Analysis of the Impacts of Environmental Factors on Rat Hole Density in the Northern Slope of the Tienshan Mountains with Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Understanding the impacts of environmental factors on spatial–temporal and large-scale rodent distribution is important for damage prevention. Investigating rat hole density (RHD) one most effective methods to obtain intensity damage. However, previous field surveys or UAV-based remote sensing can only evaluate small-scale RHD its influencing factors. these studies did not consider temporal spatial heterogeneity. Therefore, we collected in situ measurement records northern slope Tien Shan Mountains Xinjiang (NTXJ), China, from 1982 2015, then used correlation analysis Bayesian network (BN) analyze with satellite data such as GIMMS NDVI product. The results show that built BN better quantify causality mechanism modeling RHD. LAI are mapping future. In regions an elevation higher than 600 m (UPR) lower (LWR) NTXJ, there significant differences driving patterns RHD, which dependent variation. LWR, vegetation conditions have a weaker impact UPR. It possibly due Artemisia eaten by dominant species Lagurus luteus (LL) UPR being more sensitive precipitation temperature if compared Haloxylon ammodendron Rhombomys opimus (RO) LWR. grazing strongly positively correlated UPR, both winter RO dependency distribution; moreover, sheep do feed main food, total sufficient LL coexist. Under different water availability LWR may affect ratio aboveground underground biomass photosynthate allocation, thereby affecting extremely dry years, indirect interactive relation changes systems.