Effects of disturbance of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) on reproductive characteristics of Gentiana dahurica in the QinghaiTibetan Plateau

Activities of plateau pika(Ochotona curzoniae) affects reproductive characteristics of different plant in alpine meadow communities by excavating and feeding. A field survey was conducted to determine the effects of disturbance of plateau pika on reproductive characteristic of Gentiana dahurica. The present study showed that aboveground biomass, plant height, stemleaf ratio, number of reproductive shoot, number of vegetative shoot, number of inflorescence, inflorescence biomass and seed yield per plant all increased with the increase of disturbance levels of plateau pika. When the disturbance levels wereⅠ(11232) holeha-1 andⅡ（19248）holeha-1, more assimilate substances in G. dahurica have allocated in the leaves to guarantee the survive of the populations. When the disturbance levels were Ⅲ （35264）holeha-1 and Ⅳ （60848）holeha-1, more assimilate substances in G. dahurica have allocated in the reproductive organ to form more reproductive shoots, inflorescences and seed yield per plant. In conclusion, the excessive disturbance of plateau pika decreased grazing quality in alpine meadow by improving reproductive growth of G. dahurica.