Plateau zokor (Myospalax baileyi) activity intensity changes and their driving mechanisms in the eastern Tibetan Plateau during Holocene

Clarifying the relationship between the activity intensity of the plateau zokor (Myospalax baileyi) in the eastern Tibetan Plateau since the Holocene and climate change, as well as human activities, is important scientifically for contemporary ecological protection, grassland management, and the governance of black soil beaches. This study was based on the method of optically stimulated luminescence dating. Environmental index measurements and statistical analysis of ancient M. baileyi burrows on soil sections with typical M. baileyi activity traces in Huangnan, Qinghai were performed. Ancient M. baileyi burrows were concentrated between 9.3–3.2 ka, particularly reaching a peak of activity between 9.3–6.0 ka, followed by a decrease in numbers at 6, 3.2, and 1.7 ka, respectively. This is consistent with the regional precipitation and temperature changes since the Holocene, suggesting that warm and wet conditions in the early to middle Holocene improved the habitat of the M. baileyi, promoting an increase in their numbers. Since the middle to late Holocene, the cold and dry conditions, coupled with the continuous intensification of human activities, led to a phased decline in M. baileyi activity intensity, indicating that climate deterioration and increased human activities jointly impacted the population of plateau zokor. Climate change has been the primary factor affecting the change in M. baileyi numbers since the Holocene, while the intensification of human activities has accelerated this process. The findings provide historical references for the dynamic management of grasslands, governance of grassland pest infestations, and control of carrying capacity under the background of the continuous warming and humidification of the Tibetan Plateau.