Age determination and structure characteristics of Qinghai vole population composition in the alpine meadows of Guoluo Prefecture
[Objective]The Qinghai vole(Lasiopodomy sfuscus)is a unique rodent in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau.Establishing an age group classification standard for Qinghai voles can provide scientific basis for its monitoring,pre-vention and control.[Method]This study was conducted from July 2021 to June 2022 in Maqin County,Guoluo Ti-betan Autonomous Prefecture,where a total of 945 individual Qinghai voles were collected.Systematic clustering analysis was employed to analyze body weight and body length,using auxiliary measurements such as body length,tail length,ear length,and hind foot length to delineate the age structure of the Qinghai vole.The population structure and reproductive features of the speciesacross different seasonswere also examined in this study.[Result]The results revealed that the captured Qinghai voles could be classified into five age groups:juvenile group(Ⅰ age group,male carcass weight≤18 g,female carcass weight≤12 g),sub-adult group(Ⅱ age group,18 g<male carcass weight≤25 g,12 g<female carcass weight≤21 g),adult group Ⅰ(Ⅲ age group,25 g<male carcass weight≤34 g,21 g<female carcass weight≤27 g),adult group Ⅱ(Ⅳ age group,34 g<male carcass weight≤42 g,27 g<female carcass weight≤36 g),and elderly group(Ⅴ age group,male carcass weight>42 g,female carcass weight>36 g).Adult and elderly groups were found to be the main contributors to population reproduction.Addi-tionally,the Qinghai vole population structure displayed distinct seasonal variations.The period from January to Feb-ruary marked the hibernation phase,with only a small number of overwintering adult individuals active.Breeding ac-tivities commenced in early March,primarily driven by juvenile,sub-adult,and adult individuals.The peak breeding season occurred in July and August,with an increase in the proportion of sub-adult and adult individuals.Breeding concluded in October,with the population primarily comprised of adult and elderly individuals.[Conclusion]In sum-mary,using carcass weight to classify the age of Qinghai vole population is the most representativemethod.This study fills the gap in the age identification criteria for Qinghai voles in China and provides basic data for studying their population biology and ecological characteristics.
万方数据
维普
