Abstract: The aim of this study was to understand the distribution of plant functional groups and its relationship with soil properties under the disturbance of plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae). We investigated plant community structure and soil properties in three plots where pika were active in an alpine meadow in Maqu County, eastern Tibet Plateau. We used the number of pika’s holes as an indicator of disturbance intensity and analyzed the relationship between plant functional group and soil properties. The results showed that the height and cover of plant community decreased with the increases of pika disturbance intensity. There was a similar response in diversity index of plant functional groups, particularly for Cyperaceae and forb. Along the gradient of pika disturbance intensities, total soil P and organic C concentrations increased, while soil pH and soil compaction significantly decreased (P<0.05). Results from the RDA and partial RDA analyses revealed that the distribution of plant functional groups was significantly correlated with the concentrations of total soil phosphorus and total potassium under pika disturbance (P<0.05).

Key words: Tibetan Plateau, The Lhasa River basin, farmland, soil moisture, influence factors, ecological redundancy analysis (RDA).