Plateau pika burrows are common feature of degraded grassland in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) and serve as an important indicator of pika activity and grassland degradation. However, the current understanding of the spatial pattern changes of pika burrows and their critical thresholds across a degradation gradient in alpine grassland is deficient. In this study, we investigated and quantified changes in the spatial pattern of plateau pika burrows under typical degraded alpine shrub meadows in the northeastern QTP using an unmanned aerial vehicle and landscape pattern metrics. The degradation of the alpine shrub meadow leads to a change in landscape pattern from a two‐layered structure of alpine shrub and alpine meadow to a mosaic of alpine meadow and bare soil, with plateau pika burrows scattered throughout. Moderate degradation is the tipping point for changes in surface landscape patterns, followed by the disappearance of alpine shrub, the retreat of alpine meadows and the encroachment of bare soil, and the increasing density and size of pika burrows. The area characteristics of alpine meadows have influenced changes in the spatial pattern of pika burrow, and maintaining its proportional area is a vital measure to control the threat of pika burrows to pastures. The results of this paper provide a methodological reference and guidance for the sustainable utilization of grassland on the QTP.

The degradation of alpine grasslands directly affects their ability to conserve water, but changes in soil water storage in grassland under different degrees of degradation are poorly understood. Here, we selected four grassland plots along a degradation gradient: no-degradation grassland (NG), lightly degraded grassland (LG), moderately degraded grassland (MG) and severely degraded grassland (SG). We then applied an automatic soil moisture monitoring system to study changes in soil water storage processes. Results revealed significant (p < 0.05) differences in soil water storage among NG, LG, MG and SG. Specifically, LG lost 35.9 mm of soil water storage compared with NG, while soil water storage in LG, MG and SG decreased by 24.5%, 32.1% and 36.7%, respectively. The shallow groundwater table, air temperature and grass litter were the key controlling factors of soil water storage in the grassland. Grazing and future global warming will significantly reduce soil water storage in alpine grasslands.