experts say that it is a good thing for herders to have a headache?

Many people should have heard of the proliferation of rabbits in Australia. Since the19th century, Australia has tried to exterminate tens of billions of rabbits that have destroyed its ecosystem, but after more than 50 years of1rabbit war, Australia still suffered a crushing defeat.

What is a plateau pika?

Plateau pika, a close relative of rabbit, belongs to the family Rabbinidae, and there is no worse animal on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Because of its small size and no fighting capacity, it is the prey of many animals, and almost all of them can eat them, flying in the sky and running on the ground. Fortunately, however, they are very good at digging holes. When they are in danger, they can quickly run to the caves to avoid natural enemies.

Generally speaking, plateau pikas like to dig dense holes in the grass, and there is a runway between them. The holes are the same as the holes, but the moving distance is not large, generally about 20 meters away from the central hole. They usually mainly feed on Gramineae, Cyperaceae and Leguminosae, and the reason why they are flooded in China is inseparable from their strong reproductive ability.

Plateau pikas can give birth to two cubs every year, each with 3-6 cubs. In summer, adult female pikas will successfully give birth to a series of cubs. Their strong reproductive ability makes their number rise sharply, and the density can reach about 300 per hectare. In China, they are mainly distributed in prefectures and counties in Qinghai, with a small amount in southern Gansu, northwestern Sichuan and Tibet.

The Tibetan plateau is flooded with pikas, the number of which is as high as 65.438+0.2 billion.

For a long time in the past, herdsmen living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau hated plateau pikas because they always thought they were the "culprit" of grassland degradation. Therefore, around the 1960s, our government began a large-scale campaign to eliminate plateau pikas. However, due to the harsh environment and sparse population in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the effect of killing plateau pika is very general. Well said, the pastures near the herdsmen's living areas are beyond the control of those meadows in no man's land.

Therefore, despite the vigorous "rabbit killing movement", the number of plateau pikas has steadily increased, and gradually developed to the scale of 65.438+0.2 billion today. This is because the plateau pika has strong ability to escape and reproduce. When they got into the hole, the herdsmen had no choice.

Even if a certain number of plateau pikas can be killed, they will be reborn in the breeding season. Plateau pika is pregnant for 30 days and gives birth to two babies a year. A baby can give birth to three or four cubs, which is a grassland "breeding machine". Every breeding season, plateau pikas can give birth to a series of cubs, and the population quickly recovers.

Experts believe that more plateau pikas is not a bad thing, but a good thing.

Can improve the soil. Plateau pika is good at digging holes, which will inevitably loosen the soil, which is the same as the effect of "loosening the soil" before planting. It can improve the soil and make the grassland grow new plants again, which is of great help to promote the restoration of plant communities. The feces discharged by pika can also provide nutrients for plant growth, make plants grow more luxuriantly and provide more pasture for cattle and sheep. In addition, pikas can swallow poisonous dicotyledonous plants and avoid poisoning of cattle and sheep, which is obviously a good thing.

Contribute to the house. The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is extremely cold because of its high altitude, especially in winter when the temperature is below -30℃ for a long time. In this harsh environment, it is difficult for many animals to "spend the winter". But the plateau pika itself likes to dig holes to build nests. An adult pika will dig many holes to avoid natural enemies when foraging. These caves have become temporary shelters for many animals in winter, allowing them to resist the cold wave and spend the cold winter. It can be seen that pika caves contribute a lot to maintaining the plateau ecosystem.

The food source of carnivores. Plateau pika is small and aggressive, so it has become the main food source for carnivores and raptors. Once the number of pikas decreases, it will be difficult for other animals on the plateau to survive the cold winter. Plateau pikas don't need to hibernate, so many animals usually watch pikas in order to survive in winter. As long as they can catch a few pikas, they don't worry about the source of food.