Subterranean rodents such as Esospalax cansus and E.baileyi are part of endogenous fauna in alpine grassland on the Tibetan plateau.These rodents are known to play important roles in ecosystem function in terms of soil nutrient cycle,plant composition,and interactions with other species.However,these native rodents are also known to aggravate grassland degradation in overgrazed alpine grassland and are subject to control.Effective management of these rodents in order to maintain their ecosystem function and reduce negative impact requires sound ecological and behavioural knowledge of these species.As an introduction of the symposium on "subterranean rodent-ecology,behaviour and management",this paper reviews existing knowledge on ecology and behaviour of subterranean rodents on alpine grassland of the Tibetan Plateau.So far,research on subterranean rodents in this region has largely focused on taxonomy,morphology and physiology related to adaptation to hypoxia and tunneling,and the effect of their mounds and burrows on vegetation.A few studies investigated the population density using the number of zokor mounds as an index.The reliability of such methods will be discussed.So far,the ecological and behavioural aspects of zokor,such as population dynamics,social and mating systems,movements and dispersal are largely unknown.Such knowledge is important for fully understanding their ecological role and for their management.Studies are also urgently needed on interactions between these aspects and vegetation conditions in zokor habitats.Such information is crucial for integrative management for both conserving native biodiversity and reducing grassland degradation.