Tibetan Plateau Grassland Food Web
Terrestrial
Montane Grasslands & Shrublands
Tibetan Plateau — China, with extensions into India, Nepal, and Bhutan
Description
The Tibetan Plateau, the world's highest and largest plateau, supports alpine steppe and meadow food webs above 4,000 meters. Pikas are keystone herbivores whose burrows aerate soil and provide shelter for numerous species. Snow leopards are the apex predators, hunting bharal (blue sheep) across precipitous terrain.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Soil cyanobacteria
Alpine fungi
Dung beetles
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Snow leopard
Golden eagle
Wolf
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
Tibetan fox
Upland buzzard
Steppe polecat
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Plateau pika
Bharal
Tibetan antelope
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Kobresia sedge
Alpine meadow grasses
Cushion plants
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Plateau pikas create burrow systems that house lizards, insects, and nesting birds
- Snow leopards stalk bharal across rocky ridges above 4,500 meters
- Tibetan foxes specialize in hunting pikas on the open plateau
- Poisoning programs targeting pikas degrade grassland biodiversity by removing a keystone species