Plateau Pika (Ochotona curzoniae) Disturbance Alters Soil‐Microbe‐Enzyme C–N–P Stoichiometry and Drives a Shift From N‐ to P‐Limitation in Alpine Meadows on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau

Soil‐microbe‐enzyme C–N–P stoichiometry is a key indicator of nutrient cycling and ecosystem resilience. This study examines its response to plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) disturbance in alpine meadows on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. The results demonstrated that plateau pika disturbance significantly enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) by 28.97%, soil total nitrogen (STN) by 8.25%, and soil total phosphorus (STP) by 9.15%. Microbial biomass C (MBC), and N (MBN) increased by 5.60% and 6.30%, respectively. Enzyme activities of β‐1,4‐glucosidase (BG), N‐acetyl‐β‐D‐glucosaminidase (NAG), and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) were also elevated in disturbed plots compared to undisturbed plots. Soil C:N, C:P ratios, and enzyme N:P ratio were 19.62%, 19.65%, and 4.48% higher, respectively, while MBN: MBP ratio was 21.63% lower in disturbed plots. Additionally, the soil C:N imbalance increased, and C:P homeostasis became weakly homeostatic (H′ = 2.38) under plateau pika disturbance. Moreover, STP and underground biomass were identified as key factors regulating soil‐enzyme C–N–P stoichiometry in undisturbed plots, while SOC was the strongest factor associated with microbe C:N:P stoichiometry in disturbed plots. These results indicate that plateau pika disturbance drives a shift in microbial metabolic strategies toward C utilization and progressively transforms alpine meadow soils from N‐ to P‐limitation with increasing disturbance intensity. Therefore, this study proposes targeted N supplementation under low disturbance intensity, whereas P fertilization is recommended under high disturbance intensity to mitigate nutrient limitation.