Effects of dietary protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)

	Effects of dietary protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)
	Chen, Huiqing; Shang, Guozhen; Wu, Xueqin; Zhang, Lu; Dong, Xin; Cao, Yifan; Wu, Yan; Bian, Jianghui
刊名	MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY
	2023
卷号	103 期号:6 页码:623
英文摘要	Livestock grazing increases the abundance of small burrowing mammals by reducing vegetation height and cover. However, habitats with low food quality may not be able to maintain high-density populations. The combination of an open habitat and high-quality food may be a critical component in understanding the dynamics of small burrowing mammal populations. Plateau pikas are small burrowing lagomorphs endemic to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Overgrazing by livestock has induced a dramatic increase in the population density of plateau pikas for decades, but the mechanism is poorly understood. On the QTP, degraded meadows caused by livestock overgrazing provide abundant high-protein food resources for plateau pikas, a key factor driving population fluctuations in many small mammals. We examined the effect of protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas by feeding them three pelleted chows containing 10%, 15% and 20% protein. We hypothesized that high-protein foods would elevate pika fitness by promoting the ability to cope with immediate environmental perturbations and increasing individual growth, immunity, and reproductive performance. We found that individuals from the 10% protein group had a delayed response to acute immobilization stress, while those from the 20% protein group had larger body mass, an increased PHA response, increased anti-KLH IgG levels, and a reduced intensity of coccidian infection. Pikas in the 20% protein group had higher concentrations of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, luteinizing hormone, estradiol, progesterone and testosterone than those in the 10% protein group. These results suggest that the high-protein foods found in heavily grazed meadows may be a key factor in generating and maintaining high-density populations of plateau pikas.
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://210.75.249.4/handle/363003/61554]
专题	西北高原生物研究所_中国科学院西北高原生物研究所
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Chen, Huiqing,Shang, Guozhen,Wu, Xueqin,et al. Effects of dietary protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)[J]. MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY,2023,103(6):623.
APA	Chen, Huiqing.,Shang, Guozhen.,Wu, Xueqin.,Zhang, Lu.,Dong, Xin.,...&Bian, Jianghui.(2023).Effects of dietary protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae).MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY,103(6),623.
MLA	Chen, Huiqing,et al."Effects of dietary protein on the individual fitness of plateau pikas (Ochotona curzoniae)".MAMMALIAN BIOLOGY 103.6(2023):623.