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Volume 17
Issue 8
10.3390/d17080587
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Relationship Between Groundwater Level and Rodent Community Structure Mediated by Nutrient Composition of Plants in Dongting Lake, China

by
Tian Huang
1,
Yiying He
2,3,
Tonglin Yu
4,
Meiwen Zhang
3,
Chen Zhang
3,
Yunlin Zhao
2,
Junxiang Lin
4,
Xiaoning Nan
4,
Zhiyuan Hu
1,* and
Zhenggang Xu
1,2,4,*
1
Hunan Engineering Research Center of Ecological Environment Intelligent Monitoring and Disaster, Prevention and Mitigation Technology in Dongting Lake Region, College of Information and Electronic, Engineering, Hunan City University, Yiyang 413000, China
2
Hunan Research Center of Engineering Technology for Utilization of Environmental and Resources Plant, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
3
Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
4
College of Forestry, Northwest A & F University, Yangling 712100, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Diversity 2025, 17(8), 587; https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080587
Submission received: 18 June 2025 / Revised: 18 August 2025 / Accepted: 19 August 2025 / Published: 20 August 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Wetland Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation)
Versions Notes

Abstract

The Dongting Lake wetland is an important habitat for rodents. In order to understand the structural characteristics of rodent communities and the effect of groundwater level on them, this study explored the changes in rodent community structure in four different habitats (Carex, Reeds, Carex + Reeds, and Poplar) from 2003 to 2023. Meanwhile, the relationships between groundwater level, nutrient composition of Carex brevicuspis, and structural characteristics of rodent communities were analyzed. The results showed that the advantages of rodent species in the four different habitats are different, and the community structure of rodents has undergone significant changes in recent years. A significant correlation between groundwater level and the nutrient composition of C. brevicuspis was found. Further analysis shows a significant correlation between the nutritional components of C. brevicuspis and the population structure of rodents. Crude protein, total phosphorus, and dry matter were three key plant nutrient indicators that were significantly correlated with both capture rate and the community diversity index (p < 0.05). Total phosphorus and crude protein were significantly negatively correlated with capture rate and Simpson’s index (p < 0.05), but significantly positively correlated with Pielou’s index and Shannon–Wiener’s index (p < 0.05), while the dry matter was completely opposite. The research conclusions suggest that different habitats and groundwater levels affect different characteristics of rodent community structures, and that plant nutrients are likely to be the mediator.
Keywords: diversity index; Carex brevicuspis; Alexandromys fortis; Apodemus agrarius; rodent community succession diversity index; Carex brevicuspis; Alexandromys fortis; Apodemus agrarius; rodent community succession

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Huang, T.; He, Y.; Yu, T.; Zhang, M.; Zhang, C.; Zhao, Y.; Lin, J.; Nan, X.; Hu, Z.; Xu, Z. Relationship Between Groundwater Level and Rodent Community Structure Mediated by Nutrient Composition of Plants in Dongting Lake, China. Diversity 2025, 17, 587. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080587

AMA Style

Huang T, He Y, Yu T, Zhang M, Zhang C, Zhao Y, Lin J, Nan X, Hu Z, Xu Z. Relationship Between Groundwater Level and Rodent Community Structure Mediated by Nutrient Composition of Plants in Dongting Lake, China. Diversity. 2025; 17(8):587. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080587

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huang, Tian, Yiying He, Tonglin Yu, Meiwen Zhang, Chen Zhang, Yunlin Zhao, Junxiang Lin, Xiaoning Nan, Zhiyuan Hu, and Zhenggang Xu. 2025. "Relationship Between Groundwater Level and Rodent Community Structure Mediated by Nutrient Composition of Plants in Dongting Lake, China" Diversity 17, no. 8: 587. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080587

APA Style

Huang, T., He, Y., Yu, T., Zhang, M., Zhang, C., Zhao, Y., Lin, J., Nan, X., Hu, Z., & Xu, Z. (2025). Relationship Between Groundwater Level and Rodent Community Structure Mediated by Nutrient Composition of Plants in Dongting Lake, China. Diversity, 17(8), 587. https://doi.org/10.3390/d17080587

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