Abstract: Disturbance-caused patch is of significance in the development and maintenance of temporal and spatial heterogeneity in desert ecosystem, while rodents are the important representatives of bio-disturbance, being a major source of patch formation in desert ecosystem. Rodents have evolved a series of physiological, morphological, and behavioral characteristics to adapt the asperity of desert environment, and their excavating and feeding activities also deeply affect the environment of desert ecosystem. This paper summarized the disturbance effect of rodents on soil (pedogenesis, patch formation, and physical and chemical properties) and vegetation (species diversity, productivity, and seed dispersion), aimed to illustrate the contributions of rodents activities to desert ecosystem.

Key words: Mangrove, Sonneratia apetala extension area, Tree species, Niche breadth, Niche overlap