Rodent Bioturbation Significantly Enhances Annual Methane Uptake by Tibetan Alpine Grasslands

作者：Dezhao Gan, Dongsheng Yu, Hongchao Zuo, Zheng Li, Zelong Zhang, Huinan Li, Zhenrong Lin, Hui Wang, Qingping Zhou, Jinsong Wang, Shuli Niu, Ruijun Long, Lei Ma · 发表于：Global Change Biology · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/gcb.70342 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Atmospheric and Environmental Gas Dynamics、Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology、Fire effects on ecosystems

ABSTRACT Tibetan alpine grasslands (AG) serve as critical methane (CH 4 ) sinks, yet face degradation from anthropogenic and climatic disturbances that promote subterranean rodents (e.g., Plateau zokor [ Myospalax baileyi ] and pika [ Ochotona curzoniae ]) activities. Although rodent bioturbation (e.g., burrowing, foraging and excreting) alters soil structure, soil physico‐chemical properties and productivity from AG, its impacts on CH 4 uptake remain poorly understood. Among the first, we combined paired year‐round CH 4 flux measurements from Plateau zokor mounds (ZM) and surrounding healthy meadow (HM) patches in Tibetan alpine meadow with collated CH 4 fluxes from meta‐ and synthetic analyses across Tibetan AG, temperate grasslands (TG) and tropical grasslands (TrG) globally. We observed that rodent bioturbation significantly ( p < 0.001) doubled annual CH 4 uptake (HM: −0.91 ± 0.08 kg C ha −1 vs. ZM: −1.80 ± 0.19 kg C ha −1 , mean ± standard error, negative values indicate uptake). Notably, 67% of this net increase (−0.89 ± 0.10 kg C ha −1 year −1 ) due to rodent bioturbation occurred during the growing season. Meta‐analysis results revealed this phenomenon associated with significantly ( p < 0.001) decreased topsoil moisture and increased functional gene abundances of pmoA for methanotrophs. Non‐growing season (NGS) CH 4 uptake contributed 45% and 39% to annual CH 4 uptake for HM and ZM, respectively, falling into the ranges of 12%–64% NGS CH 4 uptake contributions...